Invitation

The All India Chess Federation, under the auspices of the Asian Chess Federation and FIDE invites National Chess Federations of Western Asian region to participate in the Western Asian Youth Chess Championships to be held from 22nd to 31st of October 2026 in India.

Participation

1. Entitled to participate are chess players from Western Asian Chess Federations (Zone 3.1, 3.2, 3.4, 3.7 & 3.8) The participant must not have reached respective birthday before 1st January, 2026 as given below:

1. In each age group, there will be an open category and a girls’ category.
2. Each Western Asia federation can register only one official player in each category and any number of extra players. The organizer shall provide free board and lodging at the official hotel to one official player in each category per federation and one Head of Delegation on double or triple sharing basis. Extra players will cover their board and lodging by themselves.
3. In case there are fewer than ten players and five federations in an age group, that group shall be merged with another group.
4. All players must have a FIDE ID before registration.
5. For eligibility of Indian players, please contact the All India Chess

Federation via [email protected]

Playing Schedule

2.1 The Championships will be played according to the Swiss System of nine rounds or round robin for ten or less players in all formats (Standard/Rapid/Blitz) as per the schedule given below:

Playing Conditions

1. The tournament will be played according to the FIDE rules of play.

   1. The time control for standard chess is 90 minutes to each player, with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting from move 1.
   2. The time control for rapid chess is 15 minutes to each player, with an increment of 10 seconds per move starting from move 1.
   3. The time control for blitz chess is 3 minutes to each player, with an increment of 2 seconds per move starting from move 1.
   4. In the last round, players from the same federation may be paired to play each other.

Chief Arbiter and his Assistants

1. The Asian Chess Federation President will appoint the Chief Arbiter, as well as the necessary assistant arbiters and other officials.

   1. The Chief Arbiter may, in consultation with the Asian Chess Federation, issue additional written regulations to inform the exact playing hours and take care of other details not covered by these regulations.
   2. Protests, including protests against decisions of the Chief Arbiter or his assistants, must be submitted in writing to the Chairman of the Appeals Committee within fifteen minutes after completion of the relevant playing session.

Appeals Committee

1. The Technical Delegate and Chairman of the Appeals Committee shall be appointed by the Asian Chess Federation President. The Appeals Committee shall be composed of three members and two reserves, all from different federations, chosen from among the representatives of national federations present.

   1. No member of the committee shall have the right to decide on questions concerning his own federation. In such cases the member concerned shall have the right only to partake in the discussions of the committee.
   2. A protest shall be submitted with an accompanying fee of USD200 or its equivalent in local currency. If the protest is upheld, the protest fee will be returned otherwise it shall be forfeited to the organizing federation. No protests will be entertained in Rapid and Blitz events.

Designation of the Winners

6. The order of the players is determined according to the number of points obtained. If at the end of the tournament. If two or more players are tied, the tie shall be broken by the tiebreak systems in the following order: a) Direct Encounter

7. The greater number of wins (forfeits counted)

8. Buchholz Cut 1

9. Buchholz Cut 2

10. Sonnenborn-Berger

Titles and Awards

7.1 Medals shall be awarded to the top three positions in each category. The three best delegations, by ranking of standard chess medals collected in all categories, will receive a trophy, based first by number of gold, then silver and then bronze medals.

7.2 A minimum number of federations for Direct titles in standard chess is five federations per category. Direct Titles shall be awarded based on FIDE Handbook B.01.

7.3 Gold medalists of U18 categories shall be awarded the title of International Master (IM)/ Woman International Master (WIM). The silver & bronze medal winners shall be awarded the FIDE Master (FM)/Woman FIDE Master (WFM) title.

7.4 Gold medalists of the U16 category shall be awarded IM/WIM norm. 1st equal player (best 3 after tie breaks) will get the FM/WFM title. The silver & bronze medal winners shall be awarded the Candidate Master (CM)/Woman Candidate Master (WCM) title.

7.5 Gold medalists of U12 & U14 categories shall be awarded the title of FM/WFM. The silver & bronze medal winners shall be awarded the CM/WCM title.

7.5 Gold, silver & bronze medal winners of the U8 & U10 categories shall be awarded the CM/WCM title.

7.7 For a direct title to be awarded immediately an applicant has to have achieved at some time or other a minimum rating as follows: IM 2200, WIM 2000, FM 2100, WFM 1900, CM 2000, WCM 1800.

7.8 Team medals will also be granted considering total results of the best three players from a delegation/federation. A delegation/federation should have at least two players to claim a team medal.

7.9 Certificate of participation shall be given to players, FIDE accredited trainers, managers, and the appointed Technical Officials.

Accommodation

8.1 All players should stay at the official five/four-star hotel booked by the organizers. The cost of full board and lodging per day to be paid to the Organizing Committee is as given below:

8.2 The official players for one player each in each per section from a country will be accommodated in double/triple rooms. If any player needs a room upgrade, the difference should be paid by the participant.

8.3 The tournament venue partner is: Rajpath Club (Diamond Hall), S. G. Highway, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. (https://www.rajpathclub.com/)

8.4 The Official Hotel is Gateway Hotels & Resorts, S.No.64/1, Sindhu Bhavan Road, B/h. ICICI Bank, Off S. G. Highway, Bodakdev, Ahmedabad-380054, Gujarat, India.

Registration and Fees

8.5 The federations should send the intention of participation with the number of contingent (including players, officials, and accompanying persons) by 28th of September 2026. The registration form must be filled by National Chess Federation officials and delivered to the OC before the registration deadline.

8.6 Each participant shall register to Organising Committee by the 15th October, 2026, which is the registration deadline.

Please submit registration form and passport copy by deadline date.

8.7 A registration fee to the Organizing Committee of USD100 is required for each player and accompanying person. An entry fee of USD75 (including standard, rapid and blitz) is required for the main player and USD150 for each additional player. This must be paid to the Organizing Committee at the moment of registration. 50% of entry fee shall be shared with Asian Chess Federation.

8.8 The Organising Committee reserves the rights to refuse or decline a late registration or accepting subject to availability, with a penalty of USD 50 for each entry.

8.9 All players and participants of the event should stay at the official hotel – “Gateway Hotels & Resorts, S.No.64/1, Sindhu Bhavan Road, B/h. ICICI Bank, Off S. G. Highway, Bodakdev, Ahmedabad-380054, Gujarat, India”. 50% of prepayments of the cost for board and lodging for the additional players and accompanying persons (hotel at full board basis) must be paid by the deadline of 15th October, 2026.

8.10 All payments must be finalized upon arrival. Players will not be paired until all payments and fees are cleared.

8.11 Registration System and Official Website: https://waycc2026.chesstournament.org/

A username and password will be sent to each national chess federation’s official email address. Individuals and families may also register through the system; however, the relevant national chess federation may reject their registrations.

In case of any problem contact: +971-50-6649280 (Whats App)

Payments shall be made to:

Account Name: Gujarat State Chess Association

Bank: BANK OF BARODA

Bank Account No: 03230100024766

Type of Account: Savings Bank

Bank Address: Bodakdev Branch, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India

IFSC Code: BARB0BODAKD

Swift Code: BARBINBBSGH

Contact details

Chief Organizer: Mr. Bhavesh Patel

E-mail: [email protected]

Asian Chess Federation

[email protected]