FREE TO ENTER - Isle of Wight Xmas Blitz

To celebrate the upcoming Wightlink Isle of Wight International, taking place 18th to 23rd February 2025; We are giving you the chance to put down the mince pies, pick up the mouse and warm up for the main event! Take on top players from the tournament and around the world in the Isle of Wight Xmas Blitz.

About the upcoming OTB event:

With an £8,000 prize pool and over 40 Masters registered, the event is shaping up to be a spectacular competition. We have over 100 DGT boards available, ensuring that players in all sections, including the Weekend Congress and U2000, will have the opportunity to play on them.

If you can't join us in person, be sure to tune into the live commentary on our YouTube channel, where you can watch top players like Shreyas Royal and Daniel Fernandez, as well as popular streamers including Alexandra Prado and James Canty. Hopefully a few of them will be in this Blitz!

To warm up for the three Blitz tournaments at the main event, we are giving you a chance to win CASH prizes over the Christmas break.

This tournament will take place on the Isle of Wight Chess Club Lichess page at 3pm on Friday, 27th December.

All players must register for FREE below, to receive the access code. We require your real name, Lichess username, and your FIDE or ECF ID. Except for your Lichess username, your personal information will not be posted publicly online or shared with third parties unless you consent to it.

Time Control: 5 minutes + 3-second increment

Format: 7-round Online Swiss

Prizes:

1st Place - £100

2nd Place - £50

3rd Place - £25

Rating prizes:

To the highest placed player who is U2000 Blitz on Lichess, also not holding a FIDE/ECF Blitz rating over 2000, including online.

• £25

Due to a kind anonymous donation we also have the following rating prizes, on the same basis as above:

• U1800, £15

• U1400, £15

(Lichess tie breaks in effect for all prizes)

Please note, unlike previous events, all games are not ECF online rated. You are just playing for fun and Lichess rating. Maybe the chance to Blitz it out with a Grandmaster.

To qualify for prizes, you must have provided a valid FIDE or ECF ID at sign-up. Prizes will be paid by bank transfer on 31st January 2025. Your prize will be void if your Lichess account is suspended before this date.

The access code will be included in your email confirmation. Please check your junk or spam folder if you do not see it automatically. We encourage you to join the lobby as soon as possible so we can get an idea of participant numbers.

Isle of Wight Chess Lichess Club

Good luck!