XXI Central American and Caribbean Youth Chess Festival 2026
The XXI Central American and Caribbean Youth Chess Festival 2026 will take place in San José, Costa Rica, from November 1–8, 2026. Organized by the Costa Rican Chess Federation (FCA) with the support of the Chess Confederation for the Americas (CCA), the festival brings together youth players from Central American and Caribbean federations in six age categories.
The main championship is divided into U8, U10, U12, U14, U16 and U18, each with separate Open and Girls competitions. The classical championship runs from November 2–7 and consists of nine FIDE-rated rounds at 90 minutes + 30 seconds increment per move.
The programme also includes separate Rapid and Blitz tournaments, accreditation, a technical meeting and closing activities. International participation is coordinated through national federations, while accommodation and meal arrangements are managed centrally by the organizer.
♟️ Event Details
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| 📅 Festival Dates | November 1–8, 2026 |
| ♟️ Standard Competition | November 2–7, 2026 |
| 🌍 Country | Costa Rica |
| 📍 Location | San José |
| 🏛️ Venue | Gimnasio Nacional Eddy Cortés – Calle 42, Sabana, San José, Costa Rica |
| 👤 Organizer | Federación Costarricense de Ajedrez – FCA |
| 🤝 Continental Partner | Chess Confederation for the Americas – CCA |
| 🎯 Tournament Director | Vivian Víquez Miranda |
| ⚖️ Chief Arbiter | IA Carolina Muñoz Solis |
| 👥 Categories | U8 · U10 · U12 · U14 · U16 · U18 – Open & Girls |
| ♟️ Standard Format | 9-round Swiss System |
| ⏱️ Standard Time Control | 90 minutes + 30 seconds per move |
| ⭐ Rating | FIDE and national rating |
| 🌐 Official Event Page | https://fcacostarica.com/campeonato-centroamericano-y-del-caribe-de-la-juventud-2026/ |
| 📄 Official Regulations – English | https://fcacostarica.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Bases-CAC-2026-Ingle%CC%81s.pdf |
| ♟️ Chess-Results | https://chess-results.com/tnr1494141.aspx?lan=1 |
⏱️ Time Control & Pairings
The main classical championship is played over nine rounds using the Swiss System and Swiss-Manager software.
Time Control: 90 minutes + 30 seconds increment per move from move one.
All classical games are played with electronic clocks and are submitted for both international FIDE and national rating.
If a category has 10 players or fewer, the organizer may replace the Swiss System with a round-robin format. Open and Girls competitions within the same age category may also be merged when necessary, while awards remain category-specific.
The permitted late-arrival time is 30 minutes after the scheduled start of a round.
👥 Sections / Groups
The festival has 12 youth categories.
| Category | Eligibility |
|---|---|
| U8 Open / Girls | Born on or after January 1, 2018 |
| U10 Open / Girls | Born on or after January 1, 2016 |
| U12 Open / Girls | Born on or after January 1, 2014 |
| U14 Open / Girls | Born on or after January 1, 2012 |
| U16 Open / Girls | Born on or after January 1, 2010 |
| U18 Open / Girls | Born on or after January 1, 2008 |
Each Central American or Caribbean federation may register one official player in every age/category division, together with one federation delegate.
Gold medallists from the 2025 Central American and Caribbean Youth Festival in Puerto Rico are also treated as official players for the 2026 edition.
Federations may register additional unofficial players without a numerical limit, subject to organizer acceptance and the applicable fees.
📅 Schedule
| Date | Activity |
|---|---|
| November 1 | 15:00 – Arrival & Accreditation |
| 19:00 – Virtual Technical Meeting | |
| November 2 | 09:00 – Opening Ceremony |
| 09:30 – Round 1 | |
| 15:30 – Round 2 | |
| November 3 | 09:00 – Round 3 |
| 15:00 – Rapid Tournament | |
| November 4 | 09:00 – Round 4 |
| 15:00 – Round 5 | |
| November 5 | 09:00 – Round 6 |
| 15:00 – Blitz Tournament | |
| November 6 | 09:00 – Round 7 |
| 15:00 – Round 8 | |
| November 7 | 09:00 – Round 9 |
| 17:00 – Closing Ceremony | |
| November 8 | 11:00 – Departure |
The published regulations specify the dates and starting times of the Rapid and Blitz tournaments but do not state their exact time controls in the same regulations. Therefore, players should confirm those details with the organizer.
