The 24th Annual Southern Class Championships will take place from March 19–21, 2027, at the Holiday Inn Resort Kissimmee By The Parks in Kissimmee, Florida. Organized by the Continental Chess Association, the tournament offers $17,000 in guaranteed prizes and awards 80 Enhanced US Chess Grand Prix points.

The championship uses a traditional class-based structure with seven sections ranging from Master through Class E. The Master, Expert, and Class A sections are FIDE rated, while all seven sections are US Chess rated. Overlapping rating ranges give many players flexibility to compete at the upper end of their normal rating class or move into a stronger group when eligible.

Players may choose either the full three-day schedule beginning Friday evening or an accelerated two-day schedule beginning Saturday morning. The main time control is 40/80, SD/30; d30, while the first two rounds of the accelerated schedule use G/60; d10 before both schedules merge for Round 3.

♟️ Event Details

The Southern Class Championships combines class-based competition, a substantial guaranteed prize fund, FIDE-rated upper sections, Mixed Doubles awards, and flexible schedule options at a resort near Walt Disney World.

⏱️ Time Control & Pairings

The championship consists of five Swiss-system rounds. Players selecting the three-day schedule use the full classical control throughout, while the two-day schedule begins with two accelerated games.

At 40/80, SD/30; d30, each player receives 80 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the remainder of the game. A 30-second delay applies from the start.

The accelerated games give each player 60 minutes for the entire game with a 10-second delay.

Both schedules merge for Round 3 at 5:00 PM on Saturday and compete for the same prizes within each section.

Half-Point Byes

Players may request up to two half-point byes.

CCA asks players to select advance opening-round byes when entering online. Once play has begun, later bye requests should generally be handled directly with tournament staff.

🏆 Prize Fund

The tournament offers $17,000 in guaranteed prizes. The fund includes individual class prizes, a $100 Master winner bonus, and $1,000 in Mixed Doubles bonuses.

Master Section

The Master section offers the largest first prize.

The clear winner, or the first-place player on tiebreak when first is shared, receives an additional $100 bonus.

Expert Section

Class A

Class B

Class C

Class D

Class E

Mixed Doubles Bonus

Players from all sections may also form Mixed Doubles teams consisting of one male and one female player.

The teammates may compete in different sections and on different schedules.

Their average rating must be below 2200.

Mixed Doubles registration is free and must be completed at the tournament by 2:00 PM Saturday.

The team result is based on the combined tournament scores of the two players.

Unrated Player Prize Limits

Unrated players may enter Class A through Class E, but individual prize limits apply in several lower sections.

If an unrated player qualifies for a larger prize, the unpaid portion passes to the next eligible player or players in the prize order.

These limits do not reduce Mixed Doubles awards.

🧩 Sections / Groups

Seven overlapping rating sections allow players to compete within or slightly above their traditional US Chess class.

The overlap is intentional. For example, players near the top of one traditional rating class may qualify for the next stronger section.

Rating Rules

Continental Chess applies additional rating safeguards when determining section eligibility.

Adjusted FIDE, foreign, club, league, scholastic, state, provincial, and other established over-the-board ratings may be considered when they indicate a higher playing level than a player’s US Chess rating.

Players must disclose applicable foreign and FIDE ratings.

CCA may also use unofficial US Chess ratings or US Chess Online Regular ratings for players who would otherwise be unrated.

A participant may not play in a section below their US Chess Online Regular rating minus 100 points.

CCA also maintains separate minimum-rating and peak-rating rules that can affect eligibility to play up into sections with a minimum rating requirement.

🗓️ Schedule

The tournament provides both three-day and two-day formats.

3-Day Schedule

The standard schedule begins Friday evening.

Registration for this schedule closes Friday at 6:00 PM.

2-Day Schedule

The accelerated option begins Saturday morning.

Registration for the two-day schedule closes Saturday at 10:00 AM.

Rounds 1–2 use G/60; d10. Beginning with Round 3, the accelerated players merge with the three-day field.

📝 Registration

Entry fees vary according to registration date. The top six sections — Master through Class D — share the same fee structure.

Master Through Class D

Late online or onsite registration remains available until one hour before Round 1 of the player’s chosen schedule.

Class E

Class E costs $30 less at each registration stage.

