4NCL Bradford Congress 2026
Players head to West Yorkshire for the 4NCL Bradford Congress 2026, a three-section FIDE and ECF-rated weekend event at Cedar Court Bradford, Bradford, England. You spend Friday–Sunday, January 23–25, 2026 playing five classical games with a 90+30 time control in the Open, Under 2000, or Under 1700 section, all under one roof in a modern congress hotel.
You compete for a £3,000 prize fund across the three sections, pick up both ECF and FIDE standard play ratings, and score points in the BCC Grand Prix while your games appear on live boards. The congress runs as a disability-friendly event, uses digital clocks on every board, and follows a compact Friday-evening to Sunday-afternoon schedule that suits ambitious club players from across the region and beyond.
🗓️ Event Details
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| 📅 Dates | Friday, January 23 to Sunday, January 25, 2026 |
| 📍 Location | Cedar Court Bradford, Mayo Avenue, Rooley Lane, Bradford BD5 8HW, England, United Kingdom |
| ♟️ Format | Weekend congress over 5 rounds, Swiss system in all sections |
| ⭐ Rating | FIDE and ECF standard play rated; part of the ECF BCC Grand Prix, with live broadcast games |
| 📂 Sections | Open, Under 2000, Under 1700 |
| ⏱️ Time control | All moves in 90 minutes plus a 30-second increment per move from move 1 in every section |
| 🏁 Number of rounds | 5 rounds (one on Friday evening, two on Saturday, two on Sunday) |
| 💳 Entry fee | £35 for all sections, with online entry via the congress form |
| 💰 Prize fund | Total prize fund £3,000 shared between the Open, Under 2000, and Under 1700 sections |
| 👤 Eligibility | Players enter one section according to their standard play rating as defined in the congress regulations |
| ♿ Accessibility | Congress is listed as disability-friendly, with the venue and organizers aiming to accommodate players’ needs |
| 🧩 Organizer notes | Four Nations Chess League (4NCL) organizes the congress and uses the January 2026 ECF standard play list for section allocation, pairings, and performance prizes |
🏆 Prize Fund
The 4NCL Bradford Congress 2026 offers a guaranteed £3,000 prize fund across the Open, Under 2000, and Under 1700 sections.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Overall prize pool | £3,000 total across all three sections |
| Sections | Each of the Open, Under 2000, and Under 1700 sections runs its own set of main and grading prizes |
| Grand Prix | Results count toward BCC Grand Prix standings according to ECF rules |
Organizers publish the full round-by-round prize distribution on the official 4NCL information page before the event and base all awards on the final standings in each section.
⏱️ Time Control & Pairings
Every game in every section uses 90 minutes for the whole game plus 30 seconds per move from move 1.
The congress runs each section as a five-round Swiss, using Swiss-Manager pairing software and standard FIDE pairing rules.
All boards use digital clocks, and all games count for both ECF and FIDE standardplay rating.
Organizers use the January 2026 ECF standardplay rating list to determine which section each player enters, to create pairings, and to calculate best-performance awards.
Tiebreak methods and any default-time rules follow the published 4NCL congress regulations for the 2025–26 season, which players review on the official information page before the first round.
📂 Sections / Groups
| Section | Rating focus | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Open | For all eligible players | The top section for stronger and titled players who want to chase the main part of the £3,000 prize fund |
| Under 2000 | Aimed at sub-2000 standard play players | Strong middle group for ambitious club players who prefer a rating-restricted field |
| Under 1700 | Aimed at developing and improving players | Suitable for lower-rated clubs and returning players who want competitive but manageable opposition |
📅 Schedule
All rounds take place at Cedar Court, Bradford.
| Date | Weekday | Time | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 23, 2026 | Friday | 7:00 p.m. | Round 1 |
| January 24, 2026 | Saturday | 10:00 a.m. | Round 2 |
| January 24, 2026 | Saturday | 3:00 p.m. | Round 3 |
| January 25, 2026 | Sunday | 10:00 a.m. | Round 4 |
| January 25, 2026 | Sunday | 3:00 p.m. | Round 5 |
Organizers run a classic weekend rhythm: one evening round on Friday, a double-round day on Saturday, and a two-round Sunday that finishes in good time for players to travel home.