📝 Registration
Participation must be coordinated through the player’s national federation.
A player cannot be registered without approval from their federation and must belong to a Central American or Caribbean federation unless an exceptional case is approved by the CCA.
Registration Deadlines
Official Players & Delegates: September 1, 2026
Unofficial Players & Companions: September 15, 2026
Registrations received after September 1 are treated as unofficial entries. After September 15, acceptance is entirely at the organizer’s discretion.
Since both published deadlines have now passed, any new registration request should be sent directly to the festival organization before making travel arrangements.
Entry Fees
| Participant / Event | Fee |
|---|---|
| Official Player – Classical | $140 |
| Unofficial Player – Classical | $160 |
| Costa Rican National Player – Classical | $100 |
| Rapid only | $25 |
| Blitz only | $25 |
| Rapid + Blitz | $40 |
| Delegate / Coach / Companion Accreditation | $20 |
| Optional Airport Transfer | $50 per person |
Proof of payment is required as part of the registration process.
Official Event Email:
torneos_internacionales_costarica@fcacostarica.com
👤 Organizer
| Contact | Details |
|---|---|
| Organizer Name | Federación Costarricense de Ajedrez – FCA |
| Contact Person | Vivian Víquez Miranda |
| Event Email | torneos_internacionales_costarica@fcacostarica.com |
| General Email | info@fcacostarica.com |
| Phone | +506 2549 0964 |
The Costa Rican Chess Federation organizes the festival with the support of the Chess Confederation for the Americas.
📍 Venue
Gimnasio Nacional Eddy Cortés – Calle 42, Sabana, San José, Costa Rica.
The National Gymnasium is located inside Parque Metropolitano La Sabana, one of the principal recreation and sports areas in central San José.
The venue hosts all classical championship rounds as well as the Rapid and Blitz tournaments. Lunch and dinner included in the official accommodation packages are also served at the National Gymnasium, next to the playing area.
🏨 Accommodation
Accommodation is centrally managed by the tournament organization.
All players must arrange their hotel reservation through the organizer. A direct reservation with an official hotel or another hotel must be reported to the tournament organization and carries a published $200 penalty per person.
Official packages cover 7 nights, from check-in on November 1 to check-out on November 8, and include meals from dinner on November 1 through breakfast on November 8.
Official Hotel Packages
Prices are per person for the full festival stay.
| Hotel | Double | Triple | Quadruple |
|---|---|---|---|
| Costa Rica Tennis Club | $750 | $700 | $700 |
| KC Hotel | $825 | $775 | $750 |
| Irazú Hotel & Studios | $800 | $750 | $700 |
| Holiday Inn – Plaza Irazú | $850 | $775 | $725 |
| Hotel Parque del Lago | $850 | $775 | $725 |
| Rincón del Valle | $875 | $825 | $775 |
| Wyndham | $1,000 | $875 | $800 |
At selected hotels, children under 12 sharing with at least two people over 12 pay $500.
Breakfast is served at each hotel. Lunch and dinner are served at the National Gymnasium.
Transportation between the venue and the more distant official hotels is provided by the organizer.
Official Player Subsidy
Each eligible federation receives a 60% subsidy on accommodation and meal costs for its official players and one delegate, based on double occupancy at:
- Costa Rica Tennis Club
- Irazú Hotel & Studios
This means the participant is responsible for the remaining 40% of the applicable package cost.
The FCA also offers each participating federation 100% lodging and meals for one blind or deaf official player, while registration and any applicable transportation fees remain payable.
🚆 How to Get There
From Juan Santamaría International Airport
Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) is the principal international gateway for San José and is located in Alajuela, approximately 20 km west of central San José.
