The LCC Weekend Tournament 2026 – London Chess Classic will take place from November 27–29, 2026, at Novotel London West in Hammersmith. Chess in Schools and Communities organizes the tournament as part of the 16th XTX Markets London Chess Classic, one of the major annual chess festivals in the United Kingdom.

The tournament features five Swiss-system rounds across five rating sections: Open, U2000, U1750, U1500, and U1250. Each game uses a classical time control of 90 minutes plus a 30-second increment from move one. Moreover, the organizers will submit all sections for both FIDE Standard and ECF Standard rating.

The published place prizes total £3,000 (approximately $4,020) across the five sections, while the additional £50 Women’s Prize listed for each section can raise the published cash structure to £3,250 (approximately $4,350). In addition, entrants can watch the LCC Masters and Challengers or listen to live grandmaster commentary after finishing their own games at no extra charge.

♟️ Event Details

The LCC Weekend Tournament gives players of all rating levels access to a classical event inside the wider London Chess Classic festival.

⏱️ Time Control & Pairings

All five sections use the same five-round classical format. Each player starts with 90 minutes and receives a 30-second increment after every move from move one.

A player who arrives more than one hour after the scheduled start loses the game by default.

Moreover, a player who defaults a game will normally disappear from all subsequent pairings unless the Chief Arbiter decides otherwise.

Pairings

The organizers plan to publish pairings as follows:

The organizers use the ECF Standard Rating List published on November 1, 2026 when preparing section allocations and pairings.

If a player does not have an ECF Standard rating, the organizers next consider an ECF Rapid rating. If neither exists, they may assign an estimate from available playing information.

Half-Point Bye

Each player may take one half-point bye.

Players can request or cancel the bye up to 24 hours before Round 1. Alternatively, once the tournament begins, they can request a future-round bye within the published deadlines.

A half-point bye cannot be taken in the final round.

Players may request additional zero-point byes in advance from the Chief Arbiter at:

festival@londonchessclassic.com

🏆 Prize Fund

The official rules publish the same prize structure in each of the five sections.

Place Prizes – Each Section

The first three places therefore provide £600 per section and £3,000 across all five sections.

The official rules also list a £50 Women’s Prize under the section prize structure. Consequently, the complete published structure can reach £650 per section, or £3,250 (approximately $4,350) across five sections.

Tied Prizes

Cash prizes depend on points rather than tiebreak scores.

Therefore, if two or more players finish level for a prize, the relevant prize money is shared equally among the tied players.

The organizers will publish the complete prize lists online after the tournament and then contact prize winners to arrange payment by bank transfer.

🧩 Sections / Groups

Anyone may enter the LCC Weekend Tournament. However, the organizers place players into sections according to the ECF Standard Rating published on November 1, 2026.

Therefore, the five-section structure allows players across a wide rating range to compete against opponents of comparable strength.

Players Without an ECF Standard Rating

If a player has no ECF Standard rating, the organizers use the following priority:

1. ECF Rapid rating;
2. an organizer-assigned estimate based on available playing information;
3. rating 0 when no usable information exists.

The organizer reserves the right to transfer players between tournaments or sections where necessary.

🗓️ Schedule

The Weekend Tournament runs from Friday afternoon through Sunday evening.

Friday, November 27

Saturday, November 28

Sunday, November 29

The six-hour gap between the two daily rounds on Saturday and Sunday allows time for long games, meals, analysis, and watching other London Chess Classic events.

📝 Registration

Standard entry costs £50 (approximately $70).

A reduced fee applies to eligible women and younger players who meet the published residency rule.

Entry Fees

The £25 reduced rate applies to:

• female players who are British residents;
• players aged under 25 on November 27, 2026 who are British residents.

Late Entry Pricing

Paid entry fees increase by 50% from Friday, November 20, 2026.

Therefore:

ECF Membership

Every participant, irrespective of FIDE federation, must either:

• hold ECF Gold membership, or
• pay the £20 Pay-to-Play surcharge.

Importantly, this requirement also applies to players who qualify for free or reduced entry.

FIDE ID

All participants must have a FIDE Identification Number when submitting their entry unless they want their FIDE federation recorded as England.

English players without an existing FIDE ID can have one created when the tournament rating files are submitted.

Official Entry

Official tournament page:

https://www.londonchessclassic.com/lcc2026-lcc-weekend-tournament

Official entry:

https://www.londonchessclassic.com/store/p/lcc2026-lcc-weekender

When entering several players, the organizer asks users to add and complete each player’s tournament entry separately.

👥 Organizer

The XTX Markets London Chess Classic is organized by Chess in Schools and Communities (CSC), the UK charity that promotes chess in schools and communities.

The 2026 festival is sponsored by XTX Markets.

📍 Venue

The tournament takes place at Novotel London West – 1 Shortlands, Hammersmith, London W6 8DR, United Kingdom.

The hotel hosts the public tournaments and events of the 2026 XTX Markets London Chess Classic. Therefore, Weekend Tournament players compete at the same festival venue used for several other LCC competitions.

