About Congress

Prizes & Entry Fees - 2026

Place & Rating Prizes

AwardOpenChallengers
ECF 2050 & below
Major
ECF 1900 & below
Intermediate
ECF 1750 & below
Minor
ECF 1600 & below
1st place£350£350£350£350£350
2nd place£180£180£180£180£180
3rd place£100£100£100£100£100
Rating Prize 1£100 (<2300)£100 (<1950)£100 (<1800)£100 (<1650)£100 (<1500)
Rating Prize 2£100 (<2200)n/an/an/a£100 (<1400)
Rating Prize 3£100 (<2100)n/an/an/a£100 (<1300)

Eligibility determined by rating on 1st March 2026.

Junior & Veteran Prizes

AwardAmount
Best Junior (under 14 yrs)*£100
Best Veteran (65 and over)*£100

* Eligibility determined by age on 1st January 2026.

Entry Fee

£40

All players (GM, IM, WGM, WIM free)

All Tournaments

Except in the OPEN, no ungraded player may win more than a maximum of £60. However, to be eligible for this prize money they must have provided written evidence of their playing strength, before Sunday 5th April 2026.

ECF "Pay to Play" Fees

This is a registered ECF Game Fee event. Players who are not current ECF Members at Gold or Platinum level on the date of entry will have £15.00 (£6 for juniors) added to their entry fee.

Bronze ECF members should note that their membership will be upgraded to Gold by the ECF following processing of the congress results for grading. Upgrading prior to the congress – online or via the ECF office – is recommended.