Tournament rules

Promoted and organized  by: Coín Chess Club

Sponsored by: Provincial Council of Málaga and Prodomasa

Tournament direction: Mr. Miguel Jiménez Banderas

Main referee: FA D. Juan Francisco Gaspar Ruiz

Game venue

The tournament will be played at the facilities of the Old Convent of Santa Maria de la Encarnación.

Plaza de Santa María (Pedestrian access area), Coín (Málaga) Postal Code 29100

Location 

Tournament

U2400 TOURNAMENT: April 2, 3 and 4, 2026

This event will be rated for FIDE and FADA ELO

Admission

Players of any age, level, or origin may take part, under the following conditions:

• Players with the Spanish flag must hold a valid FEDA licence.
• All players with a flag other than Spain must have a FIDE ID before the tournament.
• Players with a FIDE Standard rating below 2400, as well as unrated players, may participate.
• The event is limited to 130 players.
• The organisers reserve the right of admission.

Registration and participation fees

• The registration deadline is Monday, 30 March 2026.
• The organisers may, at their discretion, accept late entries.
• Early registration closes on 16 March 2026.
• Due to the unique characteristics of the venue, players with special mobility, lighting or accessibility needs are kindly requested to indicate this at the time of registration.
• The following players are entitled to free entry based on their final standings in the 2025 Coín International Chess Open: Mario Perals Martínez, Máximo Belmonte Blasco, Álvaro Coca Majaron and Tristán Higueras García.

Entry Fees:

• General: €40 (Early: €35)
• Under 16: €35 (Early: €30)
• Club Ajedrez Coín players: €30
• Players with functional diversity: €25

How to register:

• By filling in the online form at: https://opendecoin.com/
• By sending an email to: meinscribotorneos@gmail.com
• By phone at +34 622 866 429 from 18:00 to 20:00, or via WhatsApp.

Registration will be considered valid once the corresponding entry fee has been paid into the bank account of Club de Ajedrez Coín: ES88 3023 0408 4861 2954 0008, and the organisers have confirmed the registration.

Cancellations:
Requests may be made before the start of the tournament. The entry fee will be refunded by bank transfer, minus 50% for administrative and management costs.

Game system

• FIDE Dutch Swiss, 7 rounds.
• Time control: 60 minutes for the whole game plus 30 seconds increment per move (Fischer system).
• Pairing software: VEGA CHESS.
• Initial ranking order:
• Firstly by current FIDE rating (and for delisted players, their last published rating). If FIDE rating is 0, FADA rating will be used, and if still tied, alphabetical order.

Tiebreaks (in order)

1. Average Performance Rating of Opponents (APRO)
2. Buchholz (BH)
3. Median Buchholz / Buchholz Cut 1 (BH/M1)
4. Average Rating of Opponents
5. Most Wins (including wins by forfeit), minus the worst, Bakú 2023. (Buchholz Cut 1)*

Delay time

• 30 minutes in the first round.
• 15 minutes in all other rounds.

A player shall be considered absent if, having been paired, they do not appear at the board with the intention to play once the above-mentioned time has elapsed from the start of the round.

One unjustified absence will result in elimination from the tournament, unless the player provides valid reasons and guarantees their presence in the following rounds.

The accumulation of two absences will result in expulsion from the tournament.

GENERAL
1st Place	450 € + TROPHY
2nd Place	350 € + TROPHY
3rd Place	300 € + TROPHY
4th Place	250 €
5th Place	200 €
6th Place	175 €
7th Place	150 €
8th Place	125 €
9th Place	100 €
10th Place	100 €

SPECIAL CATEGORIES
1st Place Female	100 € + TROPHY
1st Place Veteran	100 €
1st Classified/Functional Diversity	100€
1st place in the Coín Chess Club	100 €
1st U2000 Elo Cut	100 €
1st U1900 Elo Cut	100 €
1st U1700 Elo Cut	100 €
1st U1500 Elo Cut	100 €

AGE CATEGORIES

Champion U14	TROPHY + Registration open 2027
Runner-up and Third U14	TROPHY
Champion U12	TROPHY + Registration open 2027
Runner-up and Third U12	TROPHY
Champion U10	TROPHY + Registration open 2027
Runner-up and Third U10	TROPHY
Champion U08	TROPHY + Registration open 2027
Runner-up and Third U08	TROPHY

• Prizes (after the corresponding legal withholdings) will be paid into a bank account provided by the awarded player.
• To be eligible for a prize, players must be present at the closing ceremony.
• Prizes are neither divisible nor cumulative; they are awarded strictly according to the final standings.
• If a player qualifies for more than one prize, they will receive the prize of highest value.
• Youth categories are closed.
• Rating-cut prizes are open.
• Cash prizes are subject to withholding tax as established by current legislation.

Closed Categories

For the purposes of awarding prizes, the following categories are considered:

• Veteran  (born in 1976 or earlier)
• Under 14  (born 2012-2013)
• Under 12  (born 2014-2015)
• Under 10  (born 2016-2017)
• Under 08  (born 2018 or later)

Premature tables

In addition to what is established in the Laws of Chess, players may only agree to a draw once both players have completed at least 30 moves.
Any draw agreement before move 30 shall require the arbiter’s approval.

