2026 Victorian Chess Championship

Format: 9 rounds.
Premier Division – Round Robin; Reserves Division - Swiss

Dates (Saturday Nights at MCC):
9 Rounds (all at 7.15 pm):
Round 1 22nd August
Round 2 5th September
Round 3 12th September
Round 4 19th September
Round 5 26th September
Round 6 3rd October
Round 7 10th October
Round 8 17th October
Round 9 24th October

Rate of play:
Premier -All moves in 90 minutes + 30 seconds increment from move 1
Reserves - All moves in 75 minutes + 30 seconds increment from move 1
Ratings: Event will be rated on ACF & FIDE rating lists

Forfeit time: 30 minutes after start time
Byes: 2 half point byes may be taken in rounds 1 to 7 (Reserves only). Pairings will be published on Thursday. The Chief Arbiter must be informed by Wednesday COB if you require a bye for the following round.

Eligibility:
Premier Division: 10 player, 9 round robin tournament. Players are invited to apply viaHumanatix,
The highest 10 FIDE rated players (August FIDE rating) will be accepted by Thursday 20 August 5 pm.

Entry is also reserved for the Current Victorian Champion and the winner of the 2025 Reserves Division should they wish to play.

Reserves Division: 9 round Swiss tournament. Open to all other players until capacity limit is reached (120 players). The winner of the Reserves will automatically qualify for the Premier Division in 2027 Victorian Championship.

Entry Fees:
Adult $100
Junior: $90
Senior/Other concession: $90;
Free entry if player is GM/IM orWGM/WIM

Late entry fee: $10 addition if entry is paid after Thursday 13 August

Payments: For players that do not make the cut in the Premier Division will automatically be placed in the Reserves
Closing date: Friday 21th August 5 pm

Enquiries: e-mail to the:
Tournament Director Thai Ly - melbchessclub@gmail.com
Chief Arbiter FA Daniel Poberezovsky - dpoberezovsky@gmail.com

Prizes:
Premier: 1st $1500, 2nd $750, 3rd $450.
Playoff for 1st Place and Title. Prize money shared.

Reserves: 1st $750, 2nd $450, 3rd $300.
Rating Group Prizes: 1st $300, 2nd $200.
Playoff for 1st Place. Prize money shared.

Playoff: In case of two players sharing first place a play-off match for the State title will be arranged. The playoff will be over two games with Championship time control and in case of a tie, two rapid games, if still tied two blitz games follow until a winner.
In case of 3 or more players tying for first place, the playoff will still be determined by the top 2 based on tiebreak.

2026 Victorian Chess Championship

Choose your tickets

Adult ticket

Junior ticket

Senior/Concession ticket

GM/WGM & IM/WIM ticket