Chess.com Official 2026 Event Rulebook

In this article, you can find the official rules for all Chess.com events with prize money. Use the table of contents below to jump to a specific event. All prize money events are also subject to the Chess.com Competitive Events Policy and the Fair Play Policy. Players must identify their accounts by adding their full name to their profile page to be eligible to participate in prize tournaments.

To receive payment for the prizes you've won, we have different minimum payout thresholds based on the payment method:

• • For PayPal & ACH the minimum payout is $100
  • For Wire transactions, the minimum payout is $500

Chess.com will automatically accrue your winnings until the required minimum is reached before we can send you your prize payment.

• Definitions
• Titled Tuesday
• 3 0 Thursday
• Freestyle Friday
• Freestyle Friday Championship
• Bullet Brawl
• Arena Kings
• Champions Chess Tour 2026-2027
• Chess Club Showdown 2026
• Chess.com Duck Chess Championship
• Collegiate Chess League: Fall 2026
• India College Chess Championship: Autumn 2026
• 2026 Rulebook Archive

Definitions

Arena - Tournament play consisting of continuous matches for a predetermined window of time, during which players will be repeatedly paired against each other based on the results of previous games in the Arena.

Color - White or black pieces in the context of chess.

Computer Inspection - A fair play measure in which a player must share their screen and task manager (PC) or activity monitor (Mac) on a video conference call.

Environment - The physical space that a player is playing from.

Environment Inspection - A fair play measure in which a player may be requested to show tournament officials the layout and contents of the player’s environment using a camera.

FIDE Title - Grandmaster (GM), International Master (IM), FIDE Master (FM), Candidate Master (CM), Woman Grandmaster (WGM), Woman International Master (WIM), Woman FIDE Master (WFM), or Woman Candidate Master (WCM).

Game - A single game of chess played on Chess.com between two players.

Match - Tournament play between two players that may involve multiple games.

National Title - National Master (NM)

Non-Titled Player - A player not recognized by Chess.com as having a FIDE title or national title.

Physical Inspection - A fair play measure in which a player may be requested to 1) remove any glasses or eyepieces and show them to tournament officials using a camera; and/or 2) turn their head to one side, brush their fingers over their ear, and then repeat this process for the other side.

Single Elimination Bracket - Tournament play where players compete in matches, advance through a bracket, and will not be eligible to move forward if they lose one match in the bracket.

Swiss - Tournament play which consists of several rounds of games or matches, during which players will be paired against each other based on the results of previous games/matches in the Swiss.

Time Control - The total amount of time allocated to each player to make all of their moves during a game of chess. Time Controls are formatted as X+Y, where X is the initial amount of minutes on each player’s clock, and Y is the number of seconds added to a player’s clock when a move is played by that player.

Titled Player - A player recognized by Chess.com as having a FIDE title or national master title.

Tournament Official - Any Chess.com employee, or any other individual otherwise employed or contracted for the purpose of administration or operations of an event.

Titled Tuesday 

Schedule

Titled Tuesday takes place every Tuesday, with start times as follows:

The start time in CEST/CET is always 17:00. Daylight savings time ends in Europe on October 25. 

* The October 27 event will be at 9 a.m PT / 12 p.m. ET.

Tournament Format

Players will compete in a Swiss tournament with 11 rounds and a 5+0 time control. There is a planned 6-minute break after round four and round eight. Players will earn 1 point for a win, ½ point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss. Draw offers are not permitted until after move 40. Players will be ranked by total points. If two or more players are tied in total points, the following tiebreakers will be applied:

1. Buchholz System (Cut 1), defined as the sum of scores of each opponent, minus the lowest opponent score
2. Buchholz System, defined as the sum of scores of each opponent
3. Sonneborn-Berger score, defined as the sum of the score of each defeated opponent and half the score of each drawn opponent.
4. Points earned in games between tied players (2-way ties only)
5. Number of game wins (including forfeits by opponents)
6. Number of game wins with Black
7. Average rating of opponents (Cut 1), defined as the average rating of opponents, based on Chess.com blitz ratings immediately after the tournament, with the lowest rating removed
8. Player Chess.com ratings immediately after the Tournament

Eligibility

Titled Tuesday is open to all Chess.com members recognized by Chess.com as having a FIDE title or a national master title.