The property stands in Hammersmith, one of West London’s major transport hubs. In addition, Hammersmith Underground and Bus Stations sit only a short walk away.

Parking

The organizers recommend public transport rather than driving.

However, Novotel London West has a secure on-site car park. The published hotel parking rate is:

• £1.50 per hour for hotel residents
• £3.50 per hour for non-residents

The venue also lies outside the London Congestion Charge Zone.

Drivers should check the hotel’s current parking conditions again before arrival because rates and local restrictions can change.

🏨 Accommodation

Novotel London West is both the tournament venue and the official accommodation option for the 2026 London Chess Classic.

The hotel is offering discounted room rates to tournament participants.

However, the publicly accessible event page does not publish a fixed room price. Therefore, players should use the official booking system to view the available tournament rate for their dates rather than relying on an estimated hotel price.

Official Hotel Booking

Players must book the special London Chess Classic allocation by October 26, 2026, subject to availability.

Official accommodation booking:

https://book.passkey.com/event/51323920/owner/11649089/home

Staying at Novotel London West provides the simplest arrangement because players can reach the playing rooms without an additional journey on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.

🚆 How to Get There

Novotel London West has particularly strong public-transport access.

Underground

Hammersmith Underground Station is approximately a three-minute walk from the hotel.

Four Underground lines serve Hammersmith:

The station provides step-free access from the platforms to the station exit.

From Central London

The organizer states that Hammersmith is less than 20 minutes from Central London by Underground.

Therefore, players who stay elsewhere in central London can reach the venue without using a taxi or car.

From Heathrow Airport

The Piccadilly Line provides direct transport between Heathrow and Hammersmith.

As a result, international players arriving at Heathrow can travel toward the tournament venue without needing to cross central London first.

Players should still check TfL engineering information before traveling because weekend service changes can affect Underground routes.

By Bus

Numerous high-frequency London bus routes serve Hammersmith Bus Station.

The bus station sits next to the Underground station and approximately three minutes from Novotel London West.

Official journey planning:

https://tfl.gov.uk/

By Car

Use:

Novotel London West – 1 Shortlands, Hammersmith, London W6 8DR

The organizers recommend public transport because Hammersmith has excellent Underground and bus connections. Nevertheless, hotel parking remains available for drivers.

ℹ️ Other Information

Free Access to Masters and Challengers

Weekend Tournament entrants receive an unusual festival benefit.

After finishing their own games, players can watch the LCC Masters or Challengers tournaments at no extra charge. They can also listen to the live grandmaster commentary when it is available.

Therefore, the event combines a five-round tournament with direct access to elite chess taking place inside the wider London Chess Classic.

British Championships Qualifying Grand Prix

The LCC Weekend Tournament forms part of the British Championships Qualifying Grand Prix.

Consequently, eligible results can contribute toward the qualifying system for the British Chess Championships.

Extra Rated Games After a Default

The London Chess Classic has a special policy for players whose scheduled opponent fails to arrive.

First, the player wins the tournament game by forfeit. Afterwards, the arbiters will try to arrange another ECF- and FIDE-rated game against a player of broadly similar strength.

They will look for an opponent in this order:

1. another player from the same tournament;
2. a player from a different LCC tournament;
3. another suitable player who is available that day.

The extra game does not affect the tournament standings, even though it can still count for rating.

A player may decline the offer.

Appeals

A player can appeal an arbiter’s decision in writing.

The appeal must reach the Appeals Committee within 30 minutes of the arbiter’s decision and must include a £50 deposit (approximately $70).

The organizer returns the fee if the appeal succeeds.

The Appeals Committee used for the Elite Tournament also serves the wider festival.

Fair Play

The London Chess Classic Festival Fair Play Policy applies throughout the Weekend Tournament.

Therefore, participants must follow any fair-play checks and instructions given by the arbiting team.

Juniors

Parents and guardians remain responsible for children throughout the tournament.

In particular, every player under 16 must have a parent or guardian on site at all times.

The organizers and volunteers do not act in loco parentis.

Photography

London Chess Classic press officers will take photographs during the festival.

By entering the tournament, players consent to tournament photographs being used for London Chess Classic and Chess in Schools and Communities publicity.

Festival History

The London Chess Classic began in 2009 and has developed into one of Britain’s best-known international chess festivals.

The 2026 event is the 16th edition.

Past winners of the elite London Chess Classic include Magnus Carlsen, Vladimir Kramnik, Hikaru Nakamura, Viswanathan Anand, Wesley So, Fabiano Caruana, Ding Liren, Michael Adams, Gawain Jones, and Nodirbek Abdusattorov.

In 2025, Abdusattorov won the elite event with 7.5/9 after a six-game winning streak.

The 2026 festival again combines elite competition with open events for club players, juniors, titled players, and spectators.

Important

Players should verify their ECF Gold membership or Pay-to-Play status, FIDE ID, November 1 ECF rating, section placement, entry payment, and any requested bye before Round 1.

In addition, players who want the official Novotel accommodation discount should book before October 26, 2026, while the tournament allocation remains available.