6th Nagpur Below 1700 International Open FIDE Rating Chess Tournament 2026
6th Nagpur Below 1700 International Open FIDE Rating Chess Tournament 2026 The 6th Nagpur Below 1700 International Open FIDE Rating Chess Tournament 2026 takes place in Nagpur from September 4 to 6. The nine-round classical competition is restricted to players who have not crossed a Standard FIDE rating of 1700 during the preceding 36 months.
Games use 30 minutes plus a 30-second increment per move. The official circular publishes a ₹300,000 prize fund, including cash prizes for the top 20 players, rating categories and extensive youth trophies.
The event is hosted at G H Raisoni Institute of Engineering & Technology on Wadi-Hingna Link Road. Indian participants must complete the applicable AICF registration, while Maharashtra players must also satisfy the MCA registration requirement.
📌 Event Details
| Field | Information |
|---|---|
| 📅 Dates | September 4–6, 2026 |
| 🌍 Location | Nagpur, Maharashtra, India |
| ♟️ Format | 9-round Swiss |
| ⭐ Rating | FIDE Standard rated |
| ⏱️ Time Control | 30 minutes + 30 seconds per move |
| 📉 Rating Restriction | Must not have crossed 1700 Standard FIDE rating during the previous 36 months |
| 🏆 Prize Fund | ₹300,000 |
| 🆔 AICF Event Code | 471285/MH/2026 |
⏱️ Time Control & Pairings
The tournament uses nine Swiss rounds at 30+30 from move one. The detailed round timetable is announced at the players’ meeting.
Published tiebreaks include Buchholz Cut 1, Buchholz, Sonneborn-Berger, direct encounter, number of wins and number of wins with Black.
🏆 Prize Fund & Awards
The verified published awards are summarized below. Any group, minimum-entry, eligibility or prize-sharing conditions continue to apply.
| Prize / Category | Award |
|---|---|
| Total Prize Fund | ₹300,000 |
| 1st Place | ₹50,000 |
| 2nd Place | ₹30,000 |
| 3rd Place | ₹25,000 |
| Top 20 | Cash awards through 20th place |
| Rating Awards | 1501–1600, 1400–1500 and additional published categories |
| Youth Awards | Top-ten boys and girls in multiple age groups |
| Veteran Awards | 45+ and 60+ categories |
📂 Sections / Groups
| Section / Group | Eligibility | Format / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Below 1700 Open | Eligible players under the historical threshold rule | One FIDE-rated Swiss field |
| Rating categories | Published rating bands | Separate cash awards |
| Youth and veteran categories | Published age groups | Trophies and awards |
🗓️ Schedule
| Date | Time | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| September 4 | 8:00 | Arrival |
| September 4 | 9:00 | Inauguration and players’ meeting |
| September 4 | 10:00 | Round 1 |
| September 4–6 | Players’ meeting timetable | Rounds 2–9 |
| September 6 | 20:00 | Prize distribution |
📝 Registration
| Registration Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Standard fee | ₹1,500 |
| Players with disabilities | ₹1,200 |
| Veterans 45+ and 60+ | ₹1,200 |
| Standard deadline | August 31, 2026 |
| Late period | September 1–3 with ₹500 late fee |
| AICF registration | ₹300 for 2026–27, compulsory for Indian participants |
| MCA registration | ₹150 for 2026–27, compulsory for Maharashtra participants |
| Online registration | https://rzp.io/rzp/Lc9hQV8D |
Use the current official resource URLs below. Registration is complete only after the organizer confirms acceptance and any required payment.
👤 Organizer
| Organizer Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Organizer | G H Raisoni Sports & Cultural Foundation and Kalpana Prakash Welfare Foundation |
| Contact | kalpanaprakashwelfarefoundation@yahoo.com |
| Primary Official URL | https://aicf.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Nagpur-Below-1700-2026-1.pdf |
| Chess-Results URL | https://chess-results.com/tnr1443401.aspx?lan=1 |
📍 Venue
G H Raisoni Institute of Engineering & Technology – Shraddha Park, Wadi-Hingna Link Road, MIDC, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India
The venue is located within the G H Raisoni campus on Wadi-Hingna Link Road in Nagpur.
Mobile phones and wristwatches are prohibited during games under the published fair-play instructions.
🚗 How to Get There
| Travel Option | Practical Details |
|---|---|
| By air | Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport serves Nagpur: https://www.aai.aero/en/airports/nagpur. |
| By rail | Nagpur Junction has extensive national rail connections: https://www.irctc.co.in/. |
| By metro | Use the Nagpur Metro network toward the Hingna Road area: https://www.metrorailnagpur.com/. |
| By car or taxi | Use Wadi-Hingna Link Road and the full institute address. Allow time for campus entry. |
| On arrival | Confirm the correct academic building, tournament hall and accreditation desk. |
Transport schedules, road conditions, engineering work and parking rules may change. Check the final route shortly before departure.
🏨 Accommodation Near the Venue
| Accommodation Option | URL / Practical Details |
|---|---|
| Treebo hotels | https://www.treebo.com/hotels-in-nagpur/ |
| OYO hotels | https://www.oyorooms.com/hotels-in-nagpur/ |
| Radisson Blu Hotel Nagpur | https://www.radissonhotels.com/en-us/hotels/radisson-blu-nagpur |
Accommodation is not included unless the organizer explicitly states otherwise. Confirm availability, final price, taxes, cancellation terms, breakfast, accessibility, parking and transfer time directly before payment.