The tournament offers an optional airport transfer for $50 per person. For international youth delegations, this is the simplest option because arrival, hotel assignment and accreditation can be coordinated through the organizer.
By Official Airport Taxi
Juan Santamaría International Airport authorizes orange airport taxis for passenger transportation.
Players or families travelling independently can take an authorized taxi directly to their official hotel or to the La Sabana area. Travel time varies substantially with San José traffic.
By Public Bus
Public buses operate between the airport area and San José.
This can be a lower-cost option, but it does not provide the same door-to-door convenience as the tournament transfer or an airport taxi. Families with chess equipment and luggage should also allow time for the final connection from central San José to their hotel.
Hotel to Venue
Participants staying in the official hotels closest to La Sabana may be able to walk or make a short local journey to the National Gymnasium.
For the more distant official hotels, the tournament regulations confirm that hotel–venue–hotel transportation will be provided.
Because the first classical rounds begin as early as 09:00, delegations should follow the organizer’s transport schedule rather than arranging last-minute independent transfers.
ℹ️ Other Information
Awards: The top five players in each Open and Girls category receive awards. First, second and third place receive trophies; fourth and fifth place receive medals.
FIDE Titles and Norms: The regulations provide direct titles and norms under the applicable FIDE Direct Titles rules.
- U18 Gold: IM / WIM direct title; players tied for first place, up to three, may receive an IM / WIM norm.
- U16 Gold: IM / WIM norm.
- U18 Silver & Bronze: FM / WFM direct title.
- U16 tied for first: FM / WFM direct title.
- U14 Gold: FM / WFM direct title.
- U12 Gold: FM / WFM direct title.
- U16 Silver & Bronze: CM / WCM direct title.
- U14 Silver & Bronze: CM / WCM direct title.
- U12 Silver & Bronze: CM / WCM direct title.
- U10 Gold, Silver & Bronze: CM / WCM direct title.
- U8 Gold, Silver & Bronze: CM / WCM direct title.
All titles remain subject to the applicable FIDE regulations.
Fair Play: FIDE Anti-Cheating Guidelines apply. Players and captains may not possess unauthorized electronic devices in the playing venue.
Spectators: Spectators and companions may not use electronic devices in the playing hall except for photography specifically authorized by an arbiter.
Default Time: A player arriving more than 30 minutes after a round starts loses the game. The player may also be removed from subsequent pairings unless the organizer is informed before the next pairing.
Appeals: An appeal must be submitted in writing by the delegation representative within one hour after the relevant round. The appeal deposit is $100, refundable only if the appeal is upheld.
Swiss-System Tiebreaks: Buchholz Cut 1, Buchholz, Sonneborn-Berger, cumulative score, direct encounter and number of wins.
Round-Robin Tiebreaks: Direct encounter, number of wins, Sonneborn-Berger, Koya and Extended Koya.
Chess-Results:
https://chess-results.com/tnr1494141.aspx?lan=1
Additional Details
Organizer
♟️ About Federación Costarricense de Ajedrez
The Federación Costarricense de Ajedrez (FCA) is the national governing body for organized chess in Costa Rica. Based at the Estadio Nacional in San José, the federation manages national competition, player registration, ratings, official championships, international representation, tournament regulations, arbiter development, and chess promotion throughout the country.
The organization is also formally referred to in some statutory and institutional documents as the Federación Central de Ajedrez de Costa Rica. In its current public communications, however, it predominantly uses the name Federación Costarricense de Ajedrez and the abbreviation FCA.
The federation is led by Luis Eduardo Quirós Rojas, who has served as President since 2021. The current board also includes Vivian Víquez Miranda as Vice-President, Analía Mattos as Secretary, Sergio Ramos Torres as Treasurer, and additional board members responsible for the federation’s administration and national chess programs.
🏆 Tournaments & Chess Activities
FCA maintains an extensive annual competition calendar covering elite, amateur, youth, senior, team, Rapid, Blitz, and classical chess. Its flagship events include the Costa Rican National Championship, the National Women’s Championship, national team championships, youth championships, senior events, and qualifying tournaments for the following national championship cycle.