To be eligible for streamer prizes, participants must meet the following criteria:

• Streams must be publicly available to Chess.com
• All prize-eligible streams must be hosted on Twitch, YouTube or Kick.
• Players must be easily identifiable on Twitch and/or Kick by listing their streams in the "Chess" category.
• Players must stream 9 out of 11 rounds of Titled Tuesday.
• Players must have "Titled Tuesday", "TT," or "TitledTuesday" in their stream title.
• If streaming on Twitch, the streamer must connect their Twitch account to Chess.com.

Fair Play

Players are required to use Proctor (to learn more about Proctor and download the client, please go to Chess.com/proctor), and will be monitored by tournament officials. To abide by this request, players must join the tournament using Proctor and have two cameras set up. One camera must clearly show the player's full face and immediate surroundings beyond the player. No virtual or blurred backgrounds are allowed. The other camera should be placed behind the player diagonally at approximately a 30-degree angle, with the player's desk and monitors clearly visible. One camera must have audio turned on. The Players may further be requested to submit to a Computer Inspection and/or an Environment Inspection.

Broadcasting

Forward facing Proctor cameras, including audio, may be used by Chess.com, or Chess.com's broadcast partner for the official Titled Tuesday broadcast. Players may live broadcast their participation in Titled Tuesdays with no delay. Players are not required to enter emote-only mode, but must have chat closed during games. Players who stream may wear headphones during the event. Players are not permitted to broadcast or distribute any "Fair Play" video conference call, including player cameras and video, in whole or in part, without permission from Chess.com.

Prizes

Up to $10,000 is available in each Titled Tuesday, as follows:

• Players may win multiple prizes, with the following exceptions:
  • Players may only win 1 (the highest of):
    • Top 10 placement prize
    • Class prize (including best debut/return)
      • Priority of class prizes is as follows:
        • Top non-GM, Top non-IM, Top Senior/Youth, Top Woman, Top Girl, Best Debut/Return
  • Players may additionally win any of the following prizes:
    • Best game
    • Brilliant move
    • Perfect score bounty
    • Streamer prize
• The U16 prize will be awarded only to players born in 2010, or later.
• The Senior prize will be awarded only to players born in 1976, or earlier.
• The top woman prize will be awarded to the highest placing woman player.
• The top non-GM prize will be awarded to the highest placing player that is not a FIDE Grandmaster
• The top non-IM prizes will be awarded to the highest placing player that is not a FIDE Grandmaster nor International Master
• Best debut/return is the highest placement from a player that hasn’t played Titled Tuesday for over 1 year (not more than once every 52 weeks)
• Most brilliant move and best game are awarded at the discretion of Chess.com
• Streamer prizes are randomly awarded each week to players who played/streamed all rounds of the event.
  • Only players who didn’t win another prize may be selected for these.
• The perfect score bounty is awarded to a perfect 11/11 score. If this is not achieved, the bounty accumulates week over week until there is a winner.

Sweepstakes Prizes (Random Draw)

• Streamer Prizes: Two (2) prizes of $100 each, randomly awarded each week to eligible streamers, regardless of gender, who participated in and streamed all rounds of the event, and who did not win a placement or bonus prize in that week's event.
• Woman Streamer Prize: One (1) prize of $100, randomly awarded to an eligible woman streamer under the same conditions.

Certain Titled Tuesday prizes are awarded by random draw rather than by tournament performance. These include:

Three (3) Chessable Move Trainers, randomly awarded each week to participants who played all rounds, did not win another prize, and have not previously won this prize.

No purchase is necessary to enter or win these randomly awarded prizes. A purchase or payment will not increase your chances of winning. Void where prohibited.

To be eligible for these random draw prizes, participants must meet the general Titled Tuesday eligibility requirements and any additional criteria specified above for each prize category. Streaming is not required to enter the main Titled Tuesday tournament; it is a separate, voluntary activity relevant only to the streamer prize categories.

