Tournament rules
Table of Contents
The Llobregat Open Chess Tournament is an open tournament authorized and approved by the Federació Catalana d’Escacs, valid for INTERNATIONAL ELO and OBTAINING INTERNATIONAL TITLE RULES to be held between November 30 and December 8, 2023.
The fourth edition will be held in the city of Sant Boi de Llobregat, located in the Baix Llobregat region of Barcelona. The tournament has been selected by FIDE, in its project to support International Open Tournaments and will be valid for the FIDE circuit qualifier for the 2024 World Cup.
It will be organized by the editor of El Llobregat, Xavier Pérez Llorca, and has the Argentine International Master Marcelo Panelo as tournament director.
Our third edition has been considered by the Spanish Chess Federation (FEDA) and the Superior Sports Council as the Best tournament in SpainWe have obtained an average of 2374 FIDE ELO points and have awarded 24 norms (10 GM, 9 IM and 5-WIM) since our beginnings. Elo is the measure that establishes the strength of a chess player.
Official lodging
Hotel El Castell,(calle del Castell, núm. 1) of Sant Boi de Llobregat. The 3-star hotel has an outdoor swimming pool, terrace and garden. It is located on a hill on the outskirts of Barcelona and offers panoramic views. It is located in a quiet area, surrounded by woods, only 600 meters from a sports center and spa. The rooms are spacious and elegant, overlook the exterior and include satellite TV. Inside it houses a popular restaurant, the Blanc&Negre, and a cafeteria. In summer, you can eat on the terrace.
Hotel El Castell is well connected to the city center by car and public transportation, and is only a 10-minute drive from Barcelona-El Prat airport. It is also the closest hotel to the tournament’s playing hall (Can Massallera, Mallorca Street, No. 30), just a 5-minute walk from it.
Offer: The accommodation offer includes breakfast.
Check-in day 11/29 at 14:00 hs – Check-out day 12/8 at 12:00 hs (10 days, 9 nights)
- Single Room: 700 Euros. Total price including VAT for one person.
- Double Room: 990 Euros. Total price including VAT for two people.
Entrance on 28/11 14:00h. Departure on 8/12 at 12:00 hs. (11 days, 10 nights)
- Single Room: 750 Euros. Total price including VAT for one person.
- Double Room: 1100 Euros. Total price including VAT for two people.
Check-in day 11/29 at 2:00 pm – Check-out day 12/9 at 12:00 pm (11 days, 10 nights)
- Single Room: 750 Euros. Total price including VAT for one person.
- Double Room: 1100 Euros. Total price including VAT for two people.
Arrival day 28 – Departure day 9 (12 days, 11 nights)
- Single Room: 800 Euros. Total price including VAT for one person.
- Double Room: 1200 Euros. Total price including VAT for two people.
Game room
Can Massallera Municipal Multifunctional Center, Carrer Mallorca, 30, 08830 Sant Boi de Llobregat, Barcelona.
How to get to Sant Boi from Barcelona
The journey time from Plaza de España to Sant Boi is 18 minutes and the line is Ferrocarriles de la Generalitat. The arcade is located 600 meters (5 minutes walking distance from Sant Boi station.
Dates and Schedules
| ROUND | DAY | DATE | TIME |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Thursday |
30/11/2023 |
16:00 CET |
|
2 |
Friday |
01/12/2023 |
16:00 CET |
|
3 |
Saturday |
02/12/2023 |
16:00 CET |
|
4 |
Sunday |
03/12/2023 |
16:00 CET |
|
5 |
Monday |
04/12/2023 |
16:00 CET |
|
6 |
Tuesday |
05/12/2023 |
16:00 CET |
|
7 |
Wednesday |
06/12/2023 |
16:00 CET |
|
8 |
Thursday |
07/12/2023 |
16:00 CET |
|
9 |
Friday |
08/12/2023 |
10:00 CET |
General Basis
Those players who have a valid federal license and the ELO requirements detailed above are eligible to participate. In the case of players with a foreign flag, they must have a FIDE code.
- For the present edition, the FIDE Laws of Chess and its annexes, in force since January 1, 2023, the FIDE anti-cheating rules (A.09) and the FIDE tournament regulations (C.05) shall apply.
