The 3rd Barnstaple RapidPlay Chess Congress 2026 will take place on Saturday, October 10, 2026, at Alverdiscott Community Hall near Bideford in North Devon. Organized by Barnstaple Chess Club, the event offers a full day of competitive rapid chess in one combined Open section.

The congress will be played over six Swiss-system rounds and submitted for ECF Rapidplay rating. Each player receives 25 minutes for the game, plus a 10-second increment per move. The timetable begins with the opening announcement at 09:50 and concludes after the sixth round in the late afternoon.

The published prize fund is £200 / approximately $270, including prizes for the top three finishers and two rating-category awards. Entry is limited to 50 players on a first-come, first-served basis.

📌 Event Details

⏱️ Time Control & Pairings

The tournament will be played over six rounds using the Swiss system. All accepted players compete in one combined Open section.

Each player receives 25 minutes for the entire game, with an increment of 10 seconds per move from move one.

A player who arrives more than 10 minutes after the scheduled starting time may lose the game under the published default-time rule.

Players should check their board number and opponent before every round. Any error involving a player’s name, ECF code, club or rating should be reported to the tournament officials.

Ratings

The September 2026 ECF Rapidplay rating list will normally be used for tournament administration and prize eligibility. However, the organizer may use other appropriate rating information at its discretion.

When a player does not have a current ECF Rapidplay rating, the organizer may use the player’s Standard rating.

Unrated players must provide sufficient information about their playing strength, including:

• Previous tournament results
• A former ECF rating
• A FIDE rating
• A recent national rating
• Other relevant competitive experience

The organizer reserves the right to withhold a prize when an unrated or incorrectly rated player has entered below their known playing strength.

Half-Point Bye

A player may request one half-point bye in any one of Rounds 1–5.

The bye should be requested during registration or communicated to the organizer before the relevant pairings are produced.

No half-point bye is available for Round 6.

🏆 Prize Fund

The published prize fund totals £200 / approximately $270.

Prize Conditions

A player who qualifies for more than one award will receive only the higher-value prize.

The organizer may redistribute all or part of another award when a player has already won or shared a higher prize.

Unrated players are not eligible for a rating prize.

The organizer may withhold a prize when a player has entered using incomplete or misleading rating information or has played in a category below their known strength.

The exact rating bands for the two rating prizes will depend on the final entry list and should be confirmed at the tournament.

📂 Sections / Groups

The congress consists of one combined Open section. There are no separate Open, Major or Minor tournaments.

All players are included in the same Swiss-system pairings and overall standings.

The rating prizes provide additional competitive opportunities for players outside the leading overall places. However, unrated players cannot receive either rating award.

🗓️ Schedule

The congress will be completed in one day. A longer lunch interval is scheduled between Rounds 3 and 4.

Players should arrive before the opening announcement and allow sufficient time to park, enter the hall and check the first-round pairings.

The finishing time may vary according to the duration of the final games and the completion of prize calculations.

📝 Registration

Online registration is available through Congress.org.uk. Entry is limited to 50 participants and places are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

ECF Membership

The standard adult and junior entry fees apply to players holding the qualifying ECF membership level.

Players who do not hold the required ECF Gold-or-higher membership must add the applicable ECF Pay-to-Play fee:

Players should check their current ECF membership before paying.

ECF membership information:

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

Payment by Bank Transfer

Players should include enough information in the payment reference for the organizer to identify the entrant.

Payment by Cheque

Cheques should be payable to:

Barnstaple Chess Club

They may be sent to:

Peter Worthington – Quicks Tenement, West Down, Ilfracombe EX34 8NF, United Kingdom.

Entry Confirmation

Submitting the online form alone does not complete the entry.

The organizer states that an entry is accepted and added to the entrant list only after:

1. The registration has been submitted.
2. The correct payment has been received.
3. The payment has been confirmed.
4. The entrant has received an acknowledgment.

Players should not travel to the venue without confirming that their entry has been accepted.

👤 Organizer

The tournament is organized by Barnstaple Chess Club, an established North Devon chess club that provides regular competitive and social chess activities.

