I CHESS INTERNATIONAL OPEN CITY OF VITORIA – GASTEIZ
- PARTICIPANTS:
All Spanish players or players playing under the Spanish flag in the FIDE need to have their 2025 license up to date. International players need to have a FIDE ID.
The tournament will be valid for obtaining ELO FIDE, in accordance with current regulations.
- SCHEDULE OF THE TOURNAMENT:
The tournament will be held at the Palacio de los Congresos de Europa, specifically in the Sala Estíbaliz, located at Avenida Gasteiz, 85, Vitoria Gasteiz. The dates and times of the Tournament Rounds, at the location already described, are as follows:
| ROUND NUMBER | DÍA | HORA |
| 1st ROUND | Monday June 30 | 17:00 |
| 2nd ROUND | Tuesday July 1 | 10:00 |
| 3rd ROUND | Tuesday July 1 | 17:00 |
| 4th ROUND | Wednesday July 2 | 17:00 |
| 5th ROUND | Thursday July 3 | 10:00 |
| 6th ROUND | Thursday July 3 | 17:00 |
| 7th ROUND | Friday July 4 | 17:00 |
| 8th ROUND | Saturday July 5 | 16:00 |
| 9th ROUND | Sunday July 6 | 9:30 |
- SYSTEM AND PLAYING TIME:
This tournament will be played through the Swiss System with 9 rounds. The pairings will be made through the Vega Program or/and Swiss Manager.
The time limit is going to be 90 minutes per game per player + 30 seconds per move starting from the first move.
Players have the obligation to deliver the original signed scoresheet with the correct result to the referee at the end of the game, or to write on a digital spreadsheet if deemed necessary by the organization. The sheet will be written as legibly as possible. It is not allowed to stop writing the sheet at no time.
- STARTING RANK ORDER
According to the ELO FIDE on the 1st of June, 2025. In case of two players having the same ELO FIDE, the best FIDE qualification will be considered and subsequently, in alphabetical order.
- BREAK REQUESTS
There will be up to 3 BYEs available to players, they can be requested or canceled before the previous round begins (for example: to request a bye for round 4 it must be requested before starting round 3). This only applies for the first 6 rounds of the tournament. In the requested round, the BYE requesting player will not be paired and will be awarded half a point.
If a bye is requested for one of the last two rounds, the grade for said Bye will be 0 points.
- DELAYS AND NON – APPEARANCES:
The clock will be set at the time indicated for the start of each round. Once 30 minutes of the waiting time have passed after the round begins, the game will be considered lost to those players who do not appear on time.
The game will also be considered lost due to default if any player carrying white pieces has not made the 1st move or carrying Black pieces has not responded to White’s first move, once 30 minutes have elapsed from the beginning of the round.
The failure of a player to appear in a round will cause his or her disqualification, unless the absence is duly notified and justified before the pairing for the next round is published. The accumulation of two non-appearances, justified or not, constitutes definitive disqualification.
- APPEAL COMMITTEE:
During the course of the first Round, the Tournament Organization will choose 5 players who will be part of the Appeal Committee, preferably certified Referees, two of which will act as substitutes, for those conflicts in which a referee is involved.
Any claim regarding an arbitration decision must be addressed to the Appeal Committee in writing and at most, one hour after the event that is the subject of the claim occurred. The decisions of the aforementioned Committee will be final for all purposes. A deposit of 10 euros must be paid at the time of making the claim. In the event that the claim is rejected by the Committee, the amount paid will not be refunded.
The Appeal Committee will be composed of:
- The tournament Director
- A member of the Tournament Organization or whomever they delegate.
- Three players of the tournament.
The Tournament Director will act as President of this Committee, having, in the event of a tie, the casting vote. The decisions of the Tournament management will be final.
Applying art. 11.10 of the FIDE laws, a player may not complain about a result incorrectly placed and signed on the scoresheet to the Competition Committee of the tournament, unless the Organization and the Chief Referee decide otherwise.
