3rd leg of Cyprus Chess Grand Prix 2026

Date: Friday - Sunday, Sept 04th-06th 2026

Venue: Semeli Hotel, Nicosia
Format: 5 round ‘Swiss’ Rapidplay (RATED Tournament)

Time Control: 60' + 30''

Fee: €35 - (Free entrance to titled players and reduce fee for Kaissa Chess Club athletes)

🏆 Open to all chess players 🏆 

[Registration Form   ##pencil##]

[Regulations   ##book##]

 PRIZES  

• The organiser shall award trophies to the top 3 winners of the Championship.
• In addition, trophies will be awarded to the best junior (U12 category) and to the best female player of the tournament.
• Medals will be awarded to the best three players of each category (open, women, U18, U15 and U12).
• A player may receive only one prize. If a player qualifies for more than one prize or special category, he or she shall receive only the higher prize.
• The tournament is the third of the 6 stops of the Cyprus Chess Grand Prix 2026 and the scores of this tournament will be added to the scores of the other 5 tournaments of CGP2026. At the end of the season the best athletes in various categories will share cash prizes totalling €5000. 

 CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE

SPECIAL ACCOMODATION RATES AT SEMELI HOTEL 

Following an agreement with Semeli Hotel, the Official Hospitality Sponsor of the tournament, special preferential accommodation rates have been arranged for tournament participants and accompanying persons during the tournament period.

Eligible guests may reserve their accommodation at the special tournament rates directly through our official accommodation booking page. All reservations are subject to room availability and the applicable hotel booking conditions.

[VIEW RATES & BOOK ACCOMODATION   ##bed##]

GRAND PRIX POINT SYSTEM

• Players earn Grand Prix points based on their final ranking in each Grand Prix event that counts towards the overall standings.
• Points earned in different events are added together to form a player’s total Grand Prix score.
• Only a player’s best four (4) event results are counted towards the overall Grand Prix standings.
• If a player participates in more than four Grand Prix events, only the four events with the highest points will be taken into account.

CALCULATION OF GRAND PRIX POINTS

1 .Grand Prix points (GPP) are calculated based on a player’s score and the number of rounds played in an event.
2. For each event, Grand Prix points are calculated using the following formula:
GPP = 20 + 80 × (Score ÷ Total Rounds)
3. The formula ensures that:

* all players receive Grand Prix points for participation,
* higher scores result in proportionally higher points.
4. After calculating the base Grand Prix points, the result is multiplied by an event multiplier, depending on the event format. For the specific event the multiplier is 1.6

5. Final Grand Prix points for an event are calculated as: Final GPP = Base GPP × Event Multiplier
6. Final Grand Prix points are rounded to the nearest whole number.

Example calculation:

Score: 3.5 points out of 5 rounds

Calculation: GPP = 20 + 80 × (3.5 ÷ 5) = 76

Final Grand Prix points: 76 × 1.6 = 121.6 ≈ 122

SIDE EVENT

• Alongside the main Grand Prix tournament, a parallel classic tournament will take place at the same time and with the same time control, specifically designed for young beginner players without an international rating.
• This side event is a fully independent tournament and will not count towards Grand Prix standings.
• Trophies will be awarded to the best boy and best girl in Under 8, Under 12 and Under 18age category.
• A player may receive only one prize. If a player qualifies for more than one prize or special category, he or she shall receive only the higher prize.

FAQ 

• [accordion]
• What are the tournament rules & formats?
• Kaissa Chess Club will use the Swiss System. In this system, players will play against each other. No one is eliminated. In fact, as you continue to win games, you face progressively stronger opposition players and those who were not so successful play against each other. Towards the end of the event, you are likely to face players at your level. 
• How are the players paired with each other?
• Players are paired with each other according to the following general principles: (a) A player is not paired with any other player more than once. (b) Players with the same score are paired whenever possible. (c) Colors are assigned as fairly as possible. Alternating the colors is ideal. (d) For the first round, the players are ranked according to their last official rating (rapid or standard elo). If you are an UNRATED player, then you might be paired randomly. (e) The top player in the upper half is then paired against the top player in the lower half of the field, and so on. The top-ranked player’s color in the first round is normally allocated by lot, and then colors alternate down the halves. (f) In the second round, swiss system uses the same principles to pair each of the three score groups (those who won, those who drew, and those who lost). These pairing procedures will continue through the rest of the tournament.
• Where can i locate the pairings?
• Pairings (match-up) will be automatically posted before and after each round. This can be seen in the chess-results webpage.
• How are scores determined? 
• For every win, you receive 1 point. For draw, you receive ½ point and for every loss, you receive 0 point.
• How are tie breaks calculated? 
• The tie shall be broken in priority according to the following criteria for Swiss events:  (a) Direct Encounter (only if all tied have played each other) (b) Buchholz Cut 1 (c) Buchholz  (d) Sonneborn-Berger score (e) The greater number of wins
• Is it possible for a player to get 2 awards?
• No, If a player wins two categories prices, he/she takes the bigger one. For example, if a player is 2nd in the overall championship standings and first in his/her age group, then he/she will receive a trophy for second place in the overall standings (overall standings > age category).
• Is the tournament FIDE rated?
• Yes, 1st leg of CGP2026 is a FIDE-rated tournament.
• Will you publish the results? How?
• Yes, winner's names will be announced on Website Hall of Fame, in the chess-results webpage and on our Social Media.