The South Open FIDE Rated Rapid Chess Tournament 2026 is set for Saturday, November 28, 2026, at Sri Sai Palace Convention Centre near the NICE Road junction on SH17, Kengeri, Bengaluru. Organized by Sajjan Academy, the tournament is an open nine-round FIDE-rated rapid event with a substantial advertised cash prize fund of ₹400,000. Its organizer describes a single overall playing field with special categories used only for prizes rather than separate tournaments.

Players report at 8:00 AM, and the first round starts at 9:00 AM, according to Sajjan Academy’s official registration page. All nine games use 10 minutes plus five seconds per move. The public entry information identifies a stepped early-bird fee schedule and requires active Indian chess registrations as applicable. Titled players rated 2200 or above can qualify for free entry, subject to the organizer’s verification.

Kengeri is in southwestern Bengaluru, close to the Mysore Road corridor, and is geographically distant from the Whitefield and Jakkur tournament venues. A correctly routed journey is especially important for entrants arriving at 8:00 AM. This guide brings together the specific entry and refund conditions, tournament officials, prize information, and transport routes. The official organizer and Chess-Results pages both indicate Sri Sai Palace Convention Centre; however, players should reconfirm the correct gate and venue address as earlier listing evidence included inconsistent location references.

📌 Event Details

⏱️ Time Control & Pairings

The nine-round Swiss format makes South Open a high-volume rapid tournament: entrants can play nine internationally rated games in a single day. Each player starts with 10 minutes and receives five additional seconds after every move. The combination encourages decisive play but still gives experienced competitors the chance to convert technical positions through the increment.

Chess-Results lists FIDE international rating calculation and identifies FIDE event 507029. Indian participants must hold their AICF registration for 2026–27, and Karnataka participants must also hold a valid KSCA registration; Sajjan Academy’s form asks out-of-state players to enter “N/A” for the state ID. The tournament director is Puneeth, with IA Murugasundaram K. as chief arbiter and Mahesh B. Rao as deputy chief arbiter.

🏆 Prize Fund

The organizer advertises a ₹4 lakh prize pool, equivalent to ₹400,000 and approximately US$4,210 at the indicative exchange rate on October 27, 2026. The overall figure is confirmed in the Chess-Results announcement. Individual Open places, rating bands and youth or gender prizes should be checked against the official final prize brochure rather than inferred from the overall amount.

Importantly, the official registration form states that the tournament is one open playing field, with categories applying to the distribution of awards. That means a player may appear in the same pairings as a stronger or younger player even if the two are eligible for different prizes. It would be wrong to describe each prize category as its own independent section or duplicate the event as several tournaments.

♟️ Sections / Groups

The tournament is a single Open Swiss, not a set of separate age-limited events. Players of different ratings and age groups may meet in the same competition, subject to pairing results. Category labels become relevant when determining eligibility for special prizes, but the nine-round schedule and primary tournament standing apply to the whole field.

The organizer’s registration form requests the player’s date of birth, AICF identity, FIDE ID where available, state registration, gender, district and school or workplace details. Those fields help with both accurate rated-game reporting and administration of category prizes. Do not assume that a player must choose a separate age tournament based on these data requests; the organizer expressly describes one open event.

📅 Schedule

Sajjan Academy specifies the critical morning times: 8:00 AM reporting and 9:00 AM Round 1. The tournament’s nine rapid rounds occupy the same Saturday. The public organizer form does not assign verified clock times to Rounds 2–9 or to the prize ceremony, so those are left to the on-site schedule rather than presented as fabricated hourly sessions.

For families or players arriving from outside the city, this schedule favors reaching Kengeri the previous evening. A long cross-town drive from northern or eastern Bengaluru shortly before 8:00 AM adds risk. Anyone arranging a return flight or train on November 28 should leave a buffer after the final game rather than rely on an advertised general event-calendar closing hour.

📝 Registration

Sajjan Academy operates its own official South Open registration form and Chess-Results also links to a CircleChess event page. Its posted fee schedule advertises ₹1,000 through October 28, ₹1,500 from October 29 to November 8, and ₹1,999 from November 9 to November 25. The organizer website’s current form still displays ₹1,000, creating a possible difference between the static form amount and the dated fee policy. Entrants should verify the amount charged before paying.

The organizer states there will be no refunds after November 24, 2026 and fees are not transferable. The published online form asks entrants to affirm that their AICF and, where applicable, KSCA registrations are current. Keep payment confirmation and check the live starting list before the event. A submitted online form does not excuse an expired federation membership or incorrect player details.

