Date: Friday 25 April to Sunday 27 April 2025.
Please note this is a change from the previously-advertised date of 11 to 13 April 2025. The University of Surrey have told us that the venue is no longer available on the original date.
Venue: University Hall, Stag Hill Campus, Guildford GU2 7XH.
This is a 5-round Swiss tournament: Open, Major (U2000), Minor (U1600), Senior (aged 60+ on 1 January 2025). All sections are both ECF-rated and FIDE-rated. The total prize fund is £3,300.
Entry to the event is a two-stage process:
1. Complete the online entry form.
2. Pay the entry fee by bank transfer (details below).
Your entry is not confirmed until payment has been received.
The total number of players in each section is shown below.
Fri 13 Dec 2024
| Total | Open | Major | Minor | Senior |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| OPEN | Prizes: 1st £500, 2nd £300, 3rd £100, Rating prize (U2000) £100 |
| MAJOR | Prizes: 1st £400, 2nd £200, 3rd £100 |
| MINOR | Prizes: 1st £400, 2nd £200, 3rd £100 |
| SENIOR | Prizes: 1st £400, 2nd £200, 3rd £100 |
There will also be a prize of £100 each for the highest score congress-wide by a female player, and by a junior (under 18 on 1 January 2025). In either case, if two or more players have the same highest score, the prize will go to the player with the lowest rating.
No player may win more than one prize from the Congress prize fund. If a player is eligible for two or more prizes, the highest will be awarded. All prize money will be paid by bank transfer.
The Surrey County Chess Association will award the title of Surrey U18 Champion and the Michell Memorial Trophy to the highest-placed eligible player in the Open. In this case a junior must be under 18 on 31 August 2024.
The winner of the Open section will be the Southern Counties Chess Champion for 2025, and will be awarded the Glenroy Cup, together with a stand-alone prize of £100 from the SCCU, and will qualify automatically for the British Championships 2025.
The April 2025 Standardplay rating list will be used to determine a player’s rating. If a player has both a FIDE rating and an ECF rating, the higher will be used. Unrated players must provide an estimate of their playing strength.
The deadline for entry is Thursday 10 April 2025. No entries will be accepted on the day of the congress.
The entry fee is the same for all sections:
£45 – ECF Gold / Platinum members.
£60 – All others (i.e. +£15).
This reflects the new ECF arrangements for Membership, Pay to Play and Game Fees 2024/25. For more details see https://www.englishchess.org.uk/membership-pay-to-play-and-game-fees-2024-25-v1/.
Entrants who are not registered with any FIDE Federation will be registered with England through participating in this event.
90 minutes plus 30 seconds a move from the start of the game. After both players have made 100 moves, the increment reduces to 10 seconds a move.
| Round 1 | Friday 25 April | 6.30pm |
| Round 2 | Saturday 26 April | 9.00am |
| Round 3 | Saturday 26 April | 2.30pm |
| Round 4 | Sunday 27 April | 9.00am |
| Round 5 | Sunday 27 April | 2.30pm |
Players may take a half-point bye in any one of rounds 1 to 4.
There is a large car park on the campus. Parking is free after 7.00pm on Fridays and all weekend. There is a small charge at other times. The venue is less than one mile from Guildford railway station and is served by bus routes from the town centre.
For more details, including a map of the campus, information about refreshments, and disability access, see the Visitor Information on the University of Surrey website: https://www.surrey.ac.uk/visit-university.
| Account name | Guildford Chess Club |
| Sort code | 52-41-56 |
| Account number | 48269867 |
| From outside the UK: | |
| IBAN | GB32NWBK52415648269867 |
| BIC | NWBKGB2L |
Please send any queries to guildfordfidecongress25@gmail.com.