Date: Friday 10 April to Sunday 12 April 2026
Venue: Sports Hall, St Catherine's School, Station Road, Bramley, Guildford GU5 0DF
This is a 5-round Swiss tournament in two sections: Open, Major (U1800). Both sections are ECF-rated and FIDE-rated. The total prize fund is £1,700.
Entry to the event is a two-stage process:
Your entry is not confirmed until payment has been received.
The total number of players in each section is shown below.
Sunday 18 January 2026
OPEN
1
List of entrants
MAJOR
2
List of entrants
| OPEN | Prizes: 1st £400, 2nd £200, 3rd £100 |
| MAJOR | Prizes: 1st £400, 2nd £200, 3rd £100 |
There will also be a prize of £100 each for the highest score congress-wide in these categories:
In each 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 2025.
The April 2026 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 9 April 2026. No entries will be accepted on the day of the congress.
The entry fee is the same for all sections:
£50 – ECF Gold / Platinum members.
£66 – All others (i.e. +£16 for ECF rating).
Entrants who are not registered with any FIDE Federation will be registered with England through participating in this event.
The playing session is 4 hours 30 minutes – so each player has 2 hours 15 minutes to make all moves.
The time control is 35 moves in 1 hour 45 minutes then 30 minutes for the rest of the game. There is no increment.
Boards 1–16 in the Open will be live-streamed.
| Round 1 | Friday 10 April | 5.00pm |
| Round 2 | Saturday 11 April | 10.00am |
| Round 3 | Saturday 11 April | 3.00pm |
| Round 4 | Sunday 12 April | 10.00am |
| Round 5 | Sunday 12 April | 3.00pm |
Players may take a half-point bye in any one of rounds 1 to 4.
The playing area is on the ground floor of the Sports Hall. On the 1st floor there is a rest area / analysis room, a spectator viewing area, and a café.
The café is open from 4.00pm to 8.00pm on Friday 10 April and from 10.00am to 4.00pm on Saturday 11 April and Sunday 12 April.
Players are not allowed to bring food and drink into the playing area, except bottled water.
The venue is suitable for disabled players, with disabled access to the ground floor, and also to the 1st floor via a lift. There is also a disabled toilet.
There is an ASDA Express mini-supermarket about 5 minutes' walk from the venue, at the crossroads of Station Road and the A281. Facilities include hot and cold food to take away, a coffee machine, and a cash dispenser.
The shop is open every day from 6.00am to 10.00pm.
St Catherine's School is on Station Road in Bramley. If driving, enter Bramley on the A281 from the north or south. Station Road runs east from the crossroads at the northern end of Bramley and the school is on the left.
The school has a large on-site car park. This is free to use.
Public transport alternatives:
| 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 guildfordfidecongress26@gmail.com.