Maestro Candidate Master Qualifier — November 7–15, 2026 runs in Astana, Kazakhstan from November 7, 8, 14 and 15, 2026. The organizer schedules qualification games on November 7–8 and November 14–15 at its Monblan Business Center playing premises. The tournament is listed in an official or organizer-maintained source, and the announced playing building has been mapped independently. Players should nevertheless use the organizer’s most recent instructions for their own section and arriving on time.

Unlike the four-day October selection, the November record is a fresh event listing and has its own participant list. The organizer explicitly names the Candidate Master of Sport selection objective and specifies 10 AM starts. Exact round count and clock setting were not independently established for this particular November edition, so they are deliberately not copied from the October tournament.

📌 Event Details

The event identity matters: The November qualifier is listed as a separate selection on November 7, 8, 14 and 15, and should not be merged with the October KMS qualifier or the November Standart Cup. The organizer publishes several different events in the same building, sometimes on overlapping dates. Use this exact tournament name and its corresponding Chess-Results entry when checking a registration or an opponent list.

The building pin has been cross-checked, but the fifth-floor playing room itself is not represented by a separate verified entrance coordinate. Therefore, reaching the property does not replace checking in at the correct office. Carry both the tournament title and the organizing school’s phone number.

⏱️ Time Control & Pairings

Chess-Results records this as a standard-chess qualification tournament. Its available listing names the dated playing sessions but does not provide enough independently checked detail to state a precise clock setting here. Ask the organizing school for the official time control and the pairing method before entering.

The term KMS refers to Kazakhstan’s Candidate Master of Sport system. This is a selection event for that competitive pathway; it is not an automatic grant of a title or proof that a norm will be achieved. Sporting eligibility, qualification scores and formal recognition depend on the specific organizer and applicable national rules.

Four advertised playing dates create a practical attendance obligation. A player should make sure both weekends are available, since withdrawing during a qualification competition can affect pairings and any required minimum number of games. Only the organizer can confirm whether an absence, postponement or bye is permitted.

🏆 Sections / Groups

The roster is specific to this November selection. Its initial list includes players from different clubs and rating backgrounds, but public entries may be incomplete while registration is open. Check that you are looking at the event whose title names November 7, 8, 14 and 15.

The organization also runs a November Standart Cup and other category tournaments, but those are separate competitive records. The current source does not establish additional sections inside this qualifier, and no unverified categories have been added to the import.

📅 Schedule

The two-weekend dates and 10 AM start appear in the official listing title. Neither the exact finish of play nor the opening of the tournament room has been separately confirmed, so players should request the detailed timetable from Maestro.

All announced times are local to Astana, Kazakhstan. The initial start time is not a reliable prediction of a game finishing time. Clock usage, final standings and the duration of any post-game administration can vary, so return-travel tickets should leave a reasonable margin after the last scheduled day.

📝 Registration

Use Maestro’s published +7 777 338 2387 WhatsApp to check whether registration remains open and which selection criteria apply. The event listing does not provide a verified online payment form. Ask for the correct registration procedure before sending personal documents or money.

When contacting the school, quote the complete event title and your preferred group. Supply your name as recorded in your chess federation or FIDE account where applicable. If the organizer asks for proof of a qualification category, ask which document or rating reference is accepted. A player list on Chess-Results is a useful check, but inclusion or absence from a cached list is not by itself a payment confirmation.

👤 Organizer

Maestro Chess School is the Astana chess organization named in the official tournament record. International Arbiter Anton Skurygin appears as the tournament director, and Didar Dauletbay is named as chief arbiter in the Chess-Results records for the school’s current events. Those named roles are useful for event administration; player enquiries should begin with the published WhatsApp number rather than unsolicited messages to listed players.

The school operates tournaments with different objectives and time controls at the same premises. Consequently, ask the administration about the exact round schedule, available places and qualification rules before making a nonrefundable journey. The school’s event listing, not an older tournament page, is the most reliable way to follow a last-minute amendment.

📍 Venue

The confirmed playing building is Monblan Business Center at 8 Kenesary Street, not a generic city-center location. Go to the fifth floor and ask for office 515. Kenesary Street is a busy central-city corridor; the building’s commercial entrance is a more useful destination than the name of the chess school alone. Save the exact address in both Latin and Cyrillic before leaving your accommodation. The venue mapping represents the building, not a verified playing-room doorway.

Visitors arriving at the business center should verify the office number and whether the room is reached by lift or stairs. A mapped building footprint is precise enough to distinguish the venue from another district, but it does not certify accessible entry to the room. Anyone requiring step-free access should obtain confirmation from the chess school ahead of travel.

🏨 Accommodation

For an out-of-town competitor, the practical hotel search area is central Astana around Kenesary Street and nearby routes to the venue. Pick the property based on its actual walking or driving route to number 8, not only a quoted distance to the center of Astana. Rooms may be in short supply on a tournament weekend, and travel costs can exceed a small entry fee if accommodation is booked late.

Ask a prospective hotel whether its check-in and breakfast times suit the first round. For an early-morning session, a room close to the business center can be more useful than a cheaper address across the city. No specific room rate is advertised or guaranteed in the tournament’s published information, so this page does not reproduce an invented hotel quotation.

🚆 How to Get There

Travelers arriving from outside Kazakhstan can use Astana’s Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport (NQZ). From the airport, choose a licensed taxi or a pre-arranged transfer to Kenesary Street 8, and check the current route with the driver. Astana also has passenger rail connections. The city’s major passenger stations include Astana-1 and Nurly Zhol; confirm which station appears on your ticket before arranging the final leg.

Because round starts can be strict, choose lodging from which you can reach the business center without an uncertain cross-city connection. A taxi may be straightforward, while buses may involve a change and walking; routes and headways can change. Allow extra time for traffic, finding the correct entrance, reaching the fifth floor and meeting the tournament desk. Do not treat a map’s driving estimate as a guaranteed arrival time.

The address should be shown to a driver exactly as Астана, улица Кенесары, 8, БЦ «Монблан», 5 этаж, офис 515. Carry the registration contact in your phone in case you need guidance on entry. The chess organizer, rather than businesses elsewhere in the building, is the right contact for the tournament room, registration and any accessibility needs.

🔗 Useful Official Links

The links identify the event record, the organizing school and the mapped building. Registration is handled through the contact stated in the event listing; no third-party payment or registration URL has been inferred. Verify any changes in the official Chess-Results entry before publication.

ℹ️ Other Information

Because November has several similar-sounding Maestro events, the distinctive event ID and dates should accompany correspondence with the school. Keep a copy of any confirmed entry conditions, especially qualification requirements, tie-breaks and treatment of missed rounds.

For accurate tournament planning, distinguish published facts from unanswered questions. The posted dates and chess format are confirmed; exact finishing times, walk-in registration arrangements and optional services should not be assumed. Check the tournament entry shortly before departure because entries, round assignments and conditions can change even when the venue remains constant.