The Chessinfo & Golden Knights Chess Academy International FIDE Rating Below 1700 Chess Tournament 2026 takes place from December 4 to 6, 2026, in Tirupattur, Tamil Nadu, India. Chessinfo Chess Circle and Golden Knights Chess Academy organize the competition at Papa Seth Mahal on Railway Station Road, in the Achamangalam area.

The tournament features nine Swiss-system rounds and counts toward FIDE Standard ratings. Players receive 45 minutes plus a 30-second increment per move, starting from move one. The organizers restrict the field to competitors below the published 1700 FIDE rating threshold, making eligibility an essential part of registration.

The event advertises a total prize allocation of ₹600,000 (approximately $6,370). Its published officials include International Arbiter S. Ganesh Babu as chief arbiter and International Arbiter B. Arasu as deputy chief arbiter. The information below covers entry, playing conditions, the venue, accommodation, and transport.

📌 Event Details

⏱️ Time Control & Pairings

The tournament uses a nine-round Swiss format with 45 minutes per player and a 30-second increment after every move. Chess-Results identifies the competition as Standard, with international rating calculation under FIDE Event ID 494155. The clock setting is therefore different from a rapid event with a similar three-day schedule.

Eligible players must fall below the advertised 1700 rating limit. Tournament administrators and arbiters will apply the detailed eligibility and pairing provisions of the official event regulations. Players should register with accurate FIDE identification and current rating information, rather than assuming an unrated status overrides other published entry requirements.

IA S. Ganesh Babu, a FIDE Instructor and arbiter, is the listed chief arbiter. IA B. Arasu serves as deputy chief arbiter, while the Chess-Results tournament directors are IA D. Anand and IA S. Ganesh Babu.

🏆 Prize Fund

Chess-Results and the Tirupattur District Chess Association advertise a combined ₹600,000 prize allocation (approximately $6,370). However, a separate tournament booking listing describes ₹300,000 in cash plus trophies. These sources do not provide a reconciled, item-by-item cash prize table. Accordingly, the advertised total should not be treated as independently verified cash-only payouts.

The organizer’s final prize schedule determines cash awards, trophies, and any category restrictions. The USD figure above converts the advertised overall allocation at approximately ₹94.14 per US dollar, based on the Reserve Bank of India’s November 6, 2026 reference information; it is a rounded equivalent, not a fixed dollar-denominated guarantee.

📅 Schedule

The tournament runs over Friday, December 4, through Sunday, December 6, 2026, with nine Swiss-system rounds scheduled across the event. The available federation listing and Chess-Results record confirm the dates and number of rounds, but do not provide a complete verified clock-time schedule for every round.

Players should obtain the detailed daily pairings and reporting instructions from the organizer before arranging travel. Round start times are not assumed here, since a three-day, nine-round event does not by itself establish the precise timetable.

📝 Registration

The advertised entry fee is ₹3,000. The Tirupattur District Chess Association lists December 3, 2026, at 5:00 PM IST as the final application date. Registrants should use the Tirupattur District Chess Association tournament registration portal, selecting the December 4–6 Below 1700 competition rather than the organizers’ earlier unrestricted Open event.

The event is open to players who meet the advertised below-1700 rating criterion. Indian participants should have the relevant player registration details available when completing the entry form. IA D. Anand is the district association’s published contact for tournament queries; his telephone number is included in Event Details.

🏛️ Organizer

Chessinfo Chess Circle works with Golden Knights Chess Academy to organize the event. The Golden Knights academy is based in Madurai and is associated with IA S. Ganesh Babu, who serves as chief arbiter for this tournament. The tournament record also identifies IA D. Anand as a director.

The organizers have staged a separate international FIDE-rated Open in Tirupattur earlier in the 2026 season. This December competition is the rating-restricted Below 1700 edition. The tournament is registered through FIDE’s event system and appears on the Tamil Nadu state and national calendars.

📍 Venue

The playing venue is Papa Seth Mahal, a function hall at Railway Station Road, Achamangalam, Tirupattur, Tirupattur District, Tamil Nadu 635601, India. The hall is also listed in the locality as Railway Colony, close to the railway-station district. It is a specific building, not the railway station itself.

For local transport, give the driver the full name Papa Seth Mahal and the Railway Station Road address. The event uses the Tirupattur hall, rather than the SDAT Indoor Stadium in Yelagiri Hills that hosted the organizers’ earlier Open competition.

Nearby Restaurants and Cafés

Railway Station Road has several established refreshment and dining options. The locations below are listed on the same road as the playing venue, but verified walking times from the hall are not available. Players should leave enough time for their next game when going out for food.

🏨 Accommodation

The playing hall is Papa Seth Mahal on Railway Station Road in Tirupattur, Tamil Nadu. The following independently identified hotels and lodges are in Tirupattur town. Because individual partner-booking pages for these properties have not been reliably confirmed, official direct hotel information or local navigation is provided instead of fabricated Stay22 hotel links.

For players staying overnight, the suggested dates are 2026-12-03 to 2026-12-07, including arrival before the opening and departure after the closing day. Verify live room availability, occupancy, taxes, meals and cancellation conditions directly with the chosen property. Independent hotel bookings do not automatically include tournament registration or official federation packages.

Travel planning: None of these independent properties is advertised as the tournament’s official lodging or has a validated booking URL for the event dates. Confirm that the hotel is operational, available and properly located before transferring any payment.

🚆 How to Get There

Tirupattur has a passenger railway station and road links to neighboring Tamil Nadu cities. The last stage of the journey should lead to Papa Seth Mahal, Achamangalam, Railway Station Road. Do not use an unrelated Yelagiri venue or a generic town-center pin as the final destination.

The Tirupattur municipality’s transport guidance provides background on railway and bus connections. However, players should use the event’s precise hall address for the final approach. No unverified travel times or airport-transfer distances are assumed.

ℹ️ Other Information

The competition is a FIDE Standard-rated tournament with a defined rating ceiling. Participants should check the version of their FIDE rating that governs entry and follow the chief arbiter’s instructions inside the playing hall. The pairing platform will provide the event-specific player list and subsequent competition information.

The tournament is distinct from the organizers’ October–November 2026 Open. Likewise, the playing venue is Papa Seth Mahal in Tirupattur, not the SDAT venue in Yelagiri Hills. This distinction matters for families and players traveling to Tamil Nadu from other states. The official tournament administrators remain the appropriate contacts for last-minute changes to playing times and entry conditions.