Saturday 22nd August

to

Sunday 23rd August

King's School Worcester, Dining Hall

Worcestershire Chess Association
Closed Congress 2026

More Details Entrant List
Entry Form

King's School Worcester,
Dining Hall

Tournament Details

Date
Saturday 22nd August to Sunday 23rd August
Venue
King's School Worcester, Dining Hall
Entry Fees
Adult: £12
Junior(u18): £6
Format
Five Round Mixed Time Control Swiss, Single Section. Accelerated pairing may be used if there are a high level of entrants.
Time Control
This congress will again use the mixed time control format debuted in last year's congress, designed with the aim of neatly packing five rounds into a two day weekend. Please see the schedule for the specific details.
Controller
Alaric Stephen
Prizes
There will be six WCA Champion trophies to compete for, though their exact details may change as the event approaches. Additional awards may also be added. There are no cash prizes so as to keep entry fees to a minimum.
Refreshments
There will be facilities for making tea and coffee, along with biscuits and other snacks available for all players.
Tie-Breaks
  1. Direct Encounter
  2. Buchholz Cut 1 (Lowest Score Dropped)
  3. Buchholz
  4. Coin Flip
Round Start Time Control
Saturday Round 1 10:30 a.m.

20 Minutes +
10 Second Increment
Round 2 11:45 a.m.

45 Minutes +
30 Second Increment
Round 3 3 p.m.

75 Minutes +
30 Second Increment
Sunday Round 4 10:30 a.m.

75 Minutes +
30 Second Increment
Round 5 3 p.m.

75 Minutes +
30 Second Increment
Prize Giving 19:00 approximately

WCA Champion Titles

Individual Champion

Awarded to the overall winner of the WCA Closed Congress 2026.

Women's Champion

Awarded to the highest scoring female player. However, if the Individual Champion is a woman then this trophy will transition to the Men's Champion and be awarded to the highest scoring male player instead.

Junior Champion

Awarded to the highest scoring player aged under 18 on 22nd August 2026.

Senior Champion

Awarded to the player with the highest score out of those born in the years 1962 to 1976.

Veteran Champion

Awarded to the highest scoring player born in 1961 or earlier.

Minor Champion

Awarded to the highest scoring player with a rating of 1650 or below in the August 2026 ECF standardplay original rating list with five rated games played prior.

Travel

Venue Address

King's School Worcester
Castle Place
Worcestershire
WR1 2NB



OpenStreetMap
Google Maps

Directions

King's School is next door to the town centre, behind the Cathedral. Castle Place is a narrow road nearby (but not through) Edgar Tower, which leads directly into the campus. Signage there will direct you to the Dining Hall.

Please note that if travelling by car there is no parking at the school campus itself.

Parking

City Centre parking is available at King Street, Clare Street, Tallow Hill or the multi-storey St Martin's Gate municipal car parks or the NCP Cathedral story car park. A full list of parking spots can be viewed on the City Council's website.

Rules & Regulations

ECF Membership
ECF membership of Bronze or above is required for all entrants. Visit the ECF website to find out more about memberships.
Withdrawals
If withdrawing during the tournament, please notify a controller or note it on your score sheet. If you withdraw before the first round, your entry fee will be refunded.
Publication & Photography
Names of players, their club affiliation, any title gained and photographs taken throughout play and during prize giving will be published on WCA associated websites and sent to local news media and the ECF.
FIDE Laws of Chess & Disputes
This tournament will follow the FIDE Laws of Chess which all players must abide by. Any dispute will be heard fairly but the Controller's judgement on the manner will be final.
ECF Rated Games
All games will be submitted for ECF Rating, Rapidplay in Round 1 and Standardplay in Rounds 2-5. The games will NOT be FIDE rated.
Mobile Phones
Mobile phones should be switched off during play and placed face down on the table or securely in a bag. A player whose mobile phone sounds during a game will be defaulted.
No Smoking
The whole school site is non-smoking. Smoking and vaping is banned on the campus.
Default Time
After a round begins players will be defaulted if they do not arrive within 30 minutes in Standardplay and 15 minutes in Rapidplay. If possible their opponent will be offered a friendly rated game.
Unrated Players
Unrated Players must supply details of their playing strength with their entry. Unrated players are not eligible for the Minor Champion title.
Final Entries
Entries should be received by 6pm on Friday 21st August. No entries will be accepted on the day. The organisers reserve the right to refuse entries.
Junior (u18) Supervision
All players under the age of 18 must have a responsible adult at the event who has agreed to supervise them and contact details of a parent/guardian must be provided. All players under the age of 14 must have a parent/guardian specifically on site.
Champions
Each WCA Champion should be unique. In the event a player qualifies to win multiple champion titles then they may be asked to choose one with the other title(s) being awarded to the next most qualified player(s). The controller will judge on the day how to best handle this situation.