- The initial order of strength and the prize ratio will be determined on the basis of the FIDE STANDARD ELO ready November 2023.
- Participation in the tournament elllobregat Open Chess Tnmt implies knowledge and tacit acceptance of these rules of play.
- Players agree to attend the game rooms with the proper attire and to behave in a correct and sportsmanlike manner.
- Smoking and eating will not be allowed in the entire playing area.
- It will be the responsibility of each player to check the correctness of the data that appear in the different registration lists and in the classifications, and in case of finding any error, he/she must communicate it to the Organization of the Open. If any player is found to have deliberately provided incorrect information, he/she will be directly expelled from the Open.
- Cell phones will not be allowed in the gaming area. Any electronic device that could be used to provide any kind of chess aid to the players will not be allowed. The player shall authorize the referee team to check his belongings in case of any doubt in this regard.
- Players may not leave the playing area without justification or permission from an umpire while their games are in progress.
- Participation in elllobregat Open Chess Tournament implies the acceptance by the player that his personal data and games may be published in the different media that the Organization considers appropriate for a better dissemination of the event. Such media include, for example, social networks, registration lists (on paper and online in different media), game results, tournament rankings, broadcasts, photographs, etc.
Capacity
The playing room for this 2023 edition of elllobregat Open Chess will be set at 200/250 participants in the A tournament and 50/80 in the B tournament.
Efforts will be made to maintain a proportional balance of different nationalities. The organization may modify this number.
Participation rules
Any player who does not show up for a round without justification shall be considered to have dropped out of the tournament.
Likewise, any player who does not show up for two consecutive or alternate rounds will be automatically eliminated from the tournament, even if he/she could have been excused. In order to justify a non-appearance, the player must contact the Open Organization before the end of the round he/she did not attend, so that he/she can be paired in the next round.
Byes are zero points and must be requested at the latest before the end of the game of the previous round. A maximum of 2 byes per player is allowed. In case a player requests a bye in the eighth round, he/she will not be paired in the ninth round.
Arbitration claims
Any complaint about a referee’s decision must be addressed in writing to the Competition Committee. It shall be made not later than one hour from the end of the game in which the disputed decision would have taken place.
This Competition Committee shall be composed of the Open Director and 4 participating players (2 regular and 2 alternates, the latter for those conflicts in which any of the regular players may be involved, or in case a regular member cannot be located). During the first round of play of the elllobregat Open Chess tnmt, the Festival Organization will proceed to choose such Committee.
The decisions of this Committee shall be final and not subject to appeal.
In tie-breaks of rapid games, the decisions of the main arbiter shall be final.
Awards
The total prize money of the festival is 57,250 Euros.
The tournament prizes will be subject to legal withholdings and taxes.
The prizes are not cumulative and in the event that a player has access to two prize-winning positions, he/she will opt for the one with the highest amount, in case of equal amount, the order of prizes will correspond, first, to the general table and then to the FEMALE category in this order.
The delivery of monetary prizes will be made by bank transfer to the account that the winners will provide to the organization on December 8 (the day of the last round of play), during the closing ceremony of the tournament. Attendance at the closing ceremony is mandatory for all awardees. In the event that a player is entitled to a prize, but does not attend the closing ceremony, he/she will lose all right to receive it, and will not be able to claim it at a later date. Likewise, in order to receive the prize, in addition to providing the account number where he/she wants to receive the payment, the player will have to provide a photocopy of his/her identity card or passport.
Lhe organization of elllobregat Open Chess can have up to 90 days to make the payment of the prizes.
Data Protection Clause
The registration in the tournament will take place when the main referee validates each of the registration applications that each interested party will register, filling in the data requested in the form that is displayed in:
www.elllobregat.com/openchess.
In accordance with the provisions of the Spanish regulations on data protection in force, as well as Regulation (EU) 2016/679, of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016, especially in its Article 6.1, letters b) and f).
Any player who has completed the registration form in EL LLOBREGAT OPEN CHESS, expressly acknowledges that the Organizer of the open, has informed him that the personal data requested, those obtained during the tournament or on the occasion of the preparation and conclusion of the same, as well as others that may be obtained from public records or other sources legally admitted, will be incorporated, managed and processed in a treatment of personal data for the maintenance, development, compliance and control of the relationship of services involving participation in the tournament.
