FIDE Round Robins - All-play-all tournaments at the Emirates Stadium
The FIDE Rounds Robins are a series of 6-player (5-round) all-play-all tournaments held at the Emirates Stadium open to players rated below 2100. Entrants to the FIDE Round Robins tournaments 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 96 players (16 6-player tournaments). 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 Round Robins, you must have a FIDE rating of below 2100 (September 2025 rating list). Players with ratings above 2100 are invited to join one of the many other tournaments taking place at the London Chess Classic, including the FIDE Masters. In addition, there are membership requirements that can be found here: LCC Regulations.
In which Round Robin will I play?
Once all the entries for the FIDE Round Robins have been received, the players will be placed in rating order. The 6 highest rated players will compete in the first Round Robin tournament. Players ranked 7-12 will compete in the second Round Robin event, etc. We expect the players in each tournament to have ratings within a 150-point range.
Venue
All games in the FIDE Masters will be played at the Emirates Stadium.
Schedule
Round 1: Thursday 27th November @ 6pm
Round 2: Friday 28th November @ 6pm
Round 3: Saturday 29th November @ 6pm
Round 5: Sunday 30th November @ 6pm
Round 6: Monday 1st December @ 6pm
Time Control
80 minutes for the game, with a 10-second increment for each move starting from move one.
Prize fund - tbd
1st - £XXXX
2nd - £XXXX
3rd - £XXXX
Entry fee
£50 if entering before Wednesday 19th November, £75 entry fee thereafter (N.B. we anticipate this event will sell out).
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 all 5 rounds. 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 5 games.
Byes
Byes are not permitted in this event and players are expected to play all 5 rounds.
Pairings
Pairings for all rounds will be published by midnight on the day before the first round.
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.
