Regulations

• Each tournament will be a Swiss System with 9 rounds.

• There shall be the Open and Women's Zonal championships

• Every Oceania Federation or associated member can register one official player in the Open Zonal Championship and one official player in the Women's Zonal Championship

• There shall be a Blitz championship

Chess players are entitled to participate if they are registered with FIDE by Oceania Federations (Zone 3.6 federations) or associate members of FIDE (international chess federation). Only female players as registered with FIDE may enter the Women's Zonal.

90 minutes per player, per game with an increment of 30 seconds per move from move one. The blitz tournament will have a time control of 3 minutes per player, per game with an increment of 2 seconds per move from move one.

A player defaults the game if they have not appeared at their board within 30 minutes of the start of the game. There is no default time in the blitz.

Final ranking order of players is determined by the number of points scored. If two or more players are tied, the tie shall be broken by tiebreak systems in the following order:

1.  Direct Encounter

2. The greater number of wins

3. Buchholz Cut 2

4. Buchholz Cut 1

5. Buchholz

6. Sonnenborn Berger

1. The Technical Delegate (or nominee) shall chair the Appeals Committee. The Appeals Committee shall be composed of three members and two reserves, all from different federations. No member of the Appeals Committee shall take part in a decision affecting a player belonging to the same federation unless both players are from the same federation.

2. Appeals including appeals against the decisions of the Chief Arbiter or assistants must be submitted in writing to the Chairperson of the Appeals Committee within fifteen minutes of the completion of the relevant playing session alongside a NZ$200 bond.

3. The decision of the Appeals Committee is final, binding and takes effect immediately. The bond will be returned to the appellant if the appeal is successful or otherwise at the discretion of the appeals committee.

4. No appeals allowed for the blitz - the Chief Arbiter's decision is final.

FIDE rules state that for a direct title to be awarded immediately, an applicant has to have achieved at some time or other a minimum FIDE standard rating as follows:

IM 2200, WIM 2000, FM 2100, WFM 1900, CM 2000, and WCM 1800.

Players who would otherwise have been awarded direct titles if they had previously achieved the minimum rating, will be eligible for the title once the requisite rating has been achieved. Following the event, a confirmed list of titles will be sent to all Oceania federations and associate members - titles will not be awarded by FIDE until after that list has been sent, and only on application/request by the player's national federation.

From the FIDE Table for Direct Titles, these titles may be available:

1st equal – (W)IM title

Silver & Bronze – (W)IM norm and (W)FM title

65% in min 9 games – (W)FM title

50% in min 9 games – (W)CM title

Direct titles will only be available if players from at least 5 federations enter - this is checked separately for the Open and Women's Zonal. For titles requiring a minimum number of games (9 games or more), games lost by forfeit do not count towards the minimum required number of games. Games won by forfeit count for the minimum number of games, but the player's percentage score is calculated only using the games played (eg +4=3-1+1 forfeit win = 5.5/8 = 69%). Scores including a Bye include that round for the minimum number of games, but the players percentage score is calculated only using the games played (eg +3=1-4 + 1 Bye = 3.5/8 = 44%). Only 1 game may be missed due to forfeit or bye. This regulation does not apply for 7 or 8 round norms and titles.

Player norms may be available depending on entries and opposition. See FIDE Title Regulations for more information - there is a set of tables down that page which summarise the requirements.

The Immigration NZ website has information on whether a visa or NZETA is required and how to apply for a visa or NZETA. Visa invitation letters will only be provided to players and accompanying persons (e.g. parents) once the entry and registration fee has been paid. If you are unable to obtain a visa or NZETA, your entry/registration fee will be refunded.

Note that anyone transiting through another country on the way to or from NZ (particularly anyone transiting through Australia) should check requirements for transit visas for those countries.

Please contact canterbury@chess.org.nz after you entered and paid your/your child's entry fee, and we will send you an invitation letter for a visa. In your email, please advise of any additional accompanying persons e.g. parents or other family members so  they can be included in the letter as well.

To receive free accommodation (room only) as an official player, an official of your federation must formally advise the organiser of the names, FIDE IDs and email addresses of the players by email to canterbury@chess.org.nz by 11:59pm NZDT on 18 October 2026. Accommodation will be from 2pm 21 January to 10am 28 January and will be twin share at the official event hotel, Carnmore Hotel Christchurch. Any upgrades e.g. to not share a room, additional nights, accompanying persons etc. are subject to availability and paying costs incurred.

By entering the Oceania Youth Chess Championships 2026, players and their parents/responsible adults accept that information, including some personal information (particularly names and dates of birth), will be collected, retained and shared for the following purposes:

• To provide information to players and others about the tournaments and sponsors

• To process entries including payments

• To make arrangements with accommodation providers where applicable

• To publish tournament information including entries, pairings, standings, results etc. (this information will  remain online as a historic record after the end of the tournaments)

• To send results to FIDE and NZCF for rating and titles

• To maintain FIDE and NZCF rating databases – player name and date of birth will be shared with FIDE and NZCF (NZ players) rating officers as required

• To provide results and information to maintain other federation rating databases as applicable

• Publicity before, during and after the tournament including quotes, photos and video footage

You have the right to ask for a copy of any personal information we hold about you, and to ask for it to be corrected if you think it is wrong. If you’d like to ask for a copy of your information, or to have it corrected, or to be removed from our mailing list, please contact us at canterbury@chess.org.nz.

Prohibition of Mobile Phones and Electronic Devices

During a game, players are forbidden to have a mobile phone, electronic means of communication or any device capable of suggesting chess moves in the playing venue (Limes Room, adjacent bathrooms and the corridors/stairs between). Storage facilities will be available in the foyer outside Limes Room for such devices which should still be switched off.  This includes smart watches but not standard analogue or digital watches. This measure is essential to prevent any potential use of unauthorized assistance during the games.

Scanners 

Players and spectators are subject to random scanning for electronic devices by an arbiter using a handheld electronic scanner whilst in the playing venue or on entering or leaving the playing venue. This will aid in ensuring that no prohibited items are brought in and that the security of the venue is maintained.

Penalties for Violations

Violations of the Fair Play Measures will result in penalties for the offending player in accordance with Article 12.9 of the Laws of Chess.

In cases where cheating is suspected, the matter may be reported to FIDE for investigation.

Searches

In line with the Laws of Chess, the chief arbiter may require a player to turn out their pockets and/or allow their bags to be inspected. If a player refuses to cooperate with these obligations, the chief arbiter shall take measures in accordance with Article 12.9. of the FIDE Laws of Chess.

Reporting Fair Play Concerns

Players wishing to report potential concerns should discuss with an arbiter who may escalate to the Chief Arbiter for direction or a decision. Players may be asked to complete the official FIDE form and submit the completed form to the Chief Arbiter.

By implementing these measures, the organiser and arbiters aim to uphold the highest standards of fair play. The cooperation of all participants in adhering to these protocols is appreciated, as they are crucial to maintaining the integrity of the competition.

Photos: At the discretion of the chief arbiter, spectators may take photos during the first 5 minutes of a round.