The data controller is the Organizer, before which the persons entitled to do so may exercise their rights of information, access, rectification, limitation, portability, cancellation and opposition recognized in the aforementioned European Regulation, in the Spanish legislation on data protection and its implementing regulations, by writing or email to the home or email address of the Organizer: [email protected].
The registered players, who have provided their personal data, duly informed, expressly consent to its processing and any communication or transfer of such data, including international, which may be made between the Organizer and the sponsors of the tournament, in order to offer and provide players, other services of sporting and cultural order.
For international data transfer, compliance with Article 45 and, where applicable, 46 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 shall be required.
The Organizer declares that all information indicated in Article 13 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 has been duly provided to the registered players.
We also inform you that the data provided may be used for profiling purposes. In no case may this profiling have legal effects or otherwise significantly affect him/her and consequently he/she may object to the adoption of automated individual decisions that could produce legal effects on him/her or significantly affect him/her, when this right is present in accordance with the provisions of Article 22 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679.
Retransmission rights
The broadcasting and image rights of the competition have been acquired exclusively by COMUNICACIÓN METRO BCN SL, the only company authorized to broadcast or assign these rights to third parties. For any inquiries contact: [email protected].
Specific rules for Tournament A
Enrollment and registration
The tournament is open to all players with a valid FIDE license and a FIDE ELO of at least 2100 points on all ELO FIDE STANDARD lists from July 2023 to November 2023 inclusive.
The Organization reserves the right to invite any player who has had more than 2150 ELO STANDARD points since January 1, 2020.
Valid for ELO FIDE, FEDA and FCE, and for obtaining international standards.
Players must register for the tournament A of elllobregat Open Chess Tnmt, strictly respecting the registration schedule.
Registration Schedule
This year we are introducing a group registration calendar. Players may only register during the corresponding time periods:
- Group 1) GM, IM, WGM, WIM: as of May 1, 2023.
- Group 2) FMs and players with more than 2,300 ELO, and players staying at the hotel: from July 1st.
- Group 3) Other players as of September 1.
For all groups, registration can be closed in advance if capacity is reached.
- By filling out the form you will find on this web page.
Registration fees
- General: 120 ¤ (100 ¤ if paid before 5/09/2023)
- Seniors over 65: 100 ¤ (80 ¤ if paid before 5/09/2023)
- Players with recognized disability: 100€ (80€ if paid before 5/09/2023)
- U-16 players: 20€.
- Players with more than 2400 FIDE: Free registration
- GM, WGM and MI: Free registration
Payment Methods
- The payment platform available on this page
The Organization of elllobregat Open Chess Tnmt reserves the right of admission, and may reject any application for registration that it deems appropriate.
Game system
Swiss System to 9 rounds. The pairings will be made by means of the Swiss Manager program, being the main referee responsible for them.
Pace of Play
90 minutes for the first 40 moves, plus 15 minutes to finish the game with 30 seconds increment from move 1.
Waiting time
The tolerance time is set at 1 hour.
Ties
The tie-breakers will be valid both for classification purposes and for the awarding of trophies and cash prizes. Therefore, neither trophies nor cash prizes will be divisible among players who would have tied on points.
The tie-breaking system for the Open will be as follows and in the following order:
- Buchholz FIDE minus the worst result. (37) (0,1,N S,0,N)
- Buchholz FIDE total. (37) (0,0,N S,0,N)
- Sonnenborg Berger. (52) (0,0,N S,0,N)
- Particular Result (11)
- Average recursive performance of rivals (55) (0,0,1000)
For the purpose of calculating the Buchholz systems, the “virtual opponent” will be applied in unplayed games.
Once the above tie-breaking systems have been applied, a provisional general classification will be available. However, if there is a tie on points between some of the first 4 classified in the provisional classification, the match-play tie-breaker will be applied to obtain the final overall classification.
This match-play playoff will consist of an elimination system (semifinal and final in case there are 3 or 4 tied players) between the players who have finished the tournament with the same number of points (whether the champion is to be decided or not), as follows:
- 2 blitz games with a rhythm of 3 minutes + 2 seconds per move (3′ + 2″), alternating colors.
