FIDE Masters - a 9-round tournament with excellent norm opportunities
The FIDE Masters is a 9-round Swiss tournament for players rated 2100 and over. The tournament is suitable for players seeking title norms - the organisers will invite a minimum of 10 grandmasters to participate. Entrants to the FIDE Masters tournament are also able to spectate on the main event of the 2025 XTX Markets London Chess Classic or listen to the live grandmaster commentary once their own game has finished, at no extra charge.
Due to space limitations, the capacity for the FIDE Masters is 120 players. We expect to sell out and so encourage players to book their place using the entry form linked below. A full list of entrants will be published on this website in due course.
Below is a summary of some of the key rules of the tournament. For full details, please see the LCC Regulations.
Who can enter?
To enter for the FIDE Masters, you must have a FIDE rating of 2100 or over (September 2025 rating list). Players with ratings below 2100 are invited to join one of the many other tournaments taking place at the London Chess Classic, including the FIDE Round Robin events. In addition, there are membership requirements that can be found here: LCC Regulations.
The FIDE Masters is also open to members of the ECF Accelerator Programme, subject to the prior agreement of the LCC Organiser.
Venue
All games in the FIDE Masters will be played at the Emirates Stadium.
Schedule
Round 1: Wednesday 26th November @ 4pm
Round 2: Thursday 27th November @ 10am
Round 3: Thursday 27th November @ 4pm
Round 4: Friday 28th November @ 4pm
Round 5: Saturday 29th November @ 10am
Round 6: Saturday 29th November @ 4pm
Round 7: Sunday 30th November @ 4pm
Round 8: Monday 1st December @ 4pm
Round 9: Tuesday 2nd December @ 10am
Time Control
90 minutes for 40 moves, plus 30 minutes until the end of the game, with 30-second increment for each move starting from move one.
Prize fund - £33,500
1st - £10,000
2nd - £5,000
3rd - £3,000
4th - £2,000
5th-8th - £1,000
Top women - £2,500, £1,000
Top player aged U21 - £1,000, £500
Rating prizes:
2300-2399: £1,000, £500
2200-2299: £1,000, £500
2000-2199: £1,000, £500
Entry fee
£100 if entering before Wednesday 19th November, £150 entry fee thereafter (N.B. we anticipate this event will sell out).
Free entry for all GMs, IMs
Free entry* for all female players (British citizens only)
Free entry* for U25 (must be born on or after 26/11/2025) (British citizens only)
Free entry* for all active CSC tutors.
* Players who qualify for free entry in this way must also be Gold members of the English Chess Federation.
Please note: to receive a free entry, players in the categories above must guarantee to play at least 8 rounds (i.e. maximum one bye). Players will be asked to pay the standard entry fee upfront and will have that refunded at the end of the tournament on completion of 8 games.
Byes
For information on the taking of byes, please see the LCC Regulations.
Pairings
Pairings for each round will be published by midnight on the day of play, with pairings for rounds 3 and 6 published as soon as possible after the conclusion of rounds 2 and 5 respectively.
Fair play policy
Please see the London Chess Classic Festival Fair Play Policy.
Parental responsibility
Parents or guardians are responsible for their children during the tournament. The organisers and helpers are not able to act “in loco parentis” and are not able to take responsibility for any child’s actions, or for the actions of anyone that may affect your child. The Emirates Stadium does not allow children under the age of 16 to be unaccompanied. All players under the age of 16 must have a parent or guardian on-site at all times.
Liability
The organisers accept no responsibility for any loss, theft or accident during the tournament.
Right to refuse entry
The Chief Organiser reserves the right to refuse entry without being required to state a reason, and to transfer players between tournaments at any time.