Winners will be selected at random from the pool of eligible participants after each weekly event and will be notified by Chess.com. The odds of winning depend on the number of eligible participants each week.

These random draw prizes are subject to the Chess.com Giveaways, Games of Chance, and Sweepstakes policy available at chess.com/legal/giveaways, which governs eligibility, prize conditions, winner notification, publicity rights, limitation of liability, and all other terms applicable to sweepstakes conducted by Chess.com.

Champions Chess Tour Qualification Points

Champions Chess Tour Qualification points will be based on placement within a given Titled Tuesday. 

3 0 Thursday

Schedule

3 0 Thursday takes place on Thursdays at the start times listed below. 

The start times in CEST/CET are always 17:00, 22:00 and 3:00(+1). Daylight savings time ends in Europe on October 25. 

* The October 29 events will be one hour later than the displayed ET and PT times.

Tournament Format

Players will compete in a Swiss tournament with 11 rounds and a 3+0 time control. There is a planned six-minute break after round six. Players will earn 1 point for a win, ½ point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss. Draw offers are not permitted until after move 40. Players will be ranked by total points. If two or more players are tied in total points, the following tiebreakers will be applied:

1. Buchholz System (Cut 1), defined as the sum of scores of each opponent, minus the lowest opponent score
2. Buchholz System, defined as the sum of scores of each opponent
3. Sonneborn-Berger score, defined as the sum of the score of each defeated opponent and half the score of each drawn opponent.
4. Points earned in games between tied players (2-way ties only)
5. Number of game wins (including forfeits by opponents)
6. Number of game wins with black
7. Average rating of opponents (Cut 1), defined as the average rating of opponents, based on Chess.com blitz ratings immediately after the tournament, with the lowest rating removed
8. Player Chess.com ratings immediately after the Tournament

Eligibility

3 0 Thursday is open to all Chess.com members recognized by Chess.com as having a FIDE title or a national master title.

Fair Play

Players are required to use Proctor (to learn more about Proctor and download the client, please go to Chess.com/proctor), and will be monitored by tournament officials. To abide by this request, players must join the tournament using Proctor and have two cameras. One camera must clearly show the player's full face and immediate surroundings beyond the player. No virtual or blurred backgrounds are allowed. The other camera should be placed behind the player diagonally at approximately a 30-degree angle, with the player's desk and monitors clearly visible. One camera must have audio turned on. The Players may further be requested to submit to a Computer Inspection and/or an Environment Inspection.

Broadcasting

Players may live broadcast their participation in 3 0 Thursday without delay. Players are not required to enter emote-only mode, but must have chat closed during games. Players are not permitted to broadcast or distribute any "Fair Play" video conference call, including player cameras and video, in whole or in part, without permission from Chess.com. 

Prizes

Up to $1,000 is available in each 3 0 Thursday, as follows:

The top woman's prize will be awarded to the highest-placing woman player. Players may win both the top woman and an overall prize.

Freestyle Friday

Schedule

There will be no Freestyle Friday events between July and September 2026.

Freestyle Friday is a weekly Chess960 event that takes place every Friday, with start times as follows:

The start time in CET/CEST will always be 17:00, regardless of seasonal time changes.

Tournament Format

Players will compete in a Swiss tournament with 11 rounds of Chess960 with a 3+2 time control. There is a planned six-minute break after Round 4 and Round 8. Players will earn 1 point for a win, ½ point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss. Draw offers are not permitted until after move 40. Players will be ranked by total points. If two or more players are tied in total points, the following tiebreakers will be applied:

1. Buchholz System (Cut 1), defined as the sum of scores of each opponent, minus the lowest opponent score
2. Buchholz System, defined as the sum of scores of each opponent
3. Sonneborn-Berger score, defined as the sum of the score of each defeated opponent and half the score of each drawn opponent.
4. Points earned in games between tied players (2-way ties only)
5. Number of game wins (including forfeits by opponents)
6. Number of game wins with black
7. Average rating of opponents (Cut 1), defined as the average rating of opponents, based on Chess.com blitz ratings immediately after the tournament, with the lowest rating removed
8. Player Chess.com ratings immediately after the Tournament

Eligibility

Freestyle Friday is open to all Chess.com members verified by Chess.com as having a FIDE Title or a National Master Title.

