Effective from 26th February 2026
This page outlines the rules and regulations for our FIDE-rated blitz and rapid tournaments.
These tournaments are open to all, both members of the Club and non-members. The organisers reserve the right to refuse entry at their sole discretion.
The entry fees are as follows:
We may offer incentives for titled players to enter the tournament, if we believe this will make the event more popular or enjoyable.
Since the tournaments are FIDE-rated, the full FIDE Laws of Chess shall apply.
FIDE Rapid only: The FIDE Quickplay Finish rules (Guidelines III of the FIDE Laws) shall apply.
Games will be played at the following time limits:
The tournaments will start at 7:30pm, and will be paired according to the Swiss pairing rules. Players arriving late for any round may be re-paired at the Arbiter’s discretion.
The number of rounds will be as follows:
Each round will start shortly after the previous round has concluded; a short break between rounds may be added by the Arbiter.
Players may request a half-point bye in the first round, and any number of zero-point byes in any subsequent round. The Arbiter must be notified before the round is paired.
A player who defaults a game without a reasonable excuse may be excluded from the pairings for later rounds of the tournament, at the Arbiter’s sole discretion.
No tie-breaks will be applied. Players finishing on the same score shall share the same rank.
A player’s rank shall be determined by the number of players finishing on a higher total score. For example, if two players share first place, the next highest scorers are ranked third.
Players who finish on the same score and are equally eligible for any prize shall receive an equal share of it.
The prizes shall be as follows:
If multiple players share first place, they shall all receive an equal share of first and second prize.
The Best Hendon Member prize shall be awarded to the Hendon member with the highest total score who has not won any other prize, unless that would result in an individual Hendon member receiving higher winnings than another individual Hendon member with a higher score. In this case, the Best Hendon Member prize shall be awarded to the highest-scoring Hendon member, regardless of other prizes.
Only entrants who are members of Hendon Chess Club by the start of the tournament, having paid any membership fees due, shall be eligible for the Best Hendon Member prize. The organisers may decide to charge the members’ entry fee for entrants who become Hendon members during or after the tournament, but such entrants shall not be considered Hendon members for the purposes of prize distribution.
The values of the prizes shall be as follows.
All participants and attendees are expected to adhere to the Club’s safeguarding policy.