Titled Players

GMs, IMs, and WGMs receive free entry, with $100 deducted from any prize won.

Official Hotel Discount

Players entering online by February 26 can receive an additional $10 entry-fee discount by providing their Holiday Inn Resort Kissimmee By The Parks chess-block confirmation number during registration.

Re-Entry

Re-entry is available for $60.

A player may not re-enter from Master back into Master.

US Chess Membership

A current US Chess membership is required.

CCA also offers special one-year US Chess membership options through its online entry system.

Payment

Tournament registration is handled through:

ChessAction.com

No mailed entries are accepted.

Checks are not accepted onsite, while credit cards are accepted.

Refunds are subject to a $15 service charge when a refund rather than tournament credit is requested before play begins.

👥 Organizer

For section or schedule changes, players should contact Director@Chess.US and include both the tournament name and player name in the email subject.

Withdrawals before the tournament should be sent to:

Dropouts@Chess.US

📍 Venue

The 2027 championship moves to the Holiday Inn Resort Kissimmee By The Parks, a recently renovated resort in the Walt Disney World tourism corridor.

Holiday Inn Resort Kissimmee By The Parks – 3011 Maingate Lane, Kissimmee, FL 34747, United States

The resort is approximately one mile from Disney’s Animal Kingdom and offers extensive leisure and conference facilities.

Hotel amenities include two heated outdoor pools, dining facilities, event space, free scheduled transportation to major theme parks, Wi-Fi, and on-site parking.

The property also has EV charging stations and accessible parking.

🚆 How to Get There

The hotel is located off the main Kissimmee / Walt Disney World tourism corridor and is easily accessible by road.

The hotel’s complimentary scheduled shuttle serves Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Orlando, and SeaWorld. It should not be confused with an airport-transfer service.

For players flying to Orlando, a taxi, rideshare, rental car, or other private transfer is the practical connection from MCO.

🏨 Accommodation

CCA has arranged a special chess room rate at the playing venue.

Players should reserve by February 26, 2027. The rate may increase once the deadline passes or the chess room block fills.

Reservations can be made using the Continental Chess hotel link posted through ChessEvents.US or by calling the hotel at:

+1 407-396-1400

Players booking by telephone should request the Chess rate.

CCA strongly encourages tournament participants to stay at the host hotel because room bookings help support the tournament’s ballroom and meeting-space arrangements.

ℹ️ Other Information

Bring Chess Equipment

Continental Chess asks players to bring a chess set, board, and clock whenever possible because tournament equipment is not supplied for every participant.

Electronic Devices

CCA uses a dedicated electronic-device and anti-cheating policy.

Players should not carry an active cellphone while playing. The safest options are to leave phones in a hotel room, vehicle, or secured bag at the playing table according to tournament staff instructions.

Electronic scoresheets are also subject to CCA approval.

Prize Payments

CCA recommends that winners receive their prizes at the tournament whenever possible.

Under current CCA procedures, players receiving sufficiently large prizes may need to provide the tax information required under U.S. law.

Prizes not collected onsite may be mailed or sent electronically afterward, but processing can take several weeks.

Pairings and Entry Lists

Advance entries are posted through ChessAction.com.

Players who have already entered online generally do not need a separate tournament check-in if their name, section, schedule, and requested first-round bye are correctly shown on the entry list.

Round pairings are normally posted shortly before each round.

Saturday Night Blitz

A separate Southern Class Blitz tournament is scheduled for Saturday, March 20 at 9:30 PM.

Onsite Blitz registration closes at approximately 9:10 PM.

The organizer has not yet published the full 2027 Blitz prize structure and entry conditions, so figures from the 2026 Blitz Championship should not be reused for the 2027 side event.

Nearby Attractions

The venue is located in one of Central Florida’s main tourism areas, close to Walt Disney World Resort and within driving distance of Universal Orlando Resort and SeaWorld Orlando.

The hotel’s scheduled theme-park transportation can be useful for accompanying family members, although players should keep the tournament round schedule in mind when planning any visits.

Official US Chess listing:
https://new.uschess.org/24th-annual-southern-class-championships

Official organizer website:
https://www.chesstour.com/

Online registration:
https://www.chessaction.com/

Hotel / tournament accommodation information:
https://www.chessevents.us/