Fair Play

Players are required to use Proctor (to learn more about Proctor and download the client, please go to Chess.com/proctor), and will be monitored by tournament officials. To comply with this request, players must join the tournament via Proctor and have two cameras set up. One camera must clearly show the player's full face and immediate surroundings beyond the player. No virtual or blurred backgrounds are allowed. The other camera should be placed behind the player diagonally at approximately a 30-degree angle, with the player's desk and monitors clearly visible. One camera must have audio turned on. The Players may further be requested to submit to a Computer Inspection and/or an Environment Inspection.

Broadcasting

Players may live broadcast their participation in Freestyle Friday without delay. Players are not permitted to broadcast or distribute any "Fair Play" video conference calls, including player cameras and video, in whole or in part, without permission from Chess.com. 

Prizes

Up to $1,000 are available in each Freestyle Friday, as follows:

* The top woman's prize will be awarded to the highest-placing woman player.

Freestyle Friday Championship 2026

Overview

The Freestyle Friday Championship 2026 is a leaderboard competition where titled players can earn Freestyle Friday leaderboard points each week. Points contribute toward qualification for the 2027 FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship and the 2027 FIDE Women's Freestyle Chess World Championship.

Format And Leaderboard

Players may compete in weekly Freestyle Friday events from February 20, 2026, to December 18, 2026. Players earn points based on placement in each Freestyle Friday event. The top player from the Freestyle Friday leaderboard (all players) will qualify for the 2027 FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship. The top woman from the Freestyle Friday leaderboard will qualify for the 2027 FIDE Women's Freestyle Chess World Championship. If a player is already qualified for the respective event through other means, the qualification spot will be awarded to the next highest eligible ranked player on the leaderboard.

UPDATE June 12, 2026

Based on the Freestyle Chess Announcement Part 1 of the Freestyle Friday Championship ends on June 26, 2026, qualifying 1 player per section for the 2027 FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship and the 2027 FIDE Women's Freestyle Chess World Championship. No Freestyle Friday events will be played from July to September, and Part 2 of the Freestyle Friday Championship will begin on October 2, 2026 with qualification ending on December 18, 2026. All leaderboard points accumulated in Part 1 will carry over. One additional player per section will qualify at the conclusion of Part 2 of the Freestyle Friday Championship. 

Freestyle Friday Championship 2026 Tiebreaks

• Highest placement, followed by second-highest placement, third-highest placement, etc
• Total events played
• For an event to be considered as a played event, the player must have competed in over half of the rounds of that Freestyle Friday.

Leaderboard Points

Points will be based on placement within a given Freestyle Friday. There will be a leaderboard for all players and another leaderboard for women only.

The women's leaderboard will be calculated based solely on players in that category, ranking them against one another. This leaderboard will be completely separate from the main Freestyle Friday Championship leaderboard. 

Bullet Brawl

Schedule

Bullet Brawl takes place every Saturday beginning at 9 a.m. PT / 18:00 CET.  

The start time in CEST/CET is always 18:00.

* The October 31 event will be at 10 a.m PT / 1 p.m. ET.

Tournament Format

Players will compete in a 2-hour Arena with score-based pairings and a 1+0 time control. Players will earn 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss. Consecutive wins will be worth additional points, with the second win in a row worth 3 points and every consecutive win thereafter worth 4 points. Players will be ranked by total points. If two or more players are tied in total points, the following tiebreakers will be applied:

1. Most consecutive game wins
2. Total game wins
3. Fewest game losses

Eligibility

Bullet Brawl is open to all Chess.com members recognized by Chess.com as having a FIDE Title or a National Master Title.

Broadcasting

Players may live broadcast their participation in Bullet Brawl. Players are not permitted to broadcast or distribute any "Fair Play" video conference call, including player cameras and video, in whole or in part, without permission from Chess.com.

