Éanna Summer Freestyle Rapid — Tournament Regulations
Date: Saturday, 25th July 2026
Round 1 Commences: 11:00
Venue
Coláiste Éanna
Hillside Park, Ballyroan Road
Rathfarnham, Dublin 16
D16 E248
General Tournament Information — 2026 Edition
- Seven rounds of Freestyle (960) Rapid Chess will be played.
- Time control: 15+5
- Pairing system: Swiss
- Round 1 will begin at 11:00, with subsequent rounds commencing immediately after the previous round concludes.
- A 30-minute break will take place after Round 3.
- The tournament will be seeded using the most recent ICU rating list.
- Important: The default time for each round is 0 minutes.
- Prize fund: €10 Added to the prize pool for each player.
- Arbiter: TBA
Freestyle Chess Regulations
DEFAULT TIME FOR EACH ROUND IS 0 MINUTES. THERE IS NO TOLERANCE PERIOD. PLAYERS WHO ARE NOT PRESENT AT THEIR BOARD WHEN THE POSITION IS DISPLAYED WILL FORFEIT THEIR GAME.
- FIDE Rules, including Guidelines II for Chess960, shall apply.
- Starting positions will be randomly generated at the beginning of each round via chess960.tv.
Procedure for Starting Each Round
Pairings will be published and players will be given a short period to locate their assigned boards promptly.
Boards will initially be arranged in the standard configuration, except that the pieces on the first and eighth ranks will be placed on the third and sixth ranks respectively.
Players must be present at their board when the starting position is displayed. Failure to do so will result in forfeiture.
Once the position is displayed on the screen, each player must set up their pieces in accordance with the displayed position. Both players are jointly responsible for ensuring the board is set correctly.
Players will then be given three minutes to study the starting position. Following this, the arbiter will announce the start of White’s clock.
During the three-minute preparation period, players may not leave their board or consult any external assistance, including mobile phones or spectators.
Once the game has started, players may leave the board in accordance with normal chess regulations.
Upon completion of a game, both players must restore the board to the initial setup configuration — with pieces on the third and sixth ranks as described above — before reporting the result to the arbiter.
Castling Regulations
Due to the nature of Freestyle Chess, the king and rooks may begin on unusual starting squares. The rules governing castling remain unchanged:
- Neither the king nor the relevant rook may have previously moved.
- A player may not castle into, out of, or through check.
Regardless of the starting positions of the king and rook, the final squares after castling are identical to those in standard chess:
Queenside Castling (0-0-0)
- King to c1/c8
- Rook to d1/d8
Kingside Castling (0-0)
- King to g1/g8
- Rook to f1/f8
In certain positions, either the king or rook may not physically move during castling, or the two pieces may exchange places. To avoid confusion, players are strongly encouraged to quietly announce “castles” to their opponent when castling.