The 47^th KIDLINGTON CHESS TOURNAMENT

31 January & 1 February 2026

The Leonardo Royal Hotel, Godstow Rd, Wolvercote, Oxford OX2 8AL

Organising Team:
Keith Freshwater
Gerard O'Reilly
Raj Panicker

Chief Arbiter: Matthew Carr
Controllers: Keith Freshwater, Jon D'Souza-Eva, Lucy Smith, Fenella Headlong

Contact:
Keith Freshwater
07901 612661 (mobile); freshwak1@kidlingtonchess.org.uk

Kidlington Chess Tournament website

Prizes (Total prize fund £2,210 minimum > - may be increased if sufficient entries)

We also have a Team Competition, for teams of four players from any section. Entries (which are free) must be received by 2pm on the first day of the tournament; there is a prize for the winning team of £40.
No entrant may receive more than one individual prize, but a winner of an individual prize remains eligible for a share in the team competition prize.
Prizes will be shared in the event of a tie.
All prize monies will be sent out within 7 days of the event by cheque or bank transfer.

Though distinct from the Kidlington Tournament, the second and final leg of the Oxfordshire Individual Championship 2025-26 is incorporated into the Open section. The title of Oxfordshire Chess Champion and the Championship Trophy will be awarded to the eligible player with the highest combined score in the Open sections of the Witney Weekend Congress (8 & 9 November 2025) and the 2026 Kidlington Chess Tournament. The rules governing eligibility can be found here.

Ratings and Prizes

For purposes of eligibility and pairing, ratings will be taken, where available, from the 'Original' ECF January 2026 rating list.
If you do not have a current ECF rating, please give your most recent ECF rating or grade and any other current official rating. If you have none, please provide other evidence of your playing strength, e.g. tournament results. Please note that:
(i) Only players with an A or K standard-play rating in the 'Original' ECF January 2026 rating list are eligible for rating prizes.
(ii) In the rating-limited sections, players for whom we lack rating information based on at least 10 rated games in the last 5 years can receive only half of any individual prize.
(iii) All games in all sections will be ECF-rated. In addition, games in the Open section will be FIDE-rated, except for those involving a player rated FIDE 2400 or above.

Entry Fees & Donations

Standard entry fee (for ECF members at the new Gold or higher level): £40.
There is a £10 discount from the standard entry fee for Juniors (under 18 at 31 January 2026).
For Bronze-level ECF members or non-ECF members, there is a rating surcharge of £16 (for adults) and £6.50 (for Juniors). To ensure paying only the £6.50 surcharge, Junior entrants who are non-members or Bronze members of the ECF should make sure to select 'Junior Not Gold' in the drop-down box next to ECF Membership on the entry form.
Entrants who are Bronze-level ECF members, having paid the rating surcharge, will have their membership automatically upgraded to Gold level after the tournament.
Early entries: a discount of £2 may be taken by those whose entries are received by 4 January.

Donations are vital to our long-term survival and are gratefully received. (NB. If you wish to make a donation, please click repeatedly on 'Add' in the 'Price details' section of the entry form until the box displays the amount you intend to donate.)

Entries Deadline

If places are still available, online entries will be accepted until 11.59pm on Friday 30 January.
It may be possible to consider accepting entries early on Saturday morning if spaces should become available, but this cannot be guaranteed. Contact Keith Freshwater (contact details above).

Byes

You may take a half-point bye in any one of the first four rounds. Please notify us if possible on the entry form or at the beginning of the tournament.

Pairing Requests

If you want to request that we avoid pairing you with (a maximum of two) specific players in the first four rounds, please let us know via the Contact tab at the top of this page or email entries@kidlingtonchess.org.uk.
NB. We cannot, however, guarantee to satisfy such a request.

Withdrawals

If you withdraw before entries close on Friday 30 January we will refund your entry fee less a £3 administration fee. If withdrawing during the tournament, please notify a controller in person or note it on your result slip.

