CE Gambit Bonnevoie is excited to announce a series of chess tournaments tailored for participants under the age of 18. These engaging events, featuring both blitz and rapid formats, will take place once or twice a week from November 2023 to June 2024. The tournaments are open to all youngsters, including those without a license.
Our first tournament kicked off on Monday, November 20, 2023, with a rapid format running from 18:00 to 20:30 at our club premises. Typically, these tournaments consist of either 9 rounds with a 10-minute reflection time per participant (rapid) or 11 rounds with a 5-minute reflection time per participant (blitz). No time increment is applied in either case.
Prizes (60% of total inscription fees) are awarded to top players and exceptionally young talents under the age of 10 and 8. Participants earn points in the Grand Prix rankings, with additional prizes distributed at the end of the season.
Based on feedback from players through a Google document, tournaments are scheduled for Mondays (18:00 – 20:30) and Fridays (19:00 – 21:00), accommodating the availability of the majority.
Every other week, the Monday tournament will also be open to adults, becoming part of the Open Grand Prix. To level the playing field for new participants, stronger players will receive a slight time handicap when competing against younger opponents.
Pre-registration is not mandatory, allowing participants to register up to 10 minutes before the tournament at the playing hall, with a fixed entry fee of 10 euros. However, for added convenience, a Google form for tournament pre-registration as well as additional tournament details will be circulated to all clubs and Bonnevoie members approximately 4-5 days before each tournament.
While we may explore additional tournaments featuring different chess variants like chess960 in the future, none are planned in the coming two weeks.