NL Open Championship 2025

Published in News on Oct 5, 2025

Entry Fee: $40 if paid via pre-registration / $50 onsite (Pre-registration link will be provided soon.)

Date: Friday, October 24 - Sunday, October 26

Location: MUN Engineering Building (S.J. Carew Building) EN4000. St. John’s, NL

Format: Swiss System, 5 Rounds

Time control: 120 minutes + 30 seconds per player per game. 

Schedule:

  • Check-in: Friday, 6:00 PM

  • Round 1: Friday, 6:30 PM

  • Round 2: Saturday, 10:00 AM

  • Round 3: Saturday, 4:00 PM

  • Round 4: Sunday, 10:00 AM

  • Round 5: Sunday, 4:00 PM

CFC Membership is required in addition to Entry fee. Join or renew via link below: https://www.chess.ca/en/players/membership-join/
In lieu of membership, you can pay a single tournament fee of $20 for adults or $10 for juniors.


Prizes:

1st place - 35%
2nd place -15%
3rd place - 10%
Top junior - 10%
Top Under-1600 rated player (excludes unrated players) - 10%
NLCA and rating fees - 20%

Winner will also have their name engraved on the NL Open Championship Trophy.

Byes

  • Players may request up to two half-point byes in rounds 1–4.

  • Round 5 byes are zero points.

  • Bye requests must be submitted no later than one hour after the completion of the previous round. Requests may be made in person or by email, and I will confirm each request.

Pairings

  • Pairings for each round will be announced within about one hour after the completion of the previous round, to allow for bye requests.

Attendance

  • Please arrive on time for your games.

  • If you are sick or unable to attend, email stevew83@gmail.com as soon as possible.

  • You may be late, but if you do not show up within 30 minutes of the round start time, your game will be forfeited.

  • Players who miss a round without notice may be withdrawn from the tournament.


Phone Policy: Phones are to be placed face down next to your clock and powered off. 

Any phone that rings, vibrates, or is found on a player’s person during a game will result in one warning being issued, and the next time will result in forfeiture of that game.
Spectators should not use phones in the playing hall. If they need to, they should step outside.

General rules and etiquette: No talking, or making loud noises, or otherwise distracting your opponent or other players. Standard CFC rules apply according to the CFC Handbook. Currently the CFC site has some errors in links they are using. It should link to FIDE Laws of Chess.

At the tournament site, I will make some announcements for players who may be new to over the board chess, such as touch move rules, using the same hand to move pieces and press clock and so on. 

Please enjoy the event!

Tournament Director: Steve Martin

Contact: stevew83@gmail.com