21st European Youth Rapid & Blitz Chess Championship Under 8 - 18 (Thessaloniki, Greece, 19-23/7/2022)

INVITATION & REGULATIONS

1. Invitation:

The European Chess Union (ECU) invites all National Chess Federations of ECU to participate in the European Youth Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship 2022 under 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18 years, organised from 19 July (arrivals) to 23 July (departures). The event will be held in the Conference Hall of the 5-star Lazart Hotel in Thessaloniki, Greece.

2. Participation:

The right to participate have all Chess players who belong to chess federations, members of the ECU, who have not reached the age of 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, or 18 by January 1st of the year in which the tournament is held. Each federation has the right to register any number of participants.

Players who belong to the Bułgarian Chess federation can play with the ECU flag.

3. Competitions / Titles:

(A) 21st EUROPEAN YOUTH RAPID CHAMPIONSHIP

- 9 rounds according to the Swiss system (one game per round), rate of play: 15 min. + 10 sec. per player

- Categories (12 in total): open and girls up to 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18 years.

- Prizes: the best 3 (three) players, in each category, will receive trophies, medals, and gift prizes.

(B) 21st EUROPEAN YOUTH BLITZ CHAMPIONSHIP

-9 rounds according to the Swiss system (two games per round), rate of play: 3 min. + 2 sec. per player

- Categories (12): open and girls up to 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18 years.

-Prizes: the best 3 (three) players, in each category, will receive trophies, medals, and gift prizes.

All participants will receive a cetificate from the organizers. The winners will be awarded also with chess books and materials.

The winner in the respective championships will receive the following title:

- European Youth Rapid Champion -8, -10, -12, -14, -16 and -18

- European Youth Girls Rapid Champion -8, -10, -12, -14, -16 and -18

- European Youth Blitz Champion -8, -10, -12, -14, -16 and -18

- European Youth Girls Blitz Champion -8, -10, -12, -14, -16 and -18

ECU Tiebreak criteria will apply if two or more players are tied for the same rank, as well as in all other

cases where is necessary.

4. Schedule:

Tuesday 19 July Participants Arrival – Technical Meeting

Wednesday 20 July 10:30 Opening Ceremony

Wednesday 20 July 11:00 – 13:00 Individual Rapid (Rounds 1-2)

Wednesday 20 July 17:00 – 20:00 Individual Rapid (Rounds 3-5)

Thursday 21 July 16:00 – 20:00 Individual Rapid (Rounds 6-9)

Friday 22 July 10:00 – 13:00 Blitz (Rounds 1-5)

Friday 22 July 17:00 – 20:00 Blitz (Rounds 6-9)

Friday 22 July 21.00 Closing Ceremony

Saturday 23 July Participants Departure

5. Registration deadline and travel details

5.1 Entry forms must be filled and sent to the Tournament office no later than 19 May 2022. If the registration form is not completed by the federation itself, a copy must be sent to the national federation.

5.2 A complete registration form must include surname/s, first name/s, FIDE ID number, FIDE rating and title, and passport number or identity card number of each player, captain, and each accompanying person. It also must include the name and telephone, e-mail of the chief of delegation who must be an adult.

5.3 Participants should book their flights to Thessaloniki International Airport (SKG) which is located 25 km from the venue. The bus transportation from and to Thessaloniki International Airport is included in the organization package for all participants on the arrival day (19 July) and the departure day (23 July).

Transportation from the organizers in other dates are possible upon request with an extra charge.

6. Registration - Accommodation package (4 nights)

6.1 The official hotel of the event is the 5-star LAZART HOTEL (*****).

 Registration - Accommodation package includes (per person):

 Accommodation for 4 nights.

 Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, including potable water (full board) daily.

 Transportation from and to Thessaloniki airport on 19th (and 23rd July

 Registration fees including ECU fees.

 All taxes (including VAT and Municipality Tax).

Price per person in quadraple suite Price per person in triple suite Price per person in double room (sleeps 4 in two rooms) (sleeps 3 in two rooms) (sleeps 2 in one room)

300 euros per person 320 euros per person 350 euros per person

* In case that a player/participant is accommodated also in the European Youth Team Championships immdediately before, there is a 50 euros discount to each package.

* Each delegation shall share an equal or balanced number of all room types and each request is subject to confirmation by the Organising Committee, depending on availability. The Organising Committee will inform each delegation about the exact distribution available.

6.2 By the registration deadline of 19 May 2022, a deposit payment of 100 euros per person must be sent, to confirm participation, to the following bank account of the organizer for each player and accompanying person (bank charges covered by the sender):

Bank: Piraeus Bank

Bank address: Amerikis 4, Athens 10564, Greece

Bank SWIFT: PIRBGRAAXXX

IBAN account number: GR02 0172 0450 0050 4509 2938 591

Account Holder: AT Holidays SMPC

6.3 Once the bank transfer is validated, the Organising Committee will confirm the assigned booking confirmation for all the rooms.

6.4 Extra nights can be requested in advance and, upon availability, can be possible at a proportional cost.

6.5 According to ECU Rules (Article B.14.5.1), for youth tournaments the participants are accommodated by the Organizer in the official hotel. In case of larger participation than expected, the Organizer may provide extra official hotel(s) of similar quality. Access to playing areas and venues will be allowed only to persons accredited by the Organizer.

7. Officials

The names of the officials (arbiters and members of the Appeal Committee) will be announced later.

8. COVID-19 Pandemic Rules:

All participants should follow the rules regarding the entry and staying in Greece.

Additional measures may be decided according to the ECU protocols.

9. Anti-Cheating guidelines

The European Anti Cheating Rules (ECU Tournament Rules, Part Q) and the FIDE Anti-Cheating guidelines (FIDE Handbook, A.10) are valid. Upon arrival or any time during the event, captains or players may be requested to present passports for verification of a player’s age eligibility. Random searches, with a hand-held metal detector, can be performed by the arbiter(s) to players, before or during the games.

10. Visa information

10.1 Any federation members, players and accompanying persons who need a visa to enter Greece, are requested to contact the Organizer before the registration deadline of 19 May 2022.

10.2 The organizer will provide invitations for visas only after the necessary payments are wired, as described in articles 5.1 and 5.2 above. Schengen visas are valid in Greece.

11. Tournament office / Contact Information

Tournament Office: Giannis Kalesis

Official Website: http://euroyouth2022.com , Email: euroyouth2022@chess.travel

European Youth Rapid & Blitz Chess Championship 2022 – Registration form download