Asian Junior Open & Girls Chess Championships 2026

Open & Girls Under-20 16th to 26th August 2026 ★ Mumbai, India

Invitation

The All India Chess Federation, under the auspices of the Asian Chess Federation (ACF) and the International Chess Federation (FIDE), invites all National Chess Federations of Asia to participate in the Asian Junior Open & Girls Chess Championships 2026, to be held from 16th to 26th August 2026 in Mumbai, India.

1. Participation

Entitled to participate are chess players from chess federations affiliated to the Asian Chess Federation. Participants must not have reached their 20th birthday before 1st January 2026 (Under-20: born on or after 1st January 2006).

Each country may register one official player each (Open and Girls) and any number of additional players in the U-20 Open and Girls sections. Players placed 1–3 in the Asian Junior Open & Girls Championship 2025 and the Asian Open and Girls Under-18 Champions of 2025 have personal rights and are accepted as official players if they fulfil the participation condition.

If there are fewer than ten players and five federations in a category, both events (Open and Girls) shall be merged. Registration is only via national federations; a FIDE ID is required. For eligibility of Indian players, contact the All India Chess Federation at indianchessfed@gmail.com.

2. Playing Schedule

The Championships are played under the Swiss System — 9 rounds (Standard), 7 rounds each (Rapid & Blitz) — or round robin for 8–10 players, per the schedule below.

NOTE: India GMT+5:30

3. Playing Conditions

• The tournament is played according to the FIDE Laws of Chess, using electronic clocks.
• Standard: 90 minutes for the whole game with a 30-second increment per move from move 1. Forfeit time is 30 minutes.
• Rapid: 15 minutes plus a 10-second increment per move from move 1.
• Blitz: 3 minutes plus a 2-second increment per move from move 1.
• Per FIDE regulations, players from the same federation may be paired against each other in the last round.

4. Chief Arbiter and his Assistants

The Asian Chess Federation President will, after consultation with the organizing federation, nominate the Chief Arbiter, assistant arbiters and other officials. The Chief Arbiter may issue additional written regulations covering exact playing hours and other details not covered here.

Protests against a decision of the Chief Arbiter or his assistants must be submitted in writing to the Chairman of the Appeals Committee within 15 minutes after completion of the relevant game, accompanied by a fee of USD 200 (or local equivalent). If the protest is upheld the fee is returned; otherwise it is forfeited to the organizing federation. No protests/appeals are entertained for Rapid and Blitz, where the Chief Arbiter's decision is final.

5. Appeals Committee

The Technical Delegate, who chairs the Appeals Committee, is nominated by the Asian Chess Federation President in consultation with the organizing federation. Two other members and two reserves, all from different federations, are chosen from among the representatives of the National Federations present. No member may decide on questions concerning their own federation, though they may take part in the discussion.

6. Designation of the Winners

The order of players is determined by the number of points obtained. Ties are broken in the following order:

1. Direct Encounter
2. Greater number of wins (forfeits counted)
3. Buchholz Cut 2
4. Buchholz Cut 1
5. Blitz match or tournament between tied players, only on the top spot

If still undecided, the result is decided by a drawing of lots.

7. Titles and Awards

A minimum of 5 federations per category and 10 participants is required for direct titles in Standard chess (see the FIDE Handbook). Direct titles are awarded for Standard chess per the FIDE Handbook:

• Gold medalists are awarded a GM norm and the International Master (IM) title (for women, a WGM norm and the Woman International Master (WIM) title). Players scoring the same number of points as the champion also receive the IM/WIM title.
• The silver & bronze medal winners are awarded the IM/WIM norm in addition to the FIDE Master (FM)/Woman FIDE Master (WFM) title.

Minimum Ratings (for immediate award): IM 2200 · WIM 2000 · FM 2100 · WFM 1900

8. Accommodation

All players must stay at the official five/four-star hotel booked by the organizers (ITC Maratha, Mumbai). Full board and lodging is payable to the Organizing Committee as below (per person, per day):

One official player per section (Open / Girls) from each country is accommodated in a Double/Triple room on the organizers' account. If a player needs a room upgrade, the difference is paid by the participant.

9. Registration and Fees

• Federations should send their intention to participate (number of contingent — players, officials and accompanying persons) by 15th July 2026.
• The completed registration form and passport copies must be submitted by 31st July 2026 (the registration deadline). Late registration is accepted until 7th August 2026 with a USD 100 additional fee.
• Registration Fee: USD 110 for every participant (player, official or accompanying person), paid at the time of registration.
• Entry Fee: USD 75 (official player) / USD 150 (additional player), including participation in Standard, Rapid & Blitz, paid at the time of registration.
• A digital scan of the passport and an ID photo of each player and accompanying person must be sent to the Organizing Committee. All travel expenses are borne by the participants or their national federation.

Bank Details

• A/c Name: Maharashtra Chess Association
• Bank & Branch: Kotak Mahindra Bank, SB Road, Pune
• Current A/c No.: 1146360584
• IFSC Code: KKBK0001779
• SWIFT Code: KKBKINBB

Contact

• Niranjan Godbole — Tournament Director — 📱 +91-9673003780
• Salil Ghate — Organizing Secretary — 📱 +91-9870063785
• 📧 asianjuniorcc.2026@gmail.com
• 📧 (AICF) indianchessfed@gmail.com