The Pan-American Amateur Chess Championship 2026 will take place from August 22–27, 2026, in Florianópolis, Brazil. The Confederation of Chess for the Americas and the Brazilian Chess Confederation organize the continental championship at Hotel Canasvieiras IN.

Players can compete in the U2300, U2000, and U1700 rating categories. The organizers plan separate Open and Women’s competitions in each category. However, a Women’s section requires at least nine participants representing three national federations.

All sections feature nine rounds of classical chess with a time control of 90 minutes plus a 30-second increment per move. In addition, the championship offers $9,000 in cash prizes, Pan-American titles, trophies, age-group medals, and direct FIDE title opportunities.

♟️ Event Details

⏱️ Time Control & Pairings

Each championship consists of nine Swiss-system rounds. Every player receives 90 minutes for the game plus a 30-second increment from move one.

Swiss-Manager will generate the pairings. In addition, the organizers will publish tournament information and available PGN files through Chess-Results.

Players may arrive up to 60 minutes after the scheduled start of a round. A player who has not reached the board within that period loses the game by default.

The Swiss-system tie-break criteria apply in the following order:

1. Direct encounter
2. Buchholz Cut 1
3. Buchholz total
4. Number of wins
5. Sonneborn-Berger
6. Drawing of lots if the tie remains

🏆 Prize Fund

The combined cash prize fund is $9,000. Each Open section offers $2,000, while each Women’s section offers $1,000.

The following distribution applies separately to each U2300, U2000, and U1700 section:

The organizers will pay all cash prizes in the equivalent amount in Brazilian reais. Moreover, players finishing with the same score will share the applicable cash prizes equally.

Titles and Additional Awards

The winner of each championship will receive the title of Pan-American Amateur Chess Champion and a trophy.

Subject to the applicable FIDE and CCA conditions, each section winner will also receive accommodation and meals at the 2027 Pan-American Amateur Championship and the 2027 World Amateur Championship. The player’s FIDE Standard rating must remain below 2300.

The top three players in every championship will receive trophies and accommodation and meals at the 2027 Pan-American Amateur Championship, subject to the relevant conditions.

The following direct titles will be available under the FIDE Handbook:

• The applicable CM or WCM title for the U2000 champion
• The applicable CM or WCM title for the top three finishers in U2300

The U1700 and U2000 competitions will also award medals to the top three boys or men and girls or women in the U8, U10, U12, U14, U16, and U18 age categories.

📂 Sections / Groups

Eligibility depends on a player’s published FIDE rating during 2025, together with the title restrictions listed below.

A separate Women’s championship will take place only when at least nine women from three or more national federations enter that rating category.

Otherwise, the organizers will combine the Women’s entrants with the corresponding Open section.

📅 Schedule

The organizers will also broadcast the technical meeting online through the Brazil Chess Series Instagram account.

📝 Registration

The championship is open to players entered through their respective national federation, provided that federation is a CCA member. Each federation may enter an unlimited number of eligible participants.

Entries must include:

• Full name
• Date of birth
• FIDE ID
• Selected rating category

International players should contact their national federation for its submission deadline, entry procedure, and payment instructions.

Brazilian Players – Entry Without the Official Hotel Package

The following fee schedule applies specifically to Brazilian participants:

Entries submitted after August 14 require organizer approval and may incur a 100% surcharge.

All registrations are personal and non-transferable. The organizer will not provide credits or refunds.

Official Five-Night Hotel Package

The player package includes five nights at Hotel Canasvieiras IN, full-board meals, tournament entry, and the mandatory CCA fee.

Check-in: August 22 after 15:00
Check-out: August 27 by 11:00
Package duration: Five nights

Full-board service begins with dinner on August 22 and ends with lunch on August 27.

Additional Night With Breakfast

Players and accompanying persons must arrange official hotel reservations and payments directly with the event organization.

Registration and Hotel Contact: Kaiser Luiz Mafra

Email: kaisermafra@hotmail.com

WhatsApp: +55 48 99835-6666

🏢 Organizer

📍 Venue

Hotel Canasvieiras IN – Rua Madre Maria Villac 2020, Canasvieiras, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina 88054-001, Brazil.

Hotel Canasvieiras IN is both the official playing venue and the official accommodation property. Therefore, players using the tournament package can attend every round without travelling to a separate playing hall.

All six planned sections, the technical meeting, and the closing ceremony will take place at the hotel.

🚆 How to Get There

Canasvieiras is located in the northern part of Santa Catarina Island. Therefore, players should allow extra travel time during busy periods.

ℹ️ Other Information

The organizer will provide all chess pieces, boards, and digital clocks.

Players may not bring mobile phones, smartwatches, tablets, or other communication devices into the playing area. A violation results in the loss of the game.

FIDE Fair Play and anti-cheating regulations apply throughout the championship.

Players and delegation leaders are expected to attend the technical meeting. In addition, participants should attend the official opening and closing activities.

A player must submit an appeal in writing within one hour after the relevant round or incident. Every appeal requires a $100 deposit. The organizer will return the deposit when the Appeals Committee accepts the appeal.

By participating, players authorize the organizers to use tournament photographs and video recordings for event communication. However, the organizers will not identify children by full name or personal information without approval from a parent or legal guardian.