Conditions of Entry

Players entering the tournament agree thereby to abide by the Competition Rules and the decisions of the controllers.
It is also a condition of entry that players agree to their rating information and results being published on the ECF and Kidlington websites and the Chess-Results.com website.

Special Requirements

If you have any special requirements or any considerations that would help you to take part in this event, please let us know via the Contact tab at the top of this page or email entries@kidlingtonchess.org.uk. We will do our best to help.

Starting Times of Rounds

Rate of Play

All moves in 90 minutes, plus 15 seconds per move increment from move 1.
Any player arriving more than 30 minutes late will be deemed to have lost unless re-pairing is possible. His/her opponent, however, must expect to be paired again if another player is otherwise without a game after 30 minutes. The rate of play is subject to alteration in the case of such re-pairings.

Electronic Devices

A player must not use any electronic device during a game without the controller’s explicit permission. Although players may keep such devices with them at the venue, they must be fully switched off (not merely muted) in the playing area during playing sessions. They must not be carried on the person during a game but may, for example, be kept in a bag on the floor or in a coat on the back of a chair. These rules apply at all times during playing sessions.  In particular, a player whose mobile phone sounds during a game will forfeit the game.

Parking

The Hotel has offered free parking to those attending the Chess Congress. If we are given a code to be used, this will be displayed – here.
Otherwise please check with the Hotel reception on arrival. Although there is quite a large car park, if this should prove to be full there is a Park & Ride at Peartree Roundabout, a short distance away with a regular bus service. On-street parking is very limited and subject to time limitations.

Refreshments

The Leonardo Hotel offers a Coffee bar selling hot and cold drinks plus light snacks. There is also a restaurant and a bar that opens in the afternoon. Players and their families are welcome to bring drinks and light refreshments with them, but should not expect to use the hotel café/restaurant facilities to eat this or be an obstruction to the operation of the hotel. There is an ‘M&S Food To Go’ at the Petrol Station just a across the A40 at the Wolvercote roundabout next to the Hotel. Care must be taken when crossing this very busy junction. The Plough Public House is an 8 minutes walk with two other pubs another 8 minutes further on.

Bookstall

A bookstall supplied by Chess Essentials will be available, which will have a range of books, DVDs, sets, and other chess equipment.

Analysis

A separate room will be available for analysis and discussion. Players are urged to use this room for post-game analysis so as not to disturb others whose games are still in progress.

Behaviour

Please treat the premises and the chess equipment with respect and follow all signs, notices, and instructions of the organisers, arbiters, and hotel management as requested.

Please show respect at all times for other people at the tournament and their property. In particular, players and visitors entering or leaving the playing area are asked to do so quietly and not to disturb others while any tournament games are in progress.

Parental Supervision of Juniors

The organisers and arbiters are unable to act in loco parentis for children. Parents/guardians/carers are responsible for their children throughout the entire duration of this event. In particular, children under the age of 14 must be supervised by their parent or guardian throughout: the responsible adult must remain on the premises, and the child must be able to return to them easily when their game is over. Parents or guardians may arrange to share the supervision of older juniors with other trusted adults known to the junior. However, parents/guardians should note that they are still ultimately responsible for their children and their behaviour at this event.

Disclaimer

In addition to being unable to act in loco parentis, as noted above, the organisers accept no responsibility for any damage, theft, or accident to the person or property of any competitor, visitor, or other person attending the tournament. Nor are they responsible for the effects of actions of anyone else attending the event.

Data Protection

Personal data is held solely for the purposes of the Kidlington Chess Tournament: for the administration of the event, to report results to the ECF for rating purposes, and to publish rating information, results and games to the Kidlington Tournament the Chess-Results.com and the congress.org.uk websites, as well as to inform you by email about our future chess events. (If you do not wish to receive such email, please let the organisers know, so that we can remove you from our mailing list.) We also occasionally post photos of the tournament on the Kidlington website; if you do not wish this please contact the organisers.