FIDE World Youth Chess Championships (U14, U16, U18 boys/open & girls) in Halkidiki

19 - 31 October 2018

1. INVITATION

This is the official invitation to all national chess federations of FIDE to participate in the World Youth Chess Championships 2018. The championships will be held in Porto Carras, Halkidiki on the northern coast of the Aegean Sea. The dates are 19 October (arrivals, technical meeting) to 31 October 2018 (departures).

2. PARTICIPATION

2.1. Every National Federation can register one official player in each category (under 14, 16, 18 years old, open and girls). This total of six (6) Official Players plus one accompanying official (captain/trainer with a valid FIDE Trainer license) belonging to the national federation are invited by the Organizers. A player must not have reached his/her 14th, 16th or 18th birthday, respectively, before 1 January 2018.

2.2. The players placed 1-3 in the previous World Youth Championships, and the respective Champions of the 2017 Continental Youth Championships, shall have the personal right to participate in the World Youth Championships of the corresponding age-category or a higher age-category if the age stipulation of Art. 2.1 above is met. Such players shall also be classified as Official Players and have to be registered by the national federation.

2.4. Other than Official Players shall be classified as Additional Players. All other persons, other than players or the Accompanying Official, shall be classified as Accompanying Persons. A Federation may register any number of Additional Players and Accompanying Persons. The National Federation shall be responsible for all the costs of their Additional Players and Accompanying Persons.

2.5. In order to provide appropriate tournament conditions, the Federations must complete carefully the official online registration form and submit to the Organizing Committee by Monday, 20 August 2018. After this deadline, the official players cannot be registered as invited players, further participations may not be accepted or an additional fee will be requested according to the FIDE regulations.

3. FIDE ENTRY FEES

In accordance with FIDE regulations, a FIDE entry fee of 70 € (euros) for each Official Player and 140 € for each Additional player should be paid before the start of the tournament.

The National Federations must send this amount directly to the FIDE bank account or FIDE will charge the National Federation account card.

4. REGISTRATION AND TRAVEL

4.1 Each player (official, qualified or additional) and each accompanying official/person must pay to the Organizing Committee the amount of 100 € (euros) at the moment of their registration by 20 August 2018. This registration fee is compulsory and represents a confirmation of participation, otherwise a registration will be invalid and will not be accepted. This payment includes transportation from and to Thessaloniki International airport (IATA code SKG), accreditation, identification badges and organization costs. The transportation is available for 19th of October (arrival)

and 31st October (departure) as well as 16th of October for any player who will play in the World Youth Rapid & Blitz Championships. Special group requests for other dates shall be sent beforehand to the Organizing Committee.

4.2. The deadline for registration is 20 August 2018. After this date, organizers reserve the right to refuse or decline late registrations or if there is availability a penalty of 80 € (Euros) for each late registration will be charged to participants.

4.3. Federations should register for official players by the above deadline of 20 August 2018. After this date no official players will be accepted and their application will be treated as if they were an additional player. Online registration password, if needed, will be provided to national federations.

4.4. Every registration must include the Federation, FIDE ID, surname, first name, accommodation type, dates of arrival/departure and the passport number of every player and every accompanying person which requires an invitation. It must also include the name, details and phone number/ address/ fax/ email of the head of each delegation. Incomplete registrations will not be accepted.

4.5. All the travel expenses must be paid by the participants or their Federation. Only member Federations of FIDE (not suspended, not in arrears) are entitled to submit registration forms.

4.6. Travel details. The venue is the Porto Carras Resort & Congress Center in Halkidiki, 100 km south of Thessaloniki international airport.

4.7. A player registered in a lower category of age due to a mistake in specifying his/her birthday will have his/her registration suspended until rectification.

5. INFORMATION ABOUT VISAS

5.1. Those who need visas must submit their data the latest on 20 August 2018.

5.2. The Organizers will issue invitations only after all the pre-payments are made.

6. PAYMENTS

6.1. Entries must be submitted through the registration forms by 20 August 2018

6.2. When registering (by 20 August 2018), the registration fee of 100 € (euros) and a 30% prepayment of the cost for board and lodging shall be paid through the organizing agency’s bank account below. The prepayment is not refundable in case of any cancelation.

Account beneficiary holder: AT HOLIDAYS SMPC

Account holder address: Apollonos 4, Athens 10557, Greece

IBAN account number: CY74 0020 0195 0000 3570 2279 5355

Bank name & address: Bank of Cyprus, Esperidon 12 Nicosia

BIC/SWIFT code: BCYPCY2N

The deadline for registration and receipt of the above payments is 20 August 2018.

