2024 Ayr Weekend Chess Congress

A Scottish Chess Tour Event

Mercure Ayr Hotel - Friday 13th to Sunday 15th Sep 2024

All Main Events: 5-Round Swiss tournaments played under the rules of Chess Scotland (CS)

Saturday Night Fun FIDE Open Blitz: 7 Rounds - 7:30 to 9:30pm

Dalblair Road, Ayr. KA7 1UG (see map below)

Scottish Chess Tour Charity Fund Raising

The Scottish Chess Tour are proud to use this Ayr Congress to sponsor three of our team this year. Andy, Karen and Euan are all taking part in the Annual Diabetes UK Wide Cycle Ride. The team are hoping to cycle the equivalent of Lands End to John O' Groats (874 miles) between them during the month of October with all monies raised going to Diabetes UK. This is Andy's third year of doing the challenge and last year he personally managed 500 miles in the challenge month (Despite a nasty crash on day 1 cycling to one of our tournaments!!)

Any donations to the congress will go to their fundraising efforts and when the links are available, we will post them here for anyone wishing to sponsor them personally.
Link to sponsor Andy
Link to sponsor Karen
Link to sponsor Euan
The team total can be found at Team total

Good luck to the three of them for what is going to be a very hard challenge!

Mercure Hotel Accommodation

Players will be able to receive a 15% discount from the rate of the day at the time of booking (please be advised that the rate changes daily). To book bedroom, please call us on 01292 844 299 option 3, (our office is open Mon-Fri, between 9am and 5pm) and quote reference number: 505554 (subject to availability).

Sections

Section	Open FIDE Rated CS Graded	Major Under 1800 FIDE Rated CS Graded	Minor Under 1400 CS Graded	Fun Blitz Open FIDE Rated
Entry Fee	£38 / £43*	£38 / £43*	£36 / £41*	£5 On the day
1st. Prize	£150	£150	£130	Announced on the day
2nd. Prize	£75	£75	£65	Announced on the day
Grading Prize	£30	£30	£30	Announced on the day

* Note. Players who are not members of Chess Scotland pay the higher fee.
Junior discount £10 - all main sections. Junior is under 17 at the start of the tournament
Fun Blitz We take entries on the day, right up to the start of the competition and we offer a variety of prizes for all levels.

Late Entry Deadlines

We encourage everyone to enter as soon as possible so everything can be checked and planned well before the tournament commences. We do have a late entry fee policy. From the Wednesday before the weekend, we add £5 to the entry fee. We also add a £10 late entry fee after online entry is closed. This is usually the morning of the event for evening events and the evening before for daytime events.

Playing Sessions

Round	Day	Start Time	Expected Finish
1	Friday	6.30pm	10.30pm
2	Saturday	10.00am	2.00pm
3	Saturday	3.00pm	7.00pm
4	Sunday	10.00am	2.00pm
5	Sunday	3.00pm	7.00pm

Time Control

All moves in 90 minutes, with 30 second increments from move 1.

Ratings/Gradings

Entry section: based on 1st August 2024 lists.

Initial ranking: based on lists at the start of the tournament

All tournaments are FIDE rated and all Standard and Allegro tournaments are Chess Scotland rated. Whilst we adjust to the revised FIDE ratings on 1st March 2024, we will use CS ratings as the rating limits for lower rated tournaments.

We appreciate there my be some anomalies, we will use gradings/ratings as we deem appropriate.

For players who do not appear in the standard list, other lists may be used at the discretion of the organisers. Ungraded players must provide evidence for the organisers to assess their playing strength and any previous known grade must be declared.

Seedings for the Open and Major B will be determined by FIDE ratings. Where a player does not have a FIDE rating their national rating will be used.

FIDE Identification Number (FIN)

All players must have a FIDE Identification Number (FIN)*. Chess Scotland can register players who are eligible for a Scotland (SCO) – eligibility rules here. List of registered players here.

The results of the FIDE-rated sections of this event will be submitted to FIDE, the world chess federation. Players in these sections need to be registered with FIDE to allow the results to be submitted.

Information about FIDE registration is available here.

Please read the notes on eligibility at the above link, complete the application form on the Chess Scotland website and send to the Chess Scotland Rating Officer.

*Which must be Licenced. Former FIDE Arena players who have not registered with their national federations may fall into this category. If this is the case, it is generally resolved quite quickly by your national federation. Please enquire if you are unsure of the registration rules before deciding to enter by contacting us using our contact form.

COVID Safety Arrangements

• If there are government restrictions at the time of the event, they will apply at the event
• Players should not attend if they are feeling unwell or have covid symptoms. A refund will be given in line with our refund policy.

Conditions of Entry

The organisers reserve the right to:

• Increase or decrease prize money
• Transfer entrants between events
• Split or merge events depending on numbers
• Withhold prizes from ungraded players if they play in events below their known strength
• Distribute the prize fund as they deem appropriate
• The organisers reserve the right to refuse entry without assigning a reason
• Take any other measures deemed necessary to ensure the smooth running of the congress
• Spectators, and players who have finished their game, are not allowed in the playing hall and may asked to leave the playing hall.

The Saturday Evening Fun FIDE Open Blitz

The Saturday Night Fun FIDE Open Blitz is open to all, juniors and adults. You don’t have to be participating in the weekend congress to take part. Entry Fee for all players is £5 payable at the event.

Start Time – 7.30pm. Finish time – 9.30pm., approx.

Time Control - 3 minutes with a 2 second increment.

It is 1 section over 7 rounds. We offer a variety of prizes for all levels and abilities.

You must have a FIN, or be prepared to be registered with CS if you qualify for CS membership. Please enquire if you are unsure of the registration rules before deciding to enter.

Refund Policy

Players withdrawing prior to the day of the congress may do so with a refund, less a £5 administration fee.

Photographs

Photographs taken at the event may be used for publicity purposes. Any objection should be notified to the event organiser prior to the event.

Contact us

Please use the contact form to contact us. If you need to make contact with us during the tournament, please text or call 07851 528352. Please note, this phone line is only in use during the the day before the tournament and during the tournament.

Photographs

Directions to the hotel and car parking arrangements.

Errors and Omissions Excepted