Fair Play

Players in this event are not required to join a video conference call for monitoring

Prizes

Up to US $1,000 are available in each Bullet Brawl, as follows:

The top woman prize will be awarded to the highest placing woman player.

Arena Kings

Schedule

Arena Kings takes place on the first Wednesday of each month, with start times as follows:

The start time in CEST/CET is always 18:00. Daylight savings time ends in Europe on October 25. 

Tournament Format

Players will compete in a two-hour multi-club Arena with score-based pairings and a 3+0 time control. Players will earn 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss. Draw offers are not permitted until after move 40. Consecutive wins will be worth additional points, with the second win in a row worth 3 points and every consecutive win thereafter worth 4 points. Clubs will be ranked by total points, counting their top 30 scores. If two or more teams are tied in total points, the following tiebreakers will be applied:

1. Total points of the top 20 players
2. Total points of the top 10 players
3. Total points of the top 5 players
4. Total points of the top player
5. If the tie remains, the prizes will be split

Eligibility

Arena Kings is open to all Chess.com members in good standing. To be prize eligible, participants must meet the following criteria:

Streaming Platforms:

• All prize-eligible streams must be hosted on Twitch, YouTube or Kick.

Clubs:

• Clubs must complete the registration form by the designated due date specified in the form to be considered for eligibility.
• To be eligible for the club leaderboard, the club owner must stream. They can either play in the event or provide commentary.
• Approved clubs will be automatically invited to the following month's Arena Kings. If you do not plan on participating please email tournaments@chess.com at least 1 day prior to the event start date.
• If a club does not show up for an Arena Kings in which they were eligible, and were added to the club, they will be removed.
• All clubs that have been removed from Arena Kings must reapply to become eligible.
• Clubs should be clearly associated with participating creators (e.g. as represented in the club logo and description).
• Chess.com reserves the right to accept or decline applications based on club activity/own discretion.

Players:

• Competing players must have a minimum of fifty games completed on Chess.com.
• Competing players must belong to an approved club.
• Anonymous players cannot earn prizes. All prize-winning accounts must be labeled with the player's real name.
• No short or unnatural draws without playing an authentic game of chess are permitted. We expect players to abide by the spirit of the competition and play normally at all times. A draw may be offered before time expires in your final game to "beat the buzzer," but only if this game was played in the authentic manner we expect throughout the whole of the tournament, and beyond a minimum of 40 moves. 

To be eligible for creator prizes:

• Streams must be publicly available to Chess.com
• The player must stream their games with their board and themselves visible on stream, and their video and audio must be clear. 
• The player must stream at least 100 minutes of the event.
• The player must save their VoDs and be able to provide them to staff upon request to be prize eligible. It is recommended to store them publicly to avoid disqualification.
• “Arena Kings," “Arenakings,” or “AK,” must be in the stream title
• Verbal commentary and/or chat engagement are required. We are specifically discouraging players from streaming simply to be eligible for prizes while not providing any streaming "value."

Fair Play

Players in this event are not required to join a video conference call for monitoring.

Pairing Manipulation: Players are prohibited from intentionally manipulating pairings within Arena Kings. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Delaying gameplay, forfeiting games, or making strategic decisions with the express purpose of affecting who they are paired against.
• Colluding with other players to manipulate pairings for a mutual advantage.

Prizes

Up to $2,500 in prizes are available in each Arena Kings, as follows:

The top five scorers from each club in the top five will receive a one-month Diamond membership. One random player per club with more than 15 scorers will receive a one-month Diamond membership. 

Prizes for the Club Leaderboard will be paid directly to the club owner. All other prizes will be paid directly to the player. Clubs where the club owner is not participating are not eligible for prizes. 

Chess.com 4-Player Chess Championship

Schedule

The Chess.com 4 Player Chess Championship consists of eight Qualifier events and a Finals stage. The schedule is as follows:

Format

Qualifiers

Players may participate in up to eight Qualifiers. The winner of each Qualifier will advance to the Chess.com 4-Player Chess Championship Finals. Players who have already qualified for the Finals are ineligible to participate in additional Qualifiers.

