The Colchester Rapidplay 
Chess Championship 2026

Moot Hall, Colchester Town Hall -  Saturday 21 February 2026

6-Round Open ECF rated Rapidplay (15+5) Swiss tournament for 
The Mayor’s Colchester Chess Rapidplay Championship Trophy

The Mayor's Trophy and prizes

The Mayor’s Colchester Rapidplay Chess Championship Trophy will be awarded to the highest placed player from Colchester.

First £150
Second £90
Third £60

There will also be prizes for the highest placed player rated eg under 1900 £50, under 1700 £50, and under 1500 £50. No player may win more than one prize. (The organiser reserves the right to vary the number of rating prizes and levels depending on the actual entrants.)

Entry fee

£26
Further donations to the Mayor's Charities may be made during the online payment process.

Playing schedule 

Should any delays occur, the schedule has allowed time after rounds 3 and 6.

Each player has 15 minutes for the game, with a 5-second increment for each move.

Byes are available in advance for any 3 rounds before Round 6. (The online entry process allows only 2, but the organiser will manually add the third if needed.)

Conditions of entry

ECF membership

The tournament games will be submitted to the English Chess Federation for rating as rapid. In accordance with ECF congress rating requirements, all entrants must either be ECF members at Gold level (or Junior Gold level) or higher OR pay additional 'pay-to-play' fees. Such fees amount to raising entrants to Gold level. The organiser has decided to ask entrants who are not at Gold level to upgrade their ECF membership before entering this tournament. This avoids considerable administration effort and financial transaction charges for this event which is part of a day intended to raise money for the Mayor's Charities.

Information: https://www.englishchess.org.uk/ecf-membership-rates-and-joining-details/

A direct link to the login page to upgrade membership: https://ecf.justgo.com/

Tournament regulations

The tournament will be held in compliance with the English Chess Federation Tournament Rules. The Rules provide guidance as well as compulsory rules, some of which are relevant to individual players. The current version (V4 November 2024) may be accessed at https://www.englishchess.org.uk/ecf-tournament-rules/ 

Specific tournament regulations:

The event will be played in full compliance with the FIDE Laws of Chess Competition Rule applicable to Rapidplay Chess (all appendices from 6 to the 12 of the FIDE Laws of Chess) with the following exceptions as described in Appendices A.4/B.2:

• Appendix A. Rapid Chess - Article A.5 shall apply for the entire event. It is important that all players understand these provisions.
• The default time in any round is 10 minutes.
• Active electronic devices (eg mobile phones and smart watches) are only allowed in the playing area if specifically approved in advance by an arbiter, eg for medical reasons.
• Electronic devices (eg mobile phones and smart watches) that are switched off are permitted in the playing area if either placed face down on the table in view of both players or placed in a player's bag either next to the table or in the tournament cloakroom facility. Such electronic devices may not be moved for the duration of a game. 

Disabilities

In accordance with ECF guidelines any players or spectators with a disability are invited to inform the organiser, in advance or on the day, so that appropriate arrangements can be made.

Child protection, safeguarding and safe play

The tournament aims to comply with ECF policy documents on safeguarding (accessible through this link) and anti-bullying. ColCHESSter's statement on this.

Fair play

In the event of a case of cheating being detected, the current ECF guidelines for over the board events will be followed.

Privacy and data protection

Any photographs taken at the event may be used for publicity purposes. If any entrant objects to this, they must inform the organiser.  

The tournament aims to comply with ECF guidelines on GDPR and other privacy issues. The ECF supplies the organiser with personal information (such as ratings) and receives related information about entrants.  Personal data may also be processed by ColCHESSter, Chess-Results.com and organisations processing financial transactions, such as PayPal. Please refer to the statements from such organisations.

Venue and tournament conditions

The tournament is taking place in a shared environment.  On the day of the tournament, The Moot Hall is also the venue for a schools chess event and social chess that is expected to attract players and spectators who are not primarily interested in the tournament. Tournament players who may be distracted by noise are advised to use ear plugs or noise-cancelling devices.  The day is intended to raise money for the Mayor's Charities.

Disclaimer

The organiser accepts no responsibility for any damage, theft or accident to the person or property of anyone attending this tournament.