♟️ Organizer

Sajjan Academy runs the South Open and maintains a tournament-specific registration page at its own website. Its published contact information includes sajjanchessacademy@gmail.com and the academy telephone +91 86603 15702. Chess-Results separately provides tournament contacts +91 86182 65507 and +91 72043 39632, which may be more appropriate for time-sensitive entry and hall questions.

The official record also identifies the named chief and deputy chief arbiters and tournament director, along with event registration identifiers. Together, these distinguish the advertised FIDE-rated competition from unrelated academy training events or casual weekend rapidplay. If the registration site and a federation entry disagree on any detail, ask the organizer to confirm the current rules before sending payment.

📍 Venue

The organizer’s official form places the event at Sri Sai Palace Convention Centre, Kengeri. Chess-Results provides a more detailed description: NICE Road Junction, SH17, Kengeri, Bengaluru 560060. Kengeri lies southwest of central Bengaluru on the Mysore Road corridor. The venue is a convention facility, not a college chess center, and should be searched by its complete name when ordering a taxi.

Earlier source records showed an inconsistent venue reference, while the two current primary pages agree on the named convention center. To prevent an incorrect drop-off, use the organizer’s current registration address and ask about the correct entrance, nearby landmark and parking arrangements. A convention venue’s general map pin may not identify the check-in desk used by the chess tournament.

🏨 Accommodation

Players who prefer to avoid an early cross-town commute can look at properties around Kengeri, Rajarajeshwari Nagar and Mysore Road. These locations offer reasonable western or southwestern Bengaluru access, but the exact last-mile route to Sri Sai Palace needs checking. The options below are independent hotels, not official South Open lodging partners.

A hotel near the Purple Line may help travelers arriving by train but does not remove the need for a local road transfer to the convention center. Check travel time at the hour you need to leave, not a midday estimate. Confirm breakfast hours, cancellation terms, and family occupancy before booking for Friday night.

🚕 How to Get There

🚇 Namma Metro and Kengeri Rail Access

The Namma Metro Purple Line serves the western Bengaluru corridor, including Kengeri. Visitors arriving at KSR Bengaluru City can use the metro system to reach western districts and then finish by taxi or auto-rickshaw. The Kengeri railway station is another possible rail arrival point depending on the selected train’s actual schedule. Neither stop is the venue itself; continue toward the NICE Road / SH17 junction and verify the hall entrance.

Metro services are especially helpful when moving from central Bengaluru toward Mysore Road, but an 8:00 AM tournament reporting time requires attention to first-train hours. For anyone arriving very early or late, a direct taxi may be simpler. Ask the driver for Sri Sai Palace Convention Centre, Kengeri and specify the junction named in Chess-Results.

✈️ Airport Arrivals

Kempegowda International Airport is on the opposite, northern side of Bengaluru. The most convenient option for families with chess equipment and luggage may be a prebooked taxi to Kengeri or directly to their western Bengaluru hotel. A public-transport route involving airport buses and metro transfers may be cheaper but introduces several changes and uncertain journey time. Travelers flying in on November 28 should not assume an early airport arrival will guarantee check-in by 8:00 AM.

🚗 By Road and from Mysuru

The tournament hall’s position near SH17 / Mysore Road may be practical for players arriving from Mysuru or western Bengaluru. However, there are multiple intersections around the NICE Road corridor, so the exact convention-center map link matters. Use a current road navigator and confirm parking or drop-off instructions with Sajjan Academy if driving. Keep the organizer contact numbers available in case a route leads to the wrong side of the junction.

🔗 Useful Official Links

ℹ️ Other Information

💳 Fee and Refund Conditions Deserve Attention

This tournament’s published entries include a dated stepped fee schedule, a separate refund cutoff and a narrow free-entry condition for titled players. Unlike a flat-fee junior event, the amount due can depend on the date and player status. Review the form immediately before making payment and save the event terms in case of any discrepancy. A special free-entry condition should be verified by Sajjan Academy rather than assumed solely from a FIDE title.

♟️ One Open Field, Several Prize Categories

Sajjan Academy explicitly states that all participants compete together and categories apply only to prizes. This allows age and rating recognition without separate pairing pools. Review that distinction carefully before entering: a junior may face an adult player during the tournament, while still being eligible for an age-based award if the regulations provide one.