In each Qualifier, players will compete in a two-hour Free-For-All (FFA) Arena tournament with a 4+0 time control using the modern random-color setup and anonymous pairings. The scoring system is as follows: 3 points for a win, 1.5 point for second place, 0.75 point for third place, and 0 points for last place. Players will be ranked by total points. Standard Chess.com arena tiebreaks apply.

Chess.com 4 Player Chess Championship Finals

All Finals matches use a 4+0 time control and the 3-1-1-0 scoring system (3 points for first, 1 point for second, 1 point for third, 0 points for last). Players compete semi-anonymously.

Semifinals

The eight qualified players are divided into two groups of four. Group A will have the winners of Qualifiers 1, 4, 5, and 8; Group B will have the winners of Qualifiers 2, 3, 6, and 7. Each group plays a 90-minute countdown match. Only games that have already started before the timer expires will count toward players' scores. The top two players from each group, based on total points, advance to the Grand Final.

Semifinal Tiebreaks (for determining group advancement):

1. Most individual game wins (higher is better)
2. Fewest individual 4th-place finishes (lower is better)
3. Last player to win a game
4. Last player to finish 2nd in a game
5. Last player to make a move before the final game ended

Grand Final

The four finalists compete in a single match. The Champion is the first player to reach 7 points and win a game after reaching those 7 points. If two players simultaneously reach 7+ points and tie in the same game, the match continues until one player wins a game after reaching 7+ points.

Score Tiebreaks: In case of a tie for any placing, the tied players split the combined prize pool for those positions equally. For example, a two-way tie for first results in scores of 2–2–1–0 across the four players.

Eligibility

• All players with a valid Chess.com account in good standing are eligible to compete.

To be eligible for streamer prizes, participants must meet the following criteria:

• Players must stream to YouTube, Twitch, or Kick
• Players must be easily identifiable on Twitch and/or Kick by listing their streams in the "Chess" category.
• Players must stream at least 55 minutes of the qualifiers.
• Players must have "4PC", "4-Player Chess," or "Community Championship" in their stream title.
• If streaming on Twitch, the streamer must connect their Twitch account to Chess.com.
• Stream must be of high enough quality as deemed by the event coordinator, including, but not limited to, showing your camera, providing a clear view of the clocks and boards, and maintaining good audio quality.

Fair Play

Qualifiers

Active monitoring by the Chess.com fair play team. No cameras or video conference call required. No broadcast delay.

Chess.com 4-Player Chess Championship Finals

All players are required to join a video conference call for monitoring by tournament officials. Players are required to share their screens and have two cameras:

• One camera must clearly show the player's full face and immediate surroundings beyond the player.
• The other camera should be placed behind the player diagonally at approximately a 30-degree angle, with the player's desk and monitors clearly visible.
• One camera must have audio turned on.
• All cameras must not have virtual or blurred backgrounds.

Headphones are not allowed for this event. Non-compliance may result in a player's removal from the event. Players may further be requested to submit to a Computer Inspection, an Environment Inspection, and/or a Physical Inspection at any time in connection with the Finals.

Broadcasting

Players may broadcast their participation in the Chess.com 4-Player Chess Championship without delay. Streaming is allowed with no restrictions except that chat must be closed during Finals games, which will be verified via the second camera. Both cameras must be active in Zoom for the duration of the Finals.

Players are not permitted to broadcast or distribute the "Fair Play" video conference call, including player cameras and video, in whole or in part, without permission from Chess.com.

Prizes

Up to $5,000 in prizes are available in the Chess.com 4-Player Chess Championship. Payments will be made in United States dollars.

Champions Chess Tour 2026-2027

Overview

The 2026-2027 Champions Chess Tour (CCT) is composed of Titled Tuesday, the Speed Chess Championship, and the Chess.com Open. Players' aggregate performances will be tracked on the CCT Leaderboard, which will be used to qualify players for the 2027 Esports World Cup.

