City of Belfast 2026

Tournament Schedule:

Saturday 2nd May

Round 1 - 10.30am

Round 2 - 2:30pm

Sunday 3rd May

Round 3 - 10:30am

Round 4 - 2:30pm

Monday 4th May

Round 5 -  10:30am

Round 6 - 2:00pm

Prize Giving - 15 mins after the last match finishes.

Sections / bands & grading prizes TBC

FIDE registration of event has been requested.

FIDE National Arbiter: Chris Dorrian

Deadline to enter: 12 noon on Wednesday 29th April

Entry cost = £30

Under 18s & concession = £20

As per FIDE guidelines, players should be members of their national federation to compete in a FIDE-rated event. Therefore, with the exception of newcomers or players visiting from overseas, local players should already be paid-up members of the Irish Chess Union [ICU] or Ulster Chess Union [UCU].

The 2025/2026 season begins on 1st September 2025, ending on 31st August 2026.

ICU rates for under 18s are €10 per season and for adults €35.A full list of ICU membership rates are available here:
https://www.icu.ie/shop

UCU membership can be paid on the day at any tournament in Northern Ireland or the PayPal link can be sent in advance. The UCU Treasurer is present at almost all the events for anyone wishing to pay in cash. It costs £25 per season. Concessionary rate for ICU members is £15, and £10 for Under 18s, full-time students, pensioners, unemployed.

Rounds: 6

Time Control: 75 + 30

Pairing Software - Swiss Master 5.7

Tie-breaks - Buchholz, Progressive Scores, TPR Mixed

FIDE rules will apply.

Default time = 30 minutes.

Players arriving late 3 times after their clock has started may be disqualified.

Phones must be switched off. If a player’s phone makes any type of noise, the game is immediately lost by the offending player, including the loss of rating points.

The competition will be rated by FIDE (TBC) and the UCU.