In case of a draw, an “Armageddon” blitz game, with 5 minutes for the player with white and 4 minutes for the player with black. The color of each player will be drawn by lot and, in the event of a draw, the player who played with black will win.
Handicapped players may choose whether or not to play in the fast game playoffs. If they fail to do so, they will obtain the prize they would have in the provisional classification, without applying these tie-breakers.
Examples:
- The first 4 players tied on points: 2 semifinals and final to determine the first to fourth places.
- Champion decided by points, but 3 players tied on points in the second to fourth places: 1 semifinal (third and fourth) and a final (the second would go directly to the final).
- 2 players tied on points in the first 2 places, and 2 others tied on points in the third and fourth places: 2 finals, one to determine the champion, and the other to determine the third place.
General Awards
| POSITION | QUANTITY | POSITION | QUANTITY |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
10.000 € |
6 |
1.000 € |
|
2 |
5.000 € |
7 |
800 € |
|
3 |
2.000 € |
8 |
700 € |
|
4 |
1.600 € |
9 |
600 € |
|
5 |
1.300 € |
10 |
500 € |
Awards by category
| VETERAN +65 | |
|---|---|
|
1º |
700 € |
|
2º |
500 € |
|
3º |
300 € |
| FEMALE | |
|---|---|
|
1ª |
1.000 € |
|
2ª |
800 € |
|
3ª |
600 € |
|
4ª |
400 € |
|
5ª |
200 € |
| VETERAN +50 | |
|---|---|
|
1º |
700 € |
|
2º |
500 € |
|
3º |
300 € |
Cumulative Award for Best Influencer
To become an influencer of the tournament you must register as an influencer on our website and send us links to a minimum of 5 videos of at least 30 seconds duration, during the tournament, each video must have a minimum of 250 views uploaded by the influencer.
| POSITION | QUANTITY | |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
700 € |
|
|
2 |
500 € |
|
|
3 |
300 € |
|
Specific rules for Tournament B
Enrollment and registration
The tournament is open to all players with a valid FIDE license and who do not meet the minimum ELO requirement to play the A tournament (they must have a FIDE ELO of less than 2100 points in one of the lists between July and November 2023).
Valid for ELO FCE, FEDA and FIDE Players may register for the tournament B of elllobregat Open Chess Tnmt, through the following form:
- By filling out the form you will find on this web page.
Registration fees
- General: 70€ (60€ if paid before 1/09/2023)
- U-16 players: 20€.
Payment Methods
- Through the payment platform available on this page
The Organization of elllobregat Open Chess Tnmt reserves the right of admission, and may reject any application for registration that it deems appropriate.
Game system
Swiss System to 9 rounds. The pairings will be made by means of the Swiss Manager program, being the main referee responsible for them.
Pace of Play
90 minutes for the whole game plus 30 seconds increment from move 1.
Waiting time
The tolerance time is set at 1 hour.
Ties
The tie-breakers will be valid both for classification purposes and for the awarding of trophies and cash prizes. Therefore, neither trophies nor cash prizes will be divisible among players who would have tied on points.
The tie-breaking system for Open B will be as follows and in the following order:
- Buchholz FIDE minus the worst result. (37) (0,1,N S,0,N)
- Buchholz FIDE total. (37) (0,0,N S,0,N)
- Sonnenborg Berger. (52) (0,0,N S,0,N)
- Particular Result (11)
- Average recursive performance of rivals (55) (0,0,1000)
For the purpose of calculating the Buchholz systems, the “virtual opponent” will be applied in unplayed games.
Tournament B Awards
| POSITION | QUANTITY | |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
500 € |
|
|
2 |
400 € |
|
|
3 |
300 € |
|
|
4 |
250 € |
|
|
5 |
200 € |
|
Awards by category
| VETERAN +65 | |
|---|---|
|
1º |
300 € |
|
2º |
200 € |
| FEMALE | |
|---|---|
|
1ª |
300 € |
|
2ª |
200 € |
| VETERAN +50 | |
|---|---|
|
1º |
300 € |
|
2º |
200 € |
Blitz Masters Tournament – Ciutat d’hospitalet 50×50
Specific bases
Game Day: Wednesday, November 29th at 17:00 hrs.