6.3. Each National Federation will be invoiced by the official travel agency “AT Holidays”. Upon payments confirmed, the Organizing Committee will send to the participating Federation the confirmation of the hotel bookings. Confirmed registrations will then appear on the official website, where Federations may check players’ status on a daily basis.

6.4. All payments must be finalized upon arrival. Players will not be paired until all payments and fees are affected to the Organizing Committee.

7. HOTEL - BOARD & LODGING

7.1 The official hotel and venue of the event is the 5-star Porto Carras Resort & Congress Center.

7.2. Official players and head of delegation from each Federation are offered FREE full board accommodation from 19 October (arrival, lunch) to 31 October (breakfast, departure).

7.3. If a participating Federation does not send a player in any age category, they cannot substitute this for another age category.

7.4. As per FIDE regulations, all players and accompanying persons must be accredited and stay at the official hotel of the event. Bookings and accreditation are possible only through the procedure described in articles 6.1 to 6.4 above.

Hotel Rates for additional extra players and accompanying persons:

a) in quadruple family rooms: 58 euros per person per day, full board included.

b) in triple rooms: 59 euros per person per day, full board included.

c) in double rooms: 63 euros per person per day, full board included.

d) in single rooms: 89 euros per person per day, full board included.

7.5. Each delegation shall distribute their delegation in an equal proportion of double and triple rooms. One quadruple family room of four persons shall also be used for each single room requested.

7.6. If needed, the final distribution of hotel rooms is decided by the Organizing Committee.

8. TECHNICAL REGULATIONS

8.1. The tournament will be played using the Swiss System with 11 rounds. The national rankings will not be taken into account for pairings. The rate of play will be in accordance with the FIDE rules: 90 minutes for the first 40 moves followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game with an addition of 30 seconds per move starting from move one.

Default time is 15 minutes

8.2. Tie break criteria: a) the games between the tied players (only if all tied have played each other), b) buchholz cut 1, c) buchholz, d) the greater number of games with black (unplayed games count as played with white), e) the greater number of wins.

8.3. Chief Arbiter and FIDE Technical officials will be announced by 15 September 2018.

9. TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

Friday 19 October Arrival of Delegations

Friday 19 October 21.00 Technical Meeting

Saturday 20 October 14.30 Opening Ceremony

Saturday 20 October 15.00 Round 1

Sunday 21 October 10.00 Round 2

Sunday 21 October 17.00 Round 3

Monday 22 October 15.00 Round 4

Tuesday 23 October 15.00 Round 5

Wednesday 24 October 15.00 Round 6

Thursday 25 October 15.00 Free day

Friday 26 October 15.00 Round 7

Saturday 27 October 15.00 Round 8

Sunday 28 October 15.00 Round 9

Monday 29 October 15.00 Round 10

Tuesday 30 October 10.00 Round 11

Tuesday 30 October 20.30 Closing Ceremony

Wednesday 31 October Departure of Delegations

10. SECURITY

All delegations should abide by specific security regulations. The National federation shall be responsible for their delegations including damages to property.

11. TOURNAMENT BULLETIN

Daily there will be free e-bulletins with important information.

12. ELECTRICITY

The standard voltage 220 Volts. Primary Socket Type: Europlug, Schuko.

13. PRIZES

13.1. Three best Federations, by ranking of medals collected in all categories, will receive a trophy. For first place the number of gold medals will be taken under consideration, if there is a tie, then the number of silver medals, if there is still a tie, then the number of bronze medals. If finally this is still equal, then the total points of medalists will be taken for tiebreak.

13.2. Top three places in each tournament will be awarded with cups and medals. Places 4th to 6th with medals. All the winners will be awarded with chess gifts.

13.3. All players will be given certificates of participation.

13.4. Prize Giving Ceremony will be the celebration, open to all with accreditation.

14. COMPETITIONS AND PARALLE ACTIVITIES

1. The FIDE World Youth Rapid & Blitz Championships will be organized in the same venue from 16 to 19 October.

2. FIDE Seminars.

3. Excursions on the free day.

4. Sports activities.

15. CONTACT INFORMATION

Tournament Director: FIDE IO Nikos Kalesis, Tel: (+30) 2109212684, (+30) 6938326161

Official Website: http://www.worldyouth2018.com

Email: chess.at.holidays@gmail.com