| Tournament Section | ||||
| Open | Major (u1900) |
Inter (u1700) |
Minor (u1500) |
|
| Entry Fees for ECF Members at Platinum, Gold or Silver Level (ECF Membership Guidance) | ||||
| Adult | £ 31 | £ 28 | £ 28 | £ 25 |
| Junior | £ 25 | £ 23 | £ 23 | £ 19 |
| Entry Fees for ECF Non-Members and Bronze Members (ECF Membership Guidance) | ||||
| Adult | £ 46 | £ 43 | £ 43 | £ 40 |
| Junior | £ 31 | £ 29 | £ 29 | £ 25 |
| Prize Money | ||||
| 1st Prize | £ 350 | £ 200 | £ 200 | £ 150 |
| 2nd Prize | £ 180 | £ 100 | £ 100 | £ 80 |
| 3rd Prize | £ 100 | £ 60 | £ 60 | £ 50 |
| Rating Prize | £ 50 | £ 50 | £ 50 | £ 50 |
| Women's Prize | £ 60 | £ 60 | £ 60 | £ 60 |
| Junior Prize | £ 60 | £ 60 | £ 60 | £ 60 |
Ratings and Allocation to Sections
Allocation to tournament sections will be based on original August ECF standard play ratings where available. Players should enter the lowest section for which they are eligible, though players may, if they wish, add 100 points to their rating when calculating this (or 200 for juniors).
Rules Relating to Estimated Ratings
Ratings other than currently published ECF Standard Play Ratings without a P-suffix (or equivalent FIDE ratings) will be regarded as estimates. This includes Rapidplay and online ratings.
A deduction of 50% may be made from any cash prize won by a player using an estimated rating, unless they are playing in the Open section of the event. In addition, players using estimated ratings will not be eligible for rating prizes, regardless of tournament section.
If supplying an estimated rating, please include details of how this was reached. For online ratings, username(s) and platform name(s) should be supplied. The organisers may make their own revised estimated based on the same material or other materials available to them.
Monetary Prizes
The above junior and women's prizes are underwritten by the Patrick Ribbands Legacy Fund and will be awarded regardless of the number of entries across the tournament as a whole, though may depend upon the number of qualifying entrants in the tournament section or upon achieving a minimum score. In the event that a junior or women's prizes would not otherwise be awarded, it may be reallocated to another section of the event or awarded on an alternative basis.
The other prizes above are guaranteed if entries reach 80. Additional rating and junior prizes will be awarded if finances permit.
The age limits for junior prizes will be determined based on ages of entrants and may be lower than 18. To qualify, a player must have been under the relevant age limit on 1 September 2024.
Tie Breaks
In the event of a tie for a rating prize, the prize will be awarded to the lowest rated player. No other tie-breaks will be used for monetary prizes, with prize money being shared equally between qualifying players on the same number of points. Tie-breaks for any non-shareable prizes will be published at the event.
No player may be awarded more than one monetary prize. Would this otherwise occur, the player will be awarded the higher value prize. The organisers may vary this arrangement if doing so results in a fairer distribution of prizes. This is most likely to occur where a player would qualify for a share of multiple prizes.
Chess.com Membership Prizes
In addition to the prizes noted above, there are also prizes of Diamond Membership at chess.com for the top three finishers in each section. Those finishing first will win a six month membership, and those finishing second or third will win a three month membership. Since these memberships cannot be shared, tie-breaks (TBC) will be in operation.
Deadline for Entries
Entries close at 10pm on Friday 18th October to allow organisers to make final arrangements.
Withdrawals
Refunds will be provided at the organisers’ discretion, but not for players who simply fail to turn up. We may retain a portion of your fee if you withdraw in the week prior to the event.
Right to refuse entry
The Congress Director reserves the right to refuse entry without being required to state a reason.
ECF Membership Guidance
The ECF are phasing out Silver membership. Depending upon when your membership year begins, you may need to take out Gold membership to qualify for the lower entry fees stated above. You can upgrade between Bronze and Gold membership for the difference in cost between the two, currently £15 for adults and £6 for juniors.
If you are a bronze member at the time of our event you will be automatically upgraded to Gold membership. This will entitle you to lower entry fees at other similar events, but it may take a while for the ECF to process this. It is recommended to upgrade directly with the ECF and enter our event after doing so.
For more details visit the ECF's membership pages.