Entrant List

Seed Name Rating Club
1 Matthew Gillings 2001 Redditch
2 Kevin Hurney 1999 Longbridge
3 Lee Davis 1992 Malvern
4 Joe Rastall 1958 Worcester
5 Ed Higgs 1899 Worcester
6 Ian Clarke 1876 Malvern
7 Joshua Clarke 1867 Malvern
8 David Smith 1833 Redditch
9 Nigel Towers 1823 Redditch
10 Stephen Allen 1791 Worcester
11 Scott Oxtoby 1769 Worcester
12 Phillip N Austin 1768 Warndon
13 Rob Bricknell 1737 Redditch
14 Julie Wilson 1737 Stourbridge
15 Alex P Nicholls 1717 Warndon
16 John Varilone 1699 Kidderminster
17 Sri Venkata Subramanya Saikalyan Rentachintala 1664 Worcester
18 Seamus Flynn 1633 Worcester
19 Joe Tipping 1600 Redditch
20 Maciej Bodniak 1549 Worcester
21 Timothy Giles Stanton 1543 Redditch
22 George Sharpe 1536 Worcester
23 Tom Sherwood 1534 Longbridge
24 Ceylan Ozvatan 1514 Warndon
25 Aiden Griffiths 1511 Worcester
26 Craig Arnold 1510 Worcester
27 Pedro De Sousa Pereira 1455 Warndon
28 Graham Kemp 1452 Pebworth
29 Colin Vernon 1450 Warndon
30 Paul Serafini 1444 Worcester
31 Bilal Butt 1424 Worcester
32 Viktor Gorbunov 1421 Warndon
33 Doug Nicholls 1414 Warndon
34 Steve Nicholls 1370 Warndon
35 Robert Cotton Snr 1278 Warndon
36 Miguel Marimon 1214 Redditch
37 Tom Evans 1184 Warndon
38 Don James 1136 Warndon
39 Henry Allen 1110 Warndon
40 Ben Mason 1104 Malvern
41 Tyrone Corbett 920 Warndon
42 Robert Cotton Jnr 822 Warndon
43 Ebrahim Najeeb 0 Redditch
44 Roger Thompson 0 None

Total Entrants: 45 Last Updated: 3 Aug 2026, 7:43 p.m.

Entry Form

Details
Entry Type

Determines eligibility for the Senior and Veteran Championships

In addition to providing the information requested below it is essential that Junior entrants have a responsible adult at the Congress who has agreed to supervise them.

£

Total Cost: £0

Payment Method
Payment details will be provided after your entry is submitted.
Additional Notes
Consent to Terms

Please read the following statements and then tick the box below to confirm your consent to them:

  • Your data provided in this form will be stored electronically and will only be accessible to the tournament organisers. It will be used both to organise the tournament and as a reference for publication (detailed in the rules). It will not be sold to commercial undertakings.
  • By registering for this tournament you acknowledge your agreement to abide by the rules of this Closed Congress and the decisions of its organisers.
  • The results of games will be forwarded to WCA and ECF rating officers.