Points And Leaderboard

Each tournament will award points that are used to rank players on the CCT Leaderboard. Players will be ranked on the CCT Leaderboard based on their total points earned. Points are awarded per tournament in accordance with the table below:

Players earn Titled Tuesday points in every Titled Tuesday held between September 1, 2026, and May 25, 2027. All Titled Tuesday results count toward a Player's total; there is no cap on the number of scoring events and no split structure.

Event Qualification

Speed Chess Championship

The eight highest-ranked players on the CCT Leaderboard as of November 3, 2026, will qualify for the Speed Chess Championship XI.

Esports World Cup

The 12 highest-ranked players on the CCT Leaderboard at the conclusion of the cycle will qualify for the Esports World Cup.

Champions Chess Tour Leaderboard Tiebreaks

Leaderboard ties will be broken by:

1. Highest placement in SCC or CCO
2. Second-highest placement in SCC or CCO
3. The highest placement achieved in a Titled Tuesday between September 1, 2026, and May 25, 2027, followed by the second-highest placement, the third-highest placement, and so on, as needed
4. Chess.com rapid rating immediately following Titled Tuesday on May 25, 2027

2026 Chess Club Showdown Official Rules 

Schedule

Chess Club Showdown is a recurring monthly event, each consisting of a Multi-Club Arena (“MCA”) followed by a Club Match between the top two scoring clubs. The first Chess Club Showdown is on September 30, 2026 with future dates to be announced.

Tournament Format

Multi-Club Arena

Players will compete in a two-hour Multi-Club Arena with score-based pairings and a 5+0 time control. Standard Chess.com arena scoring and tiebreaks will apply. Players will earn 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss. Consecutive wins will be worth additional points, with the second win in a row worth 3 points and every consecutive win thereafter worth 4 points. Draw offers are not permitted until after move 40. Clubs will be ranked by total points, counting their top 50 scores. If two or more teams are tied in total points, the following tiebreakers will be applied:

1. Total points of the top 20 players
2. Total points of the top 10 players
3. Total points of the top 5 players
4. Total points of the top player
5. If the tie remains, the prizes will be split
1. If a tie remains between the 2nd and 3rd place teams, the Chess.com Blitz ratings of each team’s top scorer will be compared. The team with the higher rated player will be granted 2nd place. If both players are tied in rating, the ratings of the next eligible players will be compared until the tie is broken (2nd vs. 2nd, 3rd vs. 3rd, etc). 

Club Match

Following the Multi-Club Arena, the top 2 ranked clubs will compete in a Club Match. All players in these clubs are eligible to register, and players do not have to play in the same Club they played for in the Multi-Club Arena. The Club Match is capped to the top 50 highest rated registered players from each club. If fewer than 50 players sign up for either club, the number of matches in the Club Match will be adjusted to the number of players from the club with fewer players. For example, if Club A has 100 registered players and Club B has 30 registered players, then the Club Match will be 30 matches, between the 30 highest rated players of each club.

Players will compete in a 2-game match against the same-seed player from the other club (e.g. the highest rated player of Club A plays the highest rated player of Club B, 2nd vs 2nd, etc…). Each game has standard chess scoring: 1 point for a win, 0.5 points for a draw and 0 points for a loss. The time control is 5+0 and draw offers are not permitted until after move 40.

Eligibility

Clubs

• Must be a professional esports organization, meaning a legal entity that operates competitive gaming rosters under a unified brand; and
• Must either:
• be a member of the EWC Club Partner Program; or
• has fielded at least one player at any previous EWC event in any game title that would have been eligible for Club Championship points

Players

• Must have accounts in good standing on Chess.com; and
• have played a minimum of 50 rated blitz games on Chess.com with an account at least 3 days old

Streamers

• Streams must be publicly available to Chess.com; and
• all prize-eligible streams must be hosted on Twitch, YouTube, or Kick; and
• players must be easily identifiable on Twitch and/or Kick by listing their streams in the "Chess" category; and
• players must stream at least 100 minutes of the Multi-Club Arena; and
• players must have "Club Showdown" or “Chess Club Showdown” in their stream title; and
• if streaming on Twitch, the streamer must connect their Twitch account to Chess.com.