The federation also operates a Grand Prix structure that gives players additional opportunities to qualify for major national finals. These competitions complement the regular national championships and create a broader pathway for players who want to improve their rating and compete for higher-level qualification.
Team chess forms another important part of the calendar. FCA organizes national team championships in classical, Rapid, and Blitz formats, allowing clubs and organized groups to compete in several time controls during the year.
The federation also manages both national and international rating systems. Its official platform provides player registration, club information, national Elo lists, FIDE rating information, tournament regulations, results, and administrative resources for organizers and competitors.
🌱 Youth Chess & Development
Youth development is one of FCA’s largest competitive programs. The federation organizes national championships across multiple age categories and regularly divides the calendar between even-age and odd-age championships.
In 2026, the federation organized national championships for categories such as U8, U10, U12, U14, U16, and U18, together with additional youth and U20 events. These tournaments help determine national champions while also preparing players for Central American, Caribbean, Pan-American, and other international competitions.
FCA is also increasingly involved in school chess. In 2026, Costa Rica hosted the American Continental Stage of the FIDE ISCF World Schools Team Championship, organized with FIDE, the International School Chess Federation, and the Confederation of Chess for the Americas.
The project formed part of the international Year of Chess in Education 2026 initiative. Before the continental stage, a Costa Rican national school-team qualifier selected the country’s official representatives.
The federation also cooperates with educational institutions and public authorities on projects designed to use chess as a pedagogical tool. These programs focus on concentration, decision-making, strategic thinking, social development, and the broader educational value of chess.
🌎 International Championships
Costa Rica has become increasingly active as a host of international chess events, and FCA plays a central role in this process.
In March 2026, the country hosted the Central American and Caribbean Chess Championship, bringing together players from federations across the region in Open and Women’s competition.
Later in the year, FCA helped organize the American continental stage of the FIDE ISCF World Schools Team Championship in San José. This event brought school teams from across the Americas to Costa Rica and connected competitive chess with education and international exchange.
The federation then continues its international calendar with the XXI Central American and Caribbean Youth Chess Festival 2026, scheduled for November 1–8, 2026, in San José.
The festival is organized by FCA in cooperation with the Chess Confederation for the Americas (CCA). It includes U8, U10, U12, U14, U16, and U18 categories, with separate Open and Girls competitions, as well as Rapid and Blitz events.
Vivian Víquez Miranda, Vice-President of FCA, serves as Tournament Director for the festival, while IA Carolina Muñoz Solis is Chief Arbiter. The event brings together official and additional players representing national federations throughout Central America and the Caribbean.
🧑⚖️ Arbiters, Training & Technical Development
FCA also invests in tournament-official development. The federation regularly works with FIDE to organize FIDE Arbiter Seminars, providing Costa Rican and international participants with training in the Laws of Chess, Swiss pairings, rating regulations, fair play, tie-break systems, and tournament administration.
In January 2026, FCA organized the 215th Internet-based FIDE Arbiters’ Seminar, while another official seminar was scheduled for October 2026. These programs allow successful participants to earn norms toward the FIDE Arbiter title.
This technical development complements the federation’s tournament program. By training arbiters, coaches, organizers, and administrators alongside players, FCA strengthens the infrastructure required to run national and international competitions to FIDE standards.
📚 Institutional Development
FCA represents Costa Rica within the international chess structure and works with FIDE and the Confederation of Chess for the Americas on competition, education, training, and development projects.
The federation’s modern administrative structure includes specialized commissions dealing with competition, promotion, education, arbitration, ratings, communications, national teams, coaches, inclusion, and disability chess.
Its digital platform has also become an important administrative tool. Players can access ratings, federation information, club data, registration resources, tournament regulations, and event announcements online.
Recent international projects show an increasing emphasis on combining competitive chess with education and regional development. Hosting continental school chess, Central American and Caribbean championships, youth festivals, and FIDE technical seminars has strengthened Costa Rica’s role within the regional chess community.
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