📝 Registration
You enter the 4NCL Bradford Congress 2026 online and pay a single entry fee that covers any of the three sections.
Entry fee: £35 for all sections.
Online entry form: https://form.jotform.com/252223611289353
When you register:
You choose Open, Under 2000, or Under 1700 according to your standard play rating and any eligibility notes in the congress regulations.
You provide full contact details, club (if any), and date of birth as requested on the entry form.
You ensure that your ECF membership and FIDE registration status meet rating requirements for a FIDE and ECF standard play event.
The organizers treat your registration as acceptance of all 4NCL congress terms and conditions for the Bradford weekend, including rating, fair-play, and photo-use policies.
👥 Organizer
The Four Nations Chess League (4NCL) organizes the Bradford Congress as part of its over-the-board congress series, complementing the main 4NCL team league and other weekend events around England. The congress team delivers professionally run Swiss sections, live broadcast games, and smooth coordination with ECF rating and BCC Grand Prix scoring.
Organizer: Four Nations Chess League (4NCL)
Congress director: Mike Truran
Email: mike@truranfamily.co.uk
Website: https://www.4ncl.co.uk/fide/information_bradford26.htm
🏨 Venue
You play all rounds at Cedar Court Bradford, Mayo Avenue, Rooley Lane, Bradford BD5 8HW, a full-service hotel that regularly hosts chess events and other conferences. The hotel offers dedicated playing space for the congress, on-site catering, and convenient access to Bradford’s main road network.
Venue: Cedar Court Bradford
Address: Mayo Avenue, Rooley Lane, Bradford BD5 8HW, England, United Kingdom
🛎️ Accommodation
The congress uses Cedar Court Bradford as both the playing venue and the main hotel, and 4NCL provides bedroom booking arrangements specifically for this event on the official information pages.
Players typically:
Book rooms directly with Cedar Court Bradford using the contact details and booking instructions linked from the congress information page.
Quote the congress when they reserve access to any negotiated chess rates that the organizers arrange with the hotel.
You can also explore additional accommodation in Bradford if you prefer budget or alternative options, keeping the round-trip times and travel to Mayo Avenue in mind.
🚗 How to Get There
Bradford sits in West Yorkshire with good road and rail connections, and Cedar Court Bradford lies close to the city’s ring road on Mayo Avenue.
By car: Drive toward Bradford and follow signs for major routes around the city; Cedar Court Bradford stands on Mayo Avenue (A6177) near Rooley Lane, with hotel parking available for guests.
By rail: Travel by train to Bradford Interchange or Bradford Forster Square, then take a short taxi ride or local bus to Cedar Court Bradford on Mayo Avenue.
By air: If you fly into Leeds Bradford Airport, continue by airport bus, train, or taxi via central Bradford and then on to the hotel.
You plan your arrival to reach the venue comfortably before Round 1 at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, so you can check in, settle at the board, and start the weekend in a calm frame of mind.
🧾 Other
The congress appears in the ECF events calendar as a FIDE-rated, ECF-rated, disability-friendly standard-play weekend with live broadcast games.
All games use digital clocks, and the tournament follows the current FIDE Laws of Chess and ECF congress guidelines.
Results from all sections go to both the ECF rating system and FIDE standardplay rating list after the event.
Players should review the 4NCL congress terms and conditions (including any default-time, mobile phone, and refund policies) on the official website before traveling.
Spend one focused weekend at Cedar Court Bradford, test yourself in a serious five-round FIDE and ECF-rated congress, and let the 4NCL Bradford Congress 2026 kick-start your chess year with instructive games and an energetic tournament atmosphere.