Weekend Rapidplays
There are two 7-round rapidplay tournaments at the 2025 XTX London Chess Classic, open to everyone. These will take place on Saturday 29th November and Sunday 30th November, starting at 10am and finishing before 4pm. Entrants to either of the Weekend Rapidplay tournaments are able to spectate on the main event of the 2025 XTX Markets London Chess Classic or listen to the live grandmaster commentary on the day of their event.
Below is a summary of some of the key rules of the tournament. For full details, please see the LCC Regulations.
Who can enter?
The Weekend Rapidplay tournaments are open to everyone. There are some membership requirements that can be found here: LCC Regulations.
Venue
All games in the Weekend Rapidplays will be played at the Emirates Stadium.
Schedule (for each tournament)
Round 1: 10am
Round 2: 10:45am
Round 3: 11:30am
Round 4: 12:15pm
Round 5: 1:30pm
Round 6: 2:15pm
Round 7: 3pm
Prize fund - £2,350 per tournament
1st - £500
2nd - £250
3rd - £100
Top women - £150, £100, £50
Rating prizes:
2000-2199: £150, £100, £50
1800-1999: £150, £100, £50
1600-1799: £150, £100, £50
under 1600: £150, £100, £50
Time Control
10 minutes plus 5 seconds per move.
Byes
For information on the taking of byes, please see the LCC Regulations.
Entry fee
£30 before Wednesday 19th November 2025, £50 thereafter.
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 26/11/2000) (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 6 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 6 games.
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.
