Oban Chess Congress 2025

Royal Hotel, Argyll Square, Oban PA34 4BE
14th – 16th November 2025

See venue on map

The 2025 Oban Chess Congress will take place at the Royal Hotel from 14–16 November 2025.

For enquiries, please contact Tournament Director Duncan Campbell at: duncan.campbell3411@btinternet.com or call 07804 923482.

If you wish to pay on arrival, please email Duncan Campbell specifying which section you wish to play in. You must still complete the online entry form.

Time Control & Round Schedule

All moves in 90 minutes, with a 10-second increment from move 1.

Date	Round	Time
Fri 14 Nov	Round 1	7:30pm
Sat 15 Nov	Round 2	10:00am
Sat 15 Nov	Round 3	2:30pm
Sun 16 Nov	Round 4	9:00am
Sun 16 Nov	Round 5	1:30pm

Prizegiving: Prizegiving will take place immediately after Round 5 concludes.

Half-point byes: Byes are available in Rounds 1–4 and must be requested when entering.

Entry Fees

	Open	Challengers U1900	Major U1600	Minor U1350
Adult	£30	£30	£30	£30
Junior (Under 16)	£15	£15	£15	£15

CS Members: Claim the £2 discount by selecting “Yes” in the entry form. You can join or renew your membership via Chess Scotland.

Junior Players: A discount of £15 is available to players under 16 on the start date of the congress. Please select the “Junior” option in the entry form.

Refund Policy: Players withdrawing before the opening day of the congress are eligible for a refund, minus a £5 administration fee.

Prizes

	Open CS Rated	Challengers U1900 CS Rated	Major U1600 CS Rated	Minor U1350 CS Rated
1st	£350	£250	£250	£250
2nd	£200	£150	£150	£150
3rd	£100	£75	£75	£75
Grading Prize	£50	£50	£50	£50
Total	£700	£525	£525	£525

The Oban Congress reserves the right to alter prize money dependent on number of entries.

Ratings & Gradings

Sections are based on the 1st of November 2025 grading lists (or latest available):

• Initial rankings will use the list current at the tournament start.
• Other lists may be used for players not appearing on the standard list, at the organisers’ discretion.
• Ungraded players must provide evidence of playing strength and declare any known previous grade.

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.
• Refuse entry without assigning a reason.
• Take any other measures deemed necessary to ensure the smooth running of the congress.

Parking & Directions

By Road

By road take the A82 from Glasgow to Tyndrum and then the A85 to Oban. Coming from Fort William and the North take the A828 to Oban. The hotel is situated passed the esplanade and by the roundabout. Our car park is behind the hotel accessed via Aird’s Crescent.

Parking

Due to the hotel’s central location (and the age of the property), the car park at the rear is small and cannot be booked. Spaces are available on a first-come, first-served basis. However, there is plenty of parking nearby within walking distance. For locations and more information, see local parking info.

Oban is well served with car parks. Look out for signs as you enter the town. For those travelling by ferry and wanting to leave their car on the mainland, there is a pay-and-display beside the CalMac terminal, which is the actual car park for the railway station. This is ideal for day trips at £3.00, but there are limited spaces.

There is also a much larger private car park on Shore Street with easy access on foot to the ferries – a 24-hour stay here will cost £5.00. For longer trips, the free long-term car parks at Longsdale and Lochavullin can be used. The Council car parks also allow overpayment, which will be credited to the following days; there is a limit of £20, allowing for approximately three days parking.

Short-term parking is also free at Ganavan Sands, Pulpit Hill, and McCaig’s Tower. You can also park your car in the main streets of the town. The fee is 80p for forty minutes, with a maximum stay of 2 hours in the inner zone and 4 hours in the outer zone in any one spot. Ticket machines are placed within easy reach. On-street parking is free beyond the inner zone.

Accommodation

For accommodation at the Royal Hotel please go to www.strathmorehotels.com and quote "chess congress" to get the rate for chess players of £48 per person per night bed and breakfast, with a £10 supplement for single occupancy of a twin or double room.

Contact

For any enquiries, please contact Duncan Campbell: tel. 07804 923 482 or by email duncan.campbell3411@btinternet.com.

The Arbiters for this congress will be Andrew Howie and Alistair Maxwell, assisted by Donald Wilson and Duncan Campbell.