Set your spring calendar around the Sharjah Masters 2026, scheduled for April 20-30, 2026 in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Sharjah Cultural & Chess Club runs a nine-round Swiss that targets ambitious, FIDE-rated players across three rating-based sections and delivers a professional international championship setting under official event protocols. The tournament ranks players by the FIDE Standard list and keeps the competitive focus high with strict playing hall rules and a defined default-time policy.

This ninth edition offers three parallel events—Masters A, B, and C—with clear rating thresholds, capped fields, and a structured daily round rhythm. The organizers distribute $86,000 in cash prizes across the three sections, and they add additional special prizes where stated. If you want serious classical chess in a major UAE chess hub with a large prize pool and strong field standards, this event matches that goal.

🗓️ Event Details

🏆 Prize Fund

Sharjah Masters A

Sharjah Masters B

Sharjah Masters C

Cash prizes do not split, and the organizers award them by points and tie-break criteria.

⏱️ Time Control & Pairings

All three sections use a 9-round Swiss with a time control of 90 minutes plus 30 seconds increment per move for the whole game. The organizers apply a 30-minute default-time rule.

The tournament uses these tie-breaks in this order: Direct Encounter, Buchholz Cut-1, Buchholz Cut-2, highest number of wins with Black (played), rating performance.

📂 Sections / Groups

📅 Schedule

📝 Registration

Register online only through the official tournament portal. The organizers accept registrations and payments through March 30, 2026.

After the organizers approve your registration request, they send a payment link by email, or you can pay in cash at Sharjah Cultural & Chess Club. Complete full payment before April 1, 2026 to confirm participation.

Registration page: https://shjchess.com/sm/

Visa fees: $100 for participants and $150 for coaches/accompanying persons, and the organizers require advance payment for all visa fees.

👥 Organizer

Sharjah Cultural & Chess Club organizes Sharjah Masters 2026 as an international, FIDE-rated championship with three rating-based sections, capped participation, and a fixed daily round schedule. The organizing committee manages approvals and payments through the official registration process and provides tournament administration through the official event contacts and named leadership team.

• Email: shjchessmasters2020@gmail.com

• Website: https://shjchess.com/sm/

• Tournament Director: IA/IO Murad Abdulla

🏨 Venue

Sharjah Cultural & Chess Club, 901 Al Dhaid Road, Al Juraina 1, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
The tournament takes place at the club’s premises in Sharjah. The venue hosts the technical meeting, opening ceremony, all rounds, and the closing ceremony under a controlled playing-hall environment.

🛎️ Accommodation

Centro Rotana Sharjah (official hotel)
Single room: $120 per night (full board). Double room: $170 per night (full board). The organizers do not offer triple rooms.

The organizing committee provides transportation between the official hotel and the club daily, and it provides airport-to-hotel transfers for invited players only.

🚗 How to Get There

Arrive in Sharjah and plan your local transfers to the club or to the official hotel if you take the accommodation package. Use the organizer’s daily hotel-to-club transportation when you stay at the official hotel.

Bring your best preparation and turn nine classical rounds into a full tournament campaign under international championship conditions.

🧾 Other

The event enforces a business casual or elegant casual dress code and bans electronic equipment in the playing hall as defined by the applicable regulations. The appeals process requires a written, signed submission within one hour after the round ends and an accompanying fee of $200; the organizers return the fee only when the appeals committee accepts the appeal.