The 43rd Millennium Cup 2026 – FIDE Rapid Chess Tournament will take place on Sunday, September 27, 2026, at Millennium Center in central Sofia, Bulgaria. Chess Club “Capablanca97” organizes the event together with CM Iliyan Popov and supporting partners, while Sassy Restaurant hosts the tournament on level -2 of the complex.

The tournament features nine Swiss-system rounds at a rapid time control of 10 minutes plus a 5-second increment from move one. Moreover, the competition counts for FIDE Rapid rating, and Chess-Results will handle the published pairings, starting lists, and results through Swiss-Manager.

Players compete in one Open field for cash awards totaling €500 (approximately $580). However, the organizer guarantees this published cash structure only when the tournament reaches at least 50 participants. In addition, children, women, seniors, and selected rating groups can compete for medals, a trophy, special cash prizes, and material awards.

♟️ Event Details

The 43rd Millennium Cup continues a recurring Sofia rapid series that brings adult, junior, rated, and unrated players into one Open competition. Furthermore, the central-city venue provides convenient access by metro, tram, car, and taxi.

⏱️ Time Control & Pairings

All players compete in one nine-round Swiss tournament. Each participant receives 10 minutes for the game plus a 5-second increment after every move.

The tournament awards points in the normal way and then applies additional criteria to separate players who finish level. Therefore, every round can affect both the direct score and the final tiebreak position.

Tiebreaks

The regulations list the following order for the final classification:

Chess-Results will publish the pairings and standings during the event. Moreover, the tournament carries an official FIDE Rapid event registration.

🏆 Prize Fund

The published cash awards total €500 (approximately $580). However, the organizer guarantees this full structure only when at least 50 players participate.

Overall Prizes

The overall places therefore account for €425 of the published cash awards.

Special Cash Prizes

Three additional special categories add another €75 to the cash total.

Consequently, the published overall and special cash prizes add up to €500.

Children’s Awards

The tournament also provides separate awards for younger players. However, these medals and the trophy do not form part of the €500 cash prize fund.

Players in the U8, U10, U12, and U14 categories can compete for gold, silver, and bronze medals. In addition, the organizer awards a Cup to the best U14 player.

Material Prizes

The organizer also offers T-shirt prizes in three categories:

These awards remain separate from the cash prize calculation.

Approximate USD equivalents use the current exchange rate and are rounded upward to the next $10.

🧩 Sections / Groups

The 43rd Millennium Cup uses one Open playing section. Therefore, the U2000, women’s, senior, and junior classifications are prize categories rather than separate tournament sections.

This structure allows players of different ages and strengths to compete directly against one another. Meanwhile, the additional award categories give juniors and other eligible groups extra prize opportunities within the same tournament.

Players without an existing FIDE ID may still submit an entry. However, they must provide the personal information requested by the tournament team so that the organizers can process their registration correctly.

🗓️ Schedule

The entire competition takes place on Sunday, September 27. Registration begins in the morning, while the closing ceremony follows the nine rapid rounds in the late afternoon.

During the technical meeting, the tournament team will announce the Round 1 pairings. Therefore, players should complete check-in before 10:50.

The organizers provide the lunch included with the entry fee during the 13:30 break. Afterwards, play continues toward the scheduled closing and prize ceremony at 17:15.

📝 Registration

The tournament charges an entry fee of €25 (approximately $30). Importantly, this fee includes both the tournament organization and the provided lunch.

Required Registration Details

Players who already have a FIDE ID should send their FIDE ID, first and last name, and year of birth.

Players without a FIDE ID can also register. Instead, they should provide their full three-part name and exact date of birth.

Send registration requests to:

ste.vas@abv.bg

Telephone enquiries:

+359 896 631 643

Because the deadline falls at 18:00 on Saturday, September 26, players should register before that time rather than relying on tournament-day entry.

👥 Organizer

Chess Club “Capablanca97” organizes the Millennium Cup together with CM Iliyan Popov and tournament partners. Moreover, Sassy Restaurant supports the event by hosting the tournament inside Millennium Center.

Iliyan Popov serves as Tournament Director. Meanwhile, registration enquiries can also go to the published tournament contact number +359 896 631 643.

📍 Venue

The tournament takes place at Millennium Center – 89B Vitosha Blvd., level -2, Sassy Restaurant, Sofia 1463, Bulgaria.

Millennium Center stands just south of the National Palace of Culture in central Sofia. Therefore, the venue offers particularly convenient access from the city center and from Sofia’s public transport network.

Players should enter the complex and proceed to level -2, where Sassy Restaurant hosts the tournament.

Surrounding Area

The Vitosha Boulevard and NDK area contains numerous cafés, shops, restaurants, hotels, and other city-center services. However, the tournament fee already includes the organized lunch, so players do not need to leave the venue during the scheduled midday break.

The same 89B Vitosha Boulevard complex also contains Grand Hotel Millennium Sofia. Consequently, players arriving from outside Sofia have a major hotel directly at the tournament address, although the organizer has not announced a special tournament accommodation rate.

🚆 How to Get There

Millennium Center has strong public-transport connections because it stands near the National Palace of Culture. In particular, NDK metro station provides the most convenient metro access.

From Sofia Airport

Travelers arriving at Sofia Airport Terminal 2 can take the metro toward the city center. Then, they can change at Serdika for Line 2 and continue to NDK station.

The full airport-to-area journey takes approximately 40 minutes under normal conditions.

From Sofia Central Railway and Bus Stations

The Central Railway Station has a metro connection. From there, passengers can travel to NDK in approximately 10–15 minutes.

Therefore, players arriving by intercity train or bus can reach the tournament without needing a taxi.

By Car or Taxi

The venue sits at 89B Vitosha Boulevard, one of the best-known central addresses in Sofia. From Sofia Airport, the official venue information estimates approximately 25–30 minutes by car, depending on traffic.

Because the tournament begins on Sunday morning, drivers should still allow additional time for city traffic, finding the correct entrance, and reaching level -2 before registration closes.

ℹ️ Other Information

Tournament Officials

CM Iliyan Popov serves as Tournament Director.

FA Georgi Bednikov serves as Chief Arbiter. In addition, Stefani Chuchukova appears on Chess-Results as Deputy Chief Arbiter.

The tournament team uses Swiss-Manager to manage pairings and results.

Millennium Cup Series

The Millennium Cup is a recurring Sofia rapid tournament series rather than a single annual competition. Therefore, the 43rd edition represents another stage in an established sequence of Open events organized around the Bulgarian capital.

The 42nd Millennium Cup took place on August 23, 2026, only a little more than one month before the 43rd edition. It used the same Sofia venue, nine-round Swiss structure, 10+5 rapid time control, and FIDE Rapid rating format.

Earlier Millennium Cup events also took place several times during 2026. Consequently, regular participants can encounter the same recognizable format throughout the series while competing against changing fields.

FIDE Rating

The tournament counts for FIDE Rapid rating. Therefore, rated participants can gain or lose international rapid rating according to their tournament results and applicable FIDE regulations.

Players who do not yet have a FIDE ID should supply their complete name and birth date when registering. This information helps the tournament team process the participant correctly.

Lunch

The €25 entry fee includes lunch, and the organizer schedules the meal break for 13:30. As a result, players can remain at the venue throughout the compact one-day program.

Regulations

The organizer reserves the right to amend the tournament regulations when necessary. Therefore, players should follow any final instructions announced during registration and the 10:50 technical meeting.