- TOURNAMENT PLAYING SITE:
The playing site of the tournament is “Sala Estíbaliz, Palacio de los Congresos de Europa”. Once the match is finished, the players must leave the chess set as it was found at the beginning of the round. It is not allowed to analyze games in the playing site, an appropriate space will be provided for this purpose. Smoking is also not allowed throughout the Palace grounds.
In accordance with the rules of the “Palacio de los Congresos de Europa, it is strictly prohibited to bring any type of food into the aforementioned playing site.
Players will not be allowed to leave the playing site without the referee’s permission if their game is at stake.
- ELECTRONIC DEVICES:
Unless expressly authorized by the referee, it is prohibited to use any electronic device in the game room during games. It is permitted for such devices to be stored in a player’s bag or similar, to which they cannot have access until the end of their corresponding game.
These devices must remain completely turned off while the participants have their game in play. No player is allowed to leave the Game Room with its mobile phone among their belongings while the game is still in play.
The same applies to other smart electronic devices. Failure to comply with these regulations about electronic devices will automatically result in the loss of the game that is being played.
- ANTI-CHEAT
The FIDE anti-cheating regulations will be applied in the tournament and therefore, controls may be carried out if the Organization or the referee team deems it appropriate. Any player who is caught manipulating any electronic or external communication device not authorized by the Referee will be automatically expelled from the tournament, and the respective Federations will be notified.
In addition, any player who refuses to comply with the arbitration or Organization requirements will be automatically expelled from the tournament, losing all rights to prizes and trophies.
- PAIRINGS:
Pairings for all rounds will be made public as soon as possible after the end of the corresponding round. All the information of the aforementioned rounds will be published on the Internet, in Info64 and/or Chess Results.
Each player must occupy the board that corresponds to him for the pairing of each round, except for blind players, and those who have a disability and who, in advance of the start of the tournament, notify the Organization of the need to assign them a fixed board for the duration of the tournament. Their opponents must play in the place designated especially for those who require it due to their situation.
The first 8 boards will be broadcast on the Internet, starting the broadcast at the same time as the start of the relevant Round. The 1st Round pairing will be published 1 hour before the start of the tournament.
- TIE BREAKS
The tiebreaks to be applied in the tournament are as follows
- Direct encounter
- Buchholz Tie-Break -1 (BH-C1)
- Sonneborn-Berger Tie – Break
- Greater number of victories / games (WIN)
- More games played as Black
Tiebreakers will be applied according to the VEGA system.
- TOURNAMENT REGISTRATION:
In order to participate in the tournament, it will be needed to fulfill the following tournament registration form: Form I International Open City of Vitoria – Gasteiz
The registration fees are as follows
- General registration fee: 50 euros
- Under 18 years registration fee: 35 euros
- Fee if the player is from Martintxo chess club: 35 euros
- Players with Title of GM, WGM, IM, WIM, FM and WFM: No fee.
- Players with License in Alava: 40 euros
Likewise, a group discount is offered; Those participants whose club has more than 10 registered in the tournament will be offered a discount of 5 euros on the registration fee, which will be returned in cash at the end of the 9th Round, once it has been verified that they have played at least 50% of the games.
Payment of the FEE will be made by BANK TRANSFER to the account ES65 2095 3153 60 9125165246, account of MR. TINTXO KIROL KLUBA, being necessary to indicate name and surname when making the transfer. The deadline to make the registration payment will be June 23. After this deadline, no more registrations will be admitted.
The registration fee will serve as authorization to the organization for advertising, organizational, photographic etc…. and for the use of the player’s personal data.
- TOURNAMENT ADVERTISING
All players authorize the publication and advertising of their data in the different media, by the Organization, that are considered appropriate for the publicity of the event.
By participating in the Vitoria-Gasteiz International Chess Open, players expressly authorize the organization to record, broadcast, and distribute images and videos during the event, including games, interviews, and any other related activities. This authorization includes the use of said material for informational, promotional, or educational purposes, without geographical or time limitations.
