The 1st CastleMasters International Open Rapid FIDE Rated Chess Tournament 2026 will take place on November 21–22, 2026, at Satya School in Sector 49, Gurugram, Haryana, India. Organized by CASTLEMASTERS CHESS INDIA Pvt. Ltd. under the aegis of the All India Chess Federation, Haryana Chess Association and District Chess Association Gurgaon, the event offers a substantial ₹700,000 prize fund, approximately $7,280.

The tournament is a 9-round FIDE-rated Swiss played at 25 minutes + 10 seconds increment per move. Five rounds are scheduled on Saturday and four on Sunday, with the first day’s reporting beginning at 08:30 and the final prize ceremony scheduled for Sunday evening. The competition is open to Indian rated and unrated players, international players with a valid FIDE ID and amateurs who have never previously played a FIDE-rated event.

The prize structure is unusually broad for a two-day Rapid tournament. In addition to 30 main prizes, the event offers substantial rating-category awards, women’s, veterans’, Haryana and disability prizes, five junior age categories and trophies for the top three schools. Registration closes on November 15, 2026, while all players must also ensure that their AICF registration is active by November 20 at 17:00 to avoid being left out of the first-round pairing.

♟️ Event Details

⏱️ Time Control & Pairings

The tournament is played over 9 Swiss-system rounds under the FIDE Laws of Chess.

Each player receives 25 minutes for the game plus a 10-second increment from move one.

Tie-Breaks

Final standings use the following tie-break order:

1. Buchholz Cut 1
2. Buchholz
3. Sonneborn-Berger
4. Direct Encounter
5. Greater Number of Wins, excluding forfeit points
6. Greater Number of Wins with Black

🏆 Prize Fund

The total published prize fund is ₹700,000, approximately $7,280.

Main Prizes

The Main Category distributes ₹266,000 in total.

Rating Category Prizes

Four separate rating groups use the same prize structure:

• Unrated
• 1400–1599
• 1600–1799
• 1800–1999

The four rating groups distribute ₹234,000 in total.

Special Category Prizes

Women, Veterans 55+ and Haryana Players each have the following awards:

Players with Physical Disabilities

Age Category Prizes

Separate cash awards are available for:

U15 · U13 · U11 · U9 · U7

Each category uses the same top-five structure:

Medals are awarded for additional junior places, while all participants receive e-certificates. The tournament also awards trophies to the top three schools.

Prizes are not cumulative. A player qualifying for more than one cash award receives the higher-value prize only.

👥 Sections / Groups

The event is a single Open tournament with no age or rating restriction on participation. However, the prize structure includes numerous separate award categories.

Any Indian player, whether rated or unrated, may participate. International players are eligible with a valid FIDE ID, while amateur players who have never previously played a FIDE-rated tournament may also enter.

There is no age limit or rating restriction for the Open competition.

📅 Schedule

Saturday, November 21

Sunday, November 22

Players staying outside Gurugram should pay particular attention to the 08:30 Sunday start, as morning road travel across Delhi NCR can be unpredictable.

📝 Registration

The organizer uses CircleChess for tournament registration. The official AICF brochure contains the registration QR code and registration link.

Entry Fees

The stated last date for regular entry is November 15, 2026. After that date, the brochure specifies an additional ₹500 late fee.

Entry fees are non-refundable, and requests for further entry-fee or late-fee waivers will not be accepted.

AICF Registration

AICF registration is mandatory.

Players who still need to register can use:

https://prs.aicf.in/new-register

In addition, Chess-Results carries a specific warning that all players must renew their AICF ID by November 20, 2026 at 17:00. Players who fail to do so may remain unpaired for Round 1.

Registration Assistance

FA Sankalp Arora: +91 74650 77129
Prabindra Mani Verma: +91 97171 30205
CircleChess Support: +91 95183 39178

Because the tournament registration is handled externally through CircleChess, the MyChess.Events internal REGISTER button should not be used as a substitute for the organizer’s registration system.

👤 Organizer

📍 Venue

Satya School – Block E, South City II, Sector 49, Gurugram, Haryana 122018, India.

Satya School is a large educational campus in the South City II / Sector 49 area of Gurugram. The location is on the southern side of the city and is considerably more convenient for tournament players staying in Sector 49, Sector 50 or nearby parts of Sohna Road than for visitors commuting each morning from central Delhi.

Lunch will be available for purchase at the venue, and the organizer also notes that several food outlets are available nearby.