ℹ️ Other Information
Players who have finished first or second in a rating-restricted tournament may be subject to the AICF one-year restriction described in the circular.
Cash prizes are not shared, and each player receives only the highest applicable award.
Keep the latest organizer communication because room assignments, capacity, reporting procedures and payment instructions can change.
MyChess.Events lists the tournament for discovery and planning. Official entry must be completed through the organizer’s current channel.
✅ Final Checks Before Travel
| Check | Action |
|---|---|
| Entry confirmation | Keep written confirmation that the organizer accepted the registration and payment. |
| Eligibility | Recheck rating, age, federation, license and section requirements before departure. |
| Schedule | Verify the reporting deadline, first-round start and any last-minute timetable update. |
| Travel | Allow additional time for public transport, parking, venue access and local navigation. |
| Accommodation | Confirm the room, taxes, breakfast, cancellation policy and journey to the playing venue. |
| Documents | Bring identification, federation details, medication and any equipment requested by the organizer. |
🔗 Official Resources
| Resource | URL |
|---|---|
| Official AICF Circular PDF | https://aicf.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Nagpur-Below-1700-2026-1.pdf |
| Online Registration | https://rzp.io/rzp/Lc9hQV8D |
| Chess-Results | https://chess-results.com/tnr1443401.aspx?lan=1 |
Additional Details
Prize Fund (approx.) - ₹300,000
Organizer
♟️ Foundation Identity
Kalpana Prakash Welfare Foundation is a welfare foundation based in Nagpur, Maharashtra, India. Its public base is in Takli Seem on Hingna Road, and its own platform presents a mission centered on youth, children, and access through sport. That gives the organization a different profile from a standard chess club. It operates as a social and developmental foundation, but chess has become one of its strongest public activities. The foundation also has a clear named public contact in Bhushan Shriwas, who appears as Secretary and is closely tied to its chess work in Nagpur. For players and families, this matters. The organizer combines chess with a broader welfare and youth-development identity rather than treating tournaments as a standalone commercial event line.
🏆 Chess Event Activity
Chess sits at the center of the foundation’s visible sports program. It co-organizes the G H Raisoni Memorial Nagpur Chess Festival, including the 19th edition in 2026, and it has also appeared as the main organizer or co-organizer for other rated events in Nagpur. These include the Below 1600 Open Rating Tournament 2023, the Below 1800 Open Tournament 2024, the Below 1700 event in 2025, and district or school-level events linked to Chess Association Nagpur. The foundation’s chess role therefore goes well beyond one annual open. It supports a ladder of events that serves stronger open players, rating-band players, children, and district-level participants. For players in and around Nagpur, that creates a more regular and accessible competitive pathway.
🌱 Youth and Community Activity
The wider identity of the foundation still matters in its chess work. Its public mission focuses on empowering youth and children through sport and on widening access for those who need opportunity and support. The same platform also shows that the foundation has worked in community relief activity in Nagpur beyond tournament organization. That broader outlook gives its chess role more depth. It helps explain why the foundation appears so often in junior, school, and district formats instead of only in elite open events. For parents and younger players, this is useful. The organizer supports chess as part of a larger social program, while still helping stage serious rated events with recognized local chess bodies.
♟️ Foundation Identity
G H Raisoni Sports & Cultural Foundation is a sports and cultural foundation based in Nagpur, Maharashtra, India. It was incorporated in 2011 and has operated from Shradha House on Kingsway in central Nagpur. The foundation works across sport, recreation, and cultural programming, so chess sits inside a broader public activity model rather than in a single-purpose club structure. That wider profile matters for players. It gives the organizer access to larger venues, stronger event support, and a more stable institutional base than a small local chess group usually has. At the same time, the foundation has built a visible chess identity of its own through repeat open events and festival-style tournament delivery.
🏆 Chess Event Activity
Chess is one of the foundation’s clearest competitive roles. It co-organizes the G H Raisoni Memorial Nagpur Chess Festival, which reached its 19th edition in 2026 and had already run in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 in the same broader event line. The festival includes classical, rapid, and blitz sections and uses the G H Raisoni Institute of Engineering & Technology campus in Nagpur. Beyond that flagship series, the foundation has also been tied to other rated chess events in Nagpur, including the Below 1600, Below 1700, Below 1800, and one-day rapid formats. It has also supported children’s festival chess in Nagpur. For players, that shows continuity, scale, and a real annual tournament rhythm rather than one isolated event.
🌱 Wider Role and Player Experience
The foundation’s broader structure adds practical value for chess players. Its events run inside the Raisoni institutional ecosystem, and that helps support venue logistics, accommodation, and player facilities. The 2026 festival material lists hostel accommodation inside the campus and names facilities such as canteen service, parking, lawn space, a parent waiting area, and drinking water. That kind of support can make a long chess event easier for visiting players and families. Beyond chess, the foundation remains active in other sports and cultural programs in Nagpur and other Raisoni-linked centers. This gives the organizer a distinct identity. It is not only a chess label. It is a multi-activity foundation that repeatedly gives chess a well-supported place in its public calendar.
Hotels Near the Venue
Find nearby accommodation for this tournament location.