Place of Play: (To be defined). L’hospitalet de Llobregat
The organization will provide free transportation for all players from the hotel El Castell de Sant Boi to the game room and back.
Participation is open exclusively to:
- GMs and WGMs playing the 9 rounds of elllobregat Open Chess 2023
- IMs born in 1973 and earlier who play the 9 rounds of the elllobregat Open Chess 2023
- Players with more than 2500 ELO STANDARD points playing the 9 rounds of the elllobregat Open Chess 2023
Free registration via web form
9-round Swiss system with a pace of play of 3 min + 2 sec. per move.
Valid for ELO FIDE BLITZ and ELO FCE BLITZ.
Ties:
- Buchholz FIDE minus the worst result. (37) (0,1,N S,0,N)
- Buchholz FIDE total. (37) (0,0,N S,0,N)
- Sonnenborg Berger. (52) (0,0,N S,0,N)
- Particular Result (11)
- Average recursive performance of rivals (55) (0,0,1000)
Blitz Awards 2023
| Position | Quantity | Position | Quantity | Position | Quantity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
1.500 € |
21 |
200 € |
41 |
150 € |
|
2 |
1.300 € |
22 |
200 € |
42 |
150 € |
|
3 |
1.200 € |
23 |
200 € |
43 |
150 € |
|
4 |
1.100 € |
24 |
200 € |
44 |
150 € |
|
5 |
1.000 € |
25 |
200 € |
45 |
150 € |
|
6 |
800 € |
26 |
200 € |
46 |
150 € |
|
7 |
700 € |
27 |
200 € |
47 |
150 € |
|
8 |
600 € |
28 |
200 € |
48 |
150 € |
|
9 |
400 € |
29 |
200 € |
49 |
150 € |
|
10 |
350 € |
30 |
200 € |
50 |
150 € |
|
11 |
300 € |
31 |
150 € |
Female 1 |
500 € |
|
12 |
300 € |
32 |
150 € |
Female 2 |
400 € |
|
13 |
300 € |
33 |
150 € |
Female 3 |
300 € |
|
14 |
300 € |
34 |
150 € |
Female 4 |
250 € |
|
15 |
300 € |
35 |
150 € |
Female 5 |
200 € |
|
16 |
250 € |
36 |
150 € |
Senior +50 1 |
500 € |
|
17 |
250 € |
37 |
150 € |
Senior +50 2 |
400 € |
|
18 |
250 € |
38 |
150 € |
Senior +50 3 |
300 € |
|
19 |
250 € |
39 |
150 € |
Senior +50 4 |
250 € |
|
20 |
250 € |
40 |
150 € |
Senior +50 5 |
200 € |
Women’s Blitz Tournament
Specific bases
Game Day: Friday, December 1st at 11:00 am.
Place of Play: (To be defined) Viladecans
The organization will provide free transportation for all players from the hotel El CastelL de Sant Boi to the playing room and back.
Only women who play the 9 rounds of elllobregat Open Chess 2022 A or B can participate.
Free registration to be confirmed at the game room on November 30 from 5 pm to 10 pm.
9-round Swiss system with a pace of play of 3 min + 2 sec. per move.
Valid for ELO FIDE BLITZ and ELO FCE BLITZ.
Ties:
- Buchholz FIDE minus the worst result. (37) (0,1,N S,0,N)
- Buchholz FIDE total. (37) (0,0,N S,0,N)
- Sonnenborg Berger. (52) (0,0,N S,0,N)
- Particular Result (11)
- Average recursive performance of rivals (55) (0,0,1000)
Women’s Blitz Awards
| Position | Quantity | Position | Quantity |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
500 € |
9 |
150 € |
|
2 |
350 € |
10 |
150 € |
|
3 |
300 € |
11 |
150 € |
|
4 |
250 € |
12 |
150 € |
|
5 |
200 € |
13 |
150 € |
|
6 |
150 € |
14 |
150 € |
|
7 |
150 € |
15 |
150 € |
|
8 |
150 € |