🏨 Accommodation

The organizer does not publish an official hotel package. However, several hotels are available close to the Sector 49 / Sector 50 area.

Holiday Inn Express Gurugram Sector 50

https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/gurgaon/hayge/hoteldetail

This is one of the most practical options because it is located in Sector 50, next to South City II and close to the tournament area. Breakfast is generally included.

Red Fox Hotel, Sector 60

https://www.lemontreehotels.com/red-fox-hotel/gurugram/sector-60-gurugram

A practical mid-range option on the Golf Course Extension Road side of Gurugram.

Lemon Tree Hotel, Sector 60

https://www.lemontreehotels.com/lemon-tree-hotel/gurugram/sector-60-gurugram

This higher-category option is also in Sector 60 and offers restaurant, fitness and swimming-pool facilities.

These are indicative current prices rather than tournament rates. November availability and prices can change, so players should check the actual stay dates before booking.

🚆 How to Get There

The tournament venue is in Sector 49, Gurugram, south of central Gurugram and close to the Sohna Road / South City II area.

The organizer itself identifies Millennium City Centre Gurugram as the nearest practical Metro station, Gurugram Railway Station as the nearest rail hub and Indira Gandhi International Airport as the nearest major airport.

From Millennium City Centre Gurugram Metro Station

Millennium City Centre Gurugram, formerly known as HUDA City Centre, is the southern terminal of the Delhi Metro Yellow Line.

The official tournament brochure estimates the journey from the station to Satya School at approximately 20 minutes.

From the Metro station, the most practical final connection is by taxi, app-based cab or auto-rickshaw to Satya School in Sector 49.

This route is particularly useful for players travelling from central Delhi because the Yellow Line connects Gurugram directly with areas including New Delhi, Rajiv Chowk, Central Secretariat, Hauz Khas and other major interchange points.

Allow additional time during morning and evening traffic.

From Gurugram Railway Station

The brochure identifies Gurugram Railway Station as the nearest main railway station and estimates the road journey to the venue at approximately 30 minutes.

From the station, a taxi, Ola/Uber or auto-rickshaw is the simplest last-mile option.

Players arriving by long-distance train should check whether their service stops at Gurugram or instead terminates at one of Delhi’s larger railway stations. In the latter case, Metro or road transfer into Gurugram may be required.

From Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL)

Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi is the nearest major airport for domestic and international players.

The tournament brochure estimates the transfer to the venue at approximately 50 minutes, although Delhi NCR traffic can make the journey significantly longer.

A prepaid airport taxi or app-based cab is the simplest direct option to Satya School.

Players using public transport can also combine Delhi Metro services with the Yellow Line toward Millennium City Centre Gurugram, followed by a final taxi or auto-rickshaw journey to Sector 49. However, with luggage, a direct road transfer will usually be more convenient.

By Car

Navigate directly to:

Satya School – Block E, South City II, Sector 49, Gurugram, Haryana 122018, India.

Players driving from Delhi should allow a generous traffic buffer. This is especially important before the 08:30 reporting time on Saturday and the 08:30 Round 6 start on Sunday.

For out-of-town players, staying in Sector 49, Sector 50, Sector 60 or another nearby Gurugram district is considerably more practical than commuting from central Delhi on both tournament days.

ℹ️ Other Information

The tournament follows the FIDE Laws of Chess and uses a 15-minute default time.

All electronic devices are prohibited in the playing hall. The brochure specifically includes mobile devices and wristwatches of any kind within this restriction.

A player may withdraw from the tournament after informing the Chief Arbiter. However, if a player misses a round without reporting to the Chief Arbiter, the organizers will treat this as a withdrawal and remove the player from subsequent pairings.

Any protest against a Chief Arbiter decision must be submitted in writing within 15 minutes of the incident together with a ₹2,000 protest fee. A five-member Appeals Committee will be formed before the tournament begins. The fee is refunded if the appeal succeeds.

Players or guardians who disrupt tournament decorum may be excluded from the event.

Lunch will be available for purchase at the venue, while additional food outlets operate nearby.

If unforeseen circumstances force the tournament to be cancelled, the organizer states that its financial obligation is limited to refunding entry fees.

The organizer also reserves the right to photograph or record participants and use tournament images or video on social media.

Before travelling, players should recheck their AICF status, Chess-Results entry, FIDE ID, rating and prize-category information. Since the tournament has a large number of rating, age and special prizes, correct player data is particularly important before the first-round pairings are prepared.