Peter Worthington is listed by the English Chess Federation as the congress organizer.

Questions concerning registration, payment, membership fees, byes, rating-prize eligibility or unrated-player placement should be sent to the organizer.

📍 Venue

Alverdiscott Community Hall – Stoney Cross, Bideford EX39 4PZ, United Kingdom.

The community hall is located in a rural area near the B3232 between Barnstaple and Great Torrington.

The venue includes a main hall with a stage, a separate side hall, kitchen and food-preparation facilities. The main hall can accommodate approximately 90 people, while tournament entry is limited to 50 players.

Players requiring wheelchair access should use the double doors located to the left of the principal entrance.

No detailed tournament catering arrangements have been published. Participants should consider bringing suitable food and drinks for the day, particularly because the hall is in a rural location.

Accommodation Near the Venue

No official tournament hotel or accommodation package has been announced.

Bideford and Barnstaple provide the most practical range of hotels. Players should calculate the driving route to the hall before booking because rural journey times may be longer than the straight-line distance suggests.

Official hotel websites:

https://barnstaplehotel.co.uk/

https://parkhotel.co.uk/

https://royalbideford.co.uk/

https://durranthousehotel.com/

Rates are subject to availability and may change before October. Players should confirm:

• Breakfast times
• Parking
• Cancellation conditions
• Driving time to Alverdiscott
• Early check-out arrangements
• Availability on Friday, October 9

🚗 How to Get There

The venue is rural, so travelling by car is the most practical option for many players.

By Car

Enter the following destination into the navigation system:

Alverdiscott Community Hall – Stoney Cross, Bideford EX39 4PZ, United Kingdom.

The hall is located just off the B3232. Drivers should allow extra time for narrow rural roads and local junctions.

Free parking is available at the venue, but participants should follow any directions provided by the organizer or hall staff.

By Train

Barnstaple is the nearest principal railway station for most journeys. It is served by Great Western Railway services on the Tarka Line.

Station information:

https://www.gwr.com/stations-and-destinations/stations/barnstaple

Players arriving by train must arrange the final road connection to the community hall.

By Bus

The parish lists local routes 71, 75 and 75A along the B3232 corridor between Barnstaple and Great Torrington.

However, players should not assume that the bus will stop directly outside the hall or provide a suitable return service after the final round.

Check the current timetable before travelling:

https://www.traveldevon.info/bus/

By Taxi or Lift

A prearranged taxi or shared lift is strongly recommended for players without a car.

Participants should confirm the return pickup before the first round because taxis may not be readily available at the rural venue after the tournament.

ℹ️ Other Information

Tournament Rules

The FIDE Laws of Chess apply. The arbiter’s decision is final in matters concerning the tournament.

The organizers reserve the right to refuse an entry without providing a reason.

All completed games will be submitted for ECF Rapidplay rating and will later appear in the ECF rating system.

Mobile Phones

Mobile phones must be switched off in the playing area.

The published conditions provide the following procedure:

• A first ringing phone results in a warning.
• A second incident results in the player losing the current game.

Players should ensure that alarms and other notifications are also disabled.

Photography

Photographs may be taken during the event for publicity purposes.

Anyone with concerns about photography should contact the organizer before the tournament.

Unrated Players

Unrated players must provide complete information concerning their playing strength.

They are not eligible for the rating prizes, and the organizer may use previous results or another rating system to assess appropriate prize eligibility.

Food and Lunch Break

The longest interval occurs between Round 3 at 12:20 and Round 4 at 14:00.

No detailed catering program has been published. Because the venue is rural, players should bring sufficient food and water or confirm local options before arriving.

Chess-Results

A dedicated 2026 Chess-Results page has not yet been published.

The starting list, pairings and results should be added when the organizer creates an official online tournament record.

Tournament Updates

Players should recheck the official congress page before travelling for:

• Remaining capacity
• Payment acknowledgment
• Entrant list
• Rating-prize categories
• Pairings
• Catering information
• Any timetable or access updates

Official congress page:

https://congress.org.uk/congress/794/home