Broadcasting

Players may broadcast their participation in the Chess Club Showdown. There are no restrictions regarding stream delay or chat activity. As per the Fair Play rules below, players cannot receive outside assistance during play. 

Fair Play

All players are expected to adhere to both the Chess.com Fair Play Policy and the Chess.com Competitive Events Policy. Final rankings and prizes may be affected by fair play review during and after the event

For the Multi-Club Arena, any points earned by accounts closed for Fair Play violations will be removed from their club’s total, without replacement. For the Club Match, closed accounts will receive 0 points for each game, and their opponents receive 1 point for each game.

Prizes

For the first event (September 30th) Chess.com will award $25,000 USD for the Chess Club Showdown, for all subsequent events, Chess.com will award $15,000, according to the tables below. Payments will be made in United States dollars. 

Club Match:

Chess.com Duck Chess Championship

Schedule

The Chess.com Duck Chess Championship consists of eight qualifier events (each a "Qualifier") and a knockout stage ("Chess.com Duck Chess Championship Main Event"). The Chess.com Duck Chess Championship schedule is as follows:

Tournament Format

Qualifiers

Players may participate in up to eight Qualifiers. The winner of each Qualifier will advance to the Chess.com Duck Chess Championship Main Event, which is a double-elimination bracket.

In each Qualifier, players will compete in a 75-minute Arena with score-based pairings and a 3+2 time control. Standard Chess.com arena scoring and tiebreaks will apply.

Players who have already qualified to participate in the Chess.com Duck Chess Championship Main Event are ineligible to participate in additional qualifiers.

Chess.com Duck Chess Championship Main Event

The Duck Chess Championship Main Event is a double-elimination bracket with the eight winners from the Qualifiers. Players will be ranked based on the Qualifier they won (the first seed is the Arena 1 winner, etc.). Matches will consist of four games with a 3+2 time control and alternating colors. The higher seed begins with the white pieces. Players will earn 1 point for a win, ½ point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss. The first player to reach 2.5 points wins the match. If tied 2-2, players will play one game with a 1+2 time control. If a tiebreak game ends in a draw, additional 1+2 games are played with alternating colors until a player wins the tiebreak game. 

Eligibility

Qualifiers

• All players with a Chess.com account in good standing are eligible to compete in the event.

To be eligible for streamer prizes, participants must meet the following criteria:

• Streams must be publicly available to Chess.com
• All prize-eligible streams must be hosted on Twitch, YouTube, or Kick.
• Players must be easily identifiable on Twitch and/or Kick by listing their streams in the "Chess" category.
• Players must stream at least 65 minutes of the Qualifier
• Players must have "Duck Chess" or "Community Championship" in their stream title.
• If streaming on Twitch, the streamer must connect their Twitch account to Chess.com.

Fair Play

In the Chess.com Duck Chess Championship Main Event, players must share their screen and use two cameras. One camera must clearly show the player's full face and immediate surroundings beyond the player. Virtual or blurred backgrounds are not allowed. A second camera should be placed behind the player diagonally at approximately a 30-degree angle, with the player's desk and monitors clearly visible. One camera must have audio turned on. Non-compliance may result in a player's removal from the event. Players may further be requested to submit to a Computer Inspection, an Environment Inspection, and/or a Physical Inspection at any time in any match in connection with the Chess.com Duck Chess Championship.

Broadcasting

Players may broadcast their participation in the Chess.com Duck Chess Championship without delay. During the Chess.com Duck Chess Championship Main Event, players must close their stream chat while games are in progress. Players are not permitted to broadcast or distribute the "Fair Play" video conference call, including player cameras and video, in whole or in part, without permission from Chess.com. 

Prizes

Up to $2,500 in prizes are available in the Chess.com Duck Chess Championship. Payments will be made in United States dollars. 

Chess.com will award $2,500 for the Chess.com Duck Chess Championship Main Event, according to the table below:

* The top streamer prize is awarded to the highest-placing streamer who didn't win another prize, based on the best Qualifier placement achieved. The tiebreaker for this prize is the score in the Qualifier in which the best placement was achieved. If that's tied, the prize is split equally among tied players.