Chess for Education Cup

1. Organiser and purpose

The Chess for Education Cup is organised by the Plus for Education Foundation (tax ID 51570413, Str. Reactorului nr. 6, Măgurele, Ilfov, Romania), the “Organiser”. Its purpose is to promote chess as an educational tool. Participation is free.

2. Date, venue and schedule

Edition I takes place at PlusKids, Str. Fizicienilor nr. 40, Măgurele, Ilfov, over two weekends:

• Qualifiers: Saturday 30 January 2027 — Children tournament (group A from 09:00, group B from 14:00); Sunday 31 January 2027 — Open tournament (group A from 09:00, group B from 14:00).
• Finals: Saturday 6 February 2027 — Children final, from 09:00; Sunday 7 February 2027 — Open final, from 09:00, followed by the award ceremony.

The detailed schedule is published on the championship's home page. The dates were chosen outside school holidays and long weekends.

3. Tournaments and eligibility

• Children: players born in 2009–2019. Eligibility follows the year of birth, as in FIDE youth categories.
• Open: all ages, minimum 7 years old (born in 2019 or earlier).

A player may enter only one tournament and one qualifying group per edition. Each group has at most 50 places.

4. Registration

1. Registration is done only on the championship website, after the signer's email address and mobile phone number are verified.
2. One form may include the signer (if they play) and up to 5 children for whom the signer is the parent or legal guardian.
3. Places are reserved when the form is submitted and confirmed once the registration form (acceptance of these rules and of data processing) is signed electronically. A reservation not signed within 48 hours (12 hours in the last 3 days of registration) expires and the places are released.
4. Registration closes on Tuesday 26 January 2027 at 23:59 (Romanian time), or earlier when all places are taken.
5. A registration can be cancelled at any time by emailing sustine@sah4edu.ro; the places are released for other players.

5. Attendance

Players confirm their attendance at the arbiters' table at least 30 minutes before the first round of their group. A player absent at the first round is not paired until they arrive; a player absent for two consecutive rounds is withdrawn. The default time at the start of each round is 15 minutes after the clocks are started.

6. Playing system

• Swiss system (FIDE Dutch system); pairings, results and live standings are published on Tornelo.
• Rapid time control: 15 minutes + 5 seconds per move from move one.
• The FIDE Laws of Chess, Appendix A (rapid chess), apply.
• Qualifiers: 4 rounds per group. Finals: 6 rounds.
• The top 25 players of each group qualify for their tournament's final. If a qualified player does not confirm by Thursday 4 February 2027 at 20:00, the place is offered to the next player in the same group's standings.

7. Tie-breaks

Equal scores are separated by, in order: Buchholz Cut 1, Buchholz, Sonneborn-Berger, number of wins. If a tie for first place remains, the title is shared and the trophy goes to the player with the higher Buchholz Cut 1.

8. Recording moves

Recording moves is mandatory for players born in 2016 or earlier and optional for younger players. Score sheets are provided by the Organiser.

9. Arbiters and appeals

The tournaments are directed by a chief arbiter and deputy arbiters appointed by the Organiser. Appeals are made in writing to the chief arbiter within 15 minutes of the end of the game concerned; the chief arbiter decides after hearing both sides, and the decision is final. Results entered on Tornelo can be corrected until the group's final standings are published.

10. Rating

Before registration closes, the Organiser announces on the website whether the tournaments are submitted for rating. Without such an announcement, results do not count for rating.

11. Conduct and fair play

• Players, parents and companions respect opponents, arbiters, volunteers and organisers.
• Phones and any other electronic device must be switched off and stored in the playing area; a device that rings or is used during a game loses the game.
• Only players, arbiters and organisers may enter the playing area. Parents and companions wait in the area provided for them.
• Any outside assistance, unsporting behaviour or disturbance of other games is sanctioned by the arbiter, from a warning up to exclusion from the tournament.

12. Prizes

The prizes (trophies, medals, certificates and prizes in kind) are published in the “Prizes” section of the championship's home page before the first round. Some prizes are awarded on behalf of the championship's partners. Every participant receives a participation certificate. Prizes are handed out at the award ceremony; uncollected prizes can be picked up from the Organiser within 30 days.

13. Minors and safety

Minor players are accompanied throughout the event by a parent or by an adult designated by the parent, who is responsible for them outside their games. The Organiser is not liable for belongings left unattended.

14. Personal data and images

Data provided at registration is processed as described in the registration form and in the Plus for Education Foundation's privacy policy. Players' names, year of birth, club and results appear in pairings and standings (on Tornelo and on the website). Photos and video may be taken during the event and are used only within the choices made in the registration form.

15. Changes and contact

The Organiser may change the schedule, the venue or these rules for objective reasons; changes are announced on the website and by email to registered participants. Questions: sustine@sah4edu.ro, +40 750 246 667.