- PRIZES
At the time of the publishing of the following rules, a sum of 7.000 euros is established as the global prize for the tournament, being divided as follows:
GENERAL CLASSIFICATIONS
| STANDINGS | PRIZES |
| 1º PLACE | Trophy and 1.300 euros |
| 2º PLACE | Trophy and 1000 euros |
| 3º PLACE | Trophy and 700 euros |
| 4º PLACE | 600 euros |
| 5º PLACE | 500 euros |
| 6º PLACE | 400 euros |
| 7º PLACE | 300 euros |
| 8º PLACE | 200 euros |
| 9º PLACE | 200 euros |
| 10º PLACE | 20 euros |
SPECIAL PRIZES
| STANDINGS | PRIZES |
| BEST WOMAN | Trophy and 150 euros |
| 2nd BEST WOMAN | 100 euros |
| BEST BASQUE WOMAN | 50 euros |
| BEST LOCAL PLAYER | Trophy and 100 euros |
| 2nd BEST LOCAL PLAYER | 75 euros |
| 1st FROM THE LOCAL TEAM, MARTINTXO | 100 euros |
| 2nd FROM THE LOCAL TEAM, MARTINTXO | 75 euros |
| BEST + 65 years old | 100 euros |
| BEST +50 years old | 100 euros |
| BEST SUB 18 | Trophy and 100 euros |
| 2nd BEST SUB 18 | Lot of chess books |
| BEST SUB 14 | Trophy and 100 euros |
| 2nd BEST SUB 14 | Lot of chess books |
| BEST SUB 12 | Trophy and 100 euros |
| 2nd BEST SUB 12 | Lot of chess books |
PRIZES ACCORDING TO ELO
| STANDINGS | PRIZES |
| 1º SUB 1900 ELO | Trophy and 100 euros |
| 2º SUB 1900 ELO | 50 euros |
| 1º SUB 1750 ELO | Trophy and 100 euros |
| 2º SUB 1750 ELO | 50 euros |
| 1º SUB 1600 ELO | Trophy and 100 euros |
| 2º SUB 1600 ELO | 50 euros |
The total amount of 7,000 euros of cash prizes would in no case decrease, with the Tournament reserving the chance to award with greater Prizes, which, if appropriate, will be updated on the corresponding website.
If you opt for more than one prize, you will be awarded the one with the highest economic value among the Prizes you are eligible for.
To be eligible to collect the prize, it will be essential to be present at the Ceremony awards, except in cases duly justified and notified to the organization, in which case a third party may be designated to collect the corresponding Prize.
The corresponding Tax withholding will be applied to the prizes, with the resulting amount delivered through Bank Transfer to the account indicated by the participant at the registration form or at the Tournament in case the registration fee had no cost.
- OTHER CONSIDERATIONS:
All 9 rounds will use the “Sofia Rule” that means that players are prohibited from agreeing to a draw before move 30 without the authorization of an arbiter. This also means that games must continue at least until black’s thirtieth move unless there is an exceptional and justified reason that is approved by the arbiter.
In the event that special health circumstances arise, for example as a result of COVID-19, the corresponding measures will be taken, to which all players will be obliged, following the instructions of the highest health and/or government authorities, which, where appropriate, would be notified in advance. Failure to comply with this article will result in immediate elimination from the tournament, losing all rights, including prizes of any kind.
Participants must plan for their health care, if they need it, since the Organization is not responsible and liable for it.
Throughout the competition, players must behave with the highest sportsmanship and decency both inside and outside the playing zone. Participants must respect ethical standards of behavior, both during the game session and outside of it; Actions that violate the ethical standards of behavior, the FIDE Code of Ethics, as well as what is stipulated in the regulations of the Spanish Chess Federation and these Rules, may be sanctioned with elimination from the tournament, losing all rights, including the prizes that correspond to them.
The Organization reserves the right of admission to participate in the Tournament.
This Tournament will follow the aforementioned Rules, the FIDE Laws of Chess and by the current regulations of the FEDA and FIDE, rules to which all participants are subject during the development of the competition. The definitive rules will be those published at the playing site in Spanish. In case there is any doubt with the translated rules, the ones that will apply are those in Spanish.
Participation in the tournament implies the acceptance of all the content of these rules.