Competition and Appeals Committee

The Appeals Committee shall be composed of five members: three full members and two reserves.

It shall be chaired by the Tournament Director, or by a person appointed by the Director, who will have the casting vote, together with four players (two full members and two reserves). The first selection shall be made from titled arbiters, and if all positions are not filled, a second selection shall be made from the remaining players.

Appeals against a final arbiter’s decision must be submitted in writing to the Chair of the Appeals Committee, signed by the player concerned and, if the player is under 16 years of age, also by their legal guardian. The appeal must be submitted within a maximum of 15 minutes after the end of the game in which the incident occurred. The appeal must state both the time the game ended and the time the appeal was submitted.
To submit an appeal, a deposit of €50 must be paid, which will be refunded if the appeal is upheld.

If the resolution of an appeal is required, the organisers may decide whether the next round pairings are made before or after such resolution. In this case, the pairings will not be modified afterwards, although the result of the appealed game(s) may be changed.

Breaks/Byes

• Byes are without colour assignment, do not count as a forfeit, and their effect on tie-breaks will be applied as appropriate.
• Players may request up to two half-point byes during the first five rounds of the tournament.
• Requests for a Bye in Round 1 will be accepted until 20:00 on 01/04/2026.
• For subsequent rounds, players must request their Byes in writing at the arbiter’s desk.
• Confirmation: a Bye requires express confirmation by the Organisation in order to be valid. The player is responsible for checking such confirmation, if necessary.

Anti-Cheating

• The FIDE Code of Ethics (A.08) and the FIDE Anti-Cheating Regulations (A.09) shall apply.
• Random security checks using detection devices may be carried out at any time and in any area of the playing venue (playing hall, restrooms, rest area, and any other location designated by the arbiter team).

Competition rules

• The tournament shall be governed by the Laws of Chess, the FIDE Code of Ethics, and the present Regulations, which may be modified, with prior notice, due to force majeure, technical improvements, or changes to the official Federation rules. The definitive version of the Regulations shall be the Spanish version displayed in the playing hall.
• Registration implies full acceptance of these Regulations. Players shall comply with these rules throughout the course of their games.
• Failure to comply with the Regulations may result in the loss of a game or even expulsion from the tournament, as well as the loss of any right to prizes and the forfeiture of any entry fees paid.
• Participants are required to hand in the original scoresheet, signed and with the correct result, to the arbiter at the end of the game. Moves must be recorded as clearly and legibly as possible using algebraic notation. It is reminded that, at this time control, notation must be kept until the final move.
• Players have the right to proper, regulated and comfortable playing conditions, to fair and respectful treatment by the organisers and the arbiter team, and to have access to the playing area 15 minutes before the start of each round.
• Each player is responsible for registering correctly. Likewise, participants must check their personal data in the published lists (Byes, Rating, Category, Name, etc.).
• By registering, participants and their legal guardians expressly authorise the collection, publication, and distribution of their personal data, as well as photographs and videos in which they may appear individually or in groups, related to the present and future tournaments, through any media deemed appropriate by the organisation (lists, photos, videos, games, press, radio, television, websites, etc.).
• Players undertake to attend the playing halls properly dressed and to behave in a correct and sportsmanlike manner.
• Smoking is prohibited in the playing venue (including electronic cigarettes).
• Game analysis is not permitted in the playing hall. A separate analysis room will be provided.
• Players are not allowed to enter the analysis room while their games are in progress.
• Players may not leave the playing hall without the arbiter’s permission.
• During the game, players are forbidden from possessing any device not expressly approved by the Chief Arbiter inside the playing hall (especially mobile phones, smartwatches, or any electronic device).
• If it is evident that a player is carrying and/or using such a device within the playing venue, the player shall lose the game and the opponent shall be declared the winner. Articles 11.3.1, 11.3.2 and 11.3.3 of the Laws of Chess shall apply.
• Neither the organisation nor the arbiters are responsible for the safekeeping of electronic devices. Players will have a space behind their playing chair where such devices may be left completely switched off.
• Any mobile phone or electronic device that emits a sound, beep, or alarm—whether in use or not—will result in the loss of the game.
• Once the game has finished, the use of mobile phones is not permitted inside the playing hall.
• Spectators are not allowed to have switched-on mobile phones or electronic devices inside the playing hall.
• The Organisation accepts no responsibility for medical assistance for participants.
• An unjustified absence from a round shall be considered a withdrawal from the tournament.
• In order to justify an absence and therefore be paired in the following round, it is essential to contact the Organisation before the end of the current round to communicate the intention to continue in the tournament.
• The original scoresheet is the property of the Organisation, and players are obliged to hand it in signed and with the correct result to the arbiter at the end of the game.
• For any matter not covered by these Regulations, the tournament shall be governed by the current FIDE regulations applicable to this game format.
• Decisions made by assistant or deputy arbiters may be appealed verbally to the Chief Arbiter at the very moment the disagreement arises.
• Food and drink are not permitted on the playing table.
• Participation in the tournament implies full knowledge and acceptance of these Regulations.

SPONSORS

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