77th National Schools Individual Championships 2026

Directions: OCBC Arena is a short walk (300m) from Stadium MRT (CC6) Exit B. It is a 350m walk from Natl Stadium bus stop (80219) served by buses, 10, 14, 14A, 16, 16M, 70, 70A, 70M and 196.

Public parking is available at Carpark C, via Stadium Drive.

Schedule:

March 16 2026 (Monday)	9.45am – Player’s Technical Briefing 10.00am – Round 1 11.30am – Round 2 12.30pm – Lunch (Lunch is not provided) 1.30pm – Round 3 3.00pm – Round 4 4.30pm – Round 5
March 17 2026 (Tuesday)	10.00am – Round 6 11.30am – Round 7 12.30am – Lunch (Lunch is not provided) 1.30pm – Round 8 3.00pm – Round 9 5.15pm – Prize Presentation & Closing Ceremony (may be adjusted if rounds end later)

Note:

a. All Categories will play simultaneously.

b. Organizers reserve the right to amend the schedule – In the interest of participants’ safety in view of mass participation in an enclosed space, organizers might consider adjusting the schedule to allow a more comfortable environment for all players. This will also alleviate other problems associated with large human masses such as traffic congestions and parking issues.

c. Final prize list and schedule will be announced one day after the closing date. We will endeavor to minimize disruption to the existing schedule.

Format and time control

a. 9 Rounds FIDE Rated Swiss System
b. 15mins and 10 seconds increment from move 1
c. Default time – when clock runs to zero

Tie Break

a. Direct encounter
b. Buchholz Cut 1
c. Buchholz
d. Sonnenborn Berger
e. Cumulative system – Sum of Progressive Scores (Sum of Progressive Scores: After each round a player has a certain tournament score. These scores are added to determine the total Sum of Progressive Score)

Prizes

National Prizes – Top 10 in each category will be awarded trophies. 11 to 20th position will receive medals.

Top 3 in the U20 and Champion of U16 will be invited to play in the National Rapid Chess Championships, with entry fees waived (Dates of National Rapid will be announced later).

Zone Prizes – Top 10 from each Zone (North, South, East and West Zones) within each age category will receive medals. The numbers of prizes shall only be announced when registration is closed. Zones may be combined if required in order to even out participation across categories. Zonals apply only for schools published in MOE’s School Zones: School clusters | MOE

Players must score minimum of 3 points to be eligible for a zone medal.

Non-MOE Prizes – Top 10 from Non-MOE entities within each age category will receive medals (Non-Moe includes polytechnics, tertiaries, international schools, private institutions).

* Organizer reserves right to amend prizes based on final playing list.

Closing Ceremony (Important)

It is important for us to respect our hosts and guest of honours for this tournament. As such, all schools and players are reminded to attend and stay throughout the Prize Giving Ceremony. Prizes are automatically forfeited if the prize winners are not present during the Prize Giving Ceremony.

Eligibility

a. Participants MUST currently be studying in an educational institute physically located in Singapore.    

b. This includes private and government institutions. Individuals in schools physically outside of Singapore are not eligible.

c. The only exceptions are provided for individuals studying in schools where chess is not an existing CCA. For such cases, participants can use the ‘NSI Individual’ form to register. Participants who register under this form acknowledge that they have sought permission from the school (either principal or club) in participating separately from the school team.

Participants must play in their categories based on age and gender (Participants can play in a higher age category, but not lower).

Observe the following year of birth to determine which category you are eligible to play in:

U8 Open/Girls : Born in, or after 2018
U10 Open/Girls: Born in, or after 2016
U12 Open/Girls: Born in, or after 2014
U14 Open/Girls: Born in, or after 2012
U16 Open/Girls: Born in, or after 2010
U20 Open/Girls: Born in, or after 2006

* Organizer reserves right to reject entries without assigning any reasons.

FIDE ID

All participants are required to have a FIDE ID. This is a FIDE Rated event. For Singaporeans/PRs only, applications for FIDE ID can be submitted to the Singapore Chess Federation.

Registration:

Sign up here

Deadline: 2 Mar 2026 (Monday), 1800 hrs or once 2000 entries have been recorded. Late entries are subject to space availability.

Registration Fees (inclusive of GST):

a. Individual from local schools – S$70.85
b. Individual from International Schools / Private Schools – S$103.55

Entry fees are strictly non-refundable. Organszer reserves the right to reject any entries without assigning any reasons.

Registration Confirmation:

a. Confirmation email will be sent within 10 working days, after confirming registration details & payment confirmation received.

b. Upon receiving the confirmation email, school registrants & Individual registrants are to confirm the registration details (eg. age group categories, etc) on Chess Results. Links for respective age categories will be set up nearer to the event date. This can be toggled at the top of the page.

c. Should there be any discrepancies, please email to singchess@singaporechess.org.sg

Recording:

Recording is not compulsory. Players shall have no right of claim in the case of a dispute if he/she does not keep a proper record of their games.

Electronic devices:

a. The use of mobile phones or ANY electronic devices is prohibited.

b. All electronics will be switched off and kept in bags, and the bags will be stowed beneath the table during each round.

c. Any observed light, sound or vibration emitted from such devices during the game shall be an immediate loss without appeal.

d. Use of electronic devices and mobile phones are only allowed once players have exited the playing area. Anyone caught using these devices in the playing venue, even after their game is over, may have their results overturned and issued a stern warning. Repeat offenders will be removed from the tournament.

Disputes:

a. Any dispute arising from a game shall be referred to the Section Arbiter or Chief Arbiter.

b. Chief Arbiter’s decision shall be final. Protests against decisions of the Chief Arbiter must be submitted in written form to the Tournament Director within 1 hour after the completion of the respective game. This will be accompanied with an Appeals fee of SGD 200. If the appeal is granted, the sum shall be returned immediately. If the appeal is refused, the sum may be forfeited to the Organizers.

c. The Appeals Committee is not obliged to reach a decision by the end of the tournament.

d. No correspondences will be entertained after the game.

Submission of Results:

a. Upon the completion of a match, both players will call for the Sector Arbiter to verify the score. Players are advised not to reset the board until the score has been vetted. This will be done in the presence of both players, who will then sign on the results sheet once they verify the score written by the arbiter.

b. It is the responsibility of both players to report the score of the game. If only one player is present after the game has ended, the arbiters will record the result based on the present player’s word.

c. In the event that neither player reports their score, the arbiters will record the game as both players having zero points for that game.

d. Where there is a walkover, this shall be indicated on the Result Sheet.

Dress code:

All participants must be dressed in their school uniforms/sports attire/chess club attire with proper shoes on event days. Minimally, it should enable arbiters to identify the school that the individual represents. Individuals who flout the dress code will not be allowed to participate in the tournament until the dress code has been rectified.

Tournament hall:

a. Only players are allowed within the playing area. Once players have completed their games, they are deemed as spectators and must leave the playing area.

b. Non-players of the event (parents/accompanying persons/spectators, etc) are not allowed within the playing area.

c. Parents/Accompanying persons may assist the children to their allocated table numbers & stay for the pre-rounds announcements. Subsequently, parents/accompanying persons will be invited to exit the tournament hall.

d. Parents/Accompanying persons are requested not to block the pathways and advised to make arrangements to meet at level 1 or the nearby shopping centers.

Conduct:

All players/parents/teachers in charge are reminded that the tournament is held in public premises. Any misconduct/safety breaches will be highlighted to their respective school’s principal. SCF may also suspend/ban the player from subsequent events depending on the severity of misbehaviour.

FAQs:

Q: My school has a chess club CCA, but I am not in chess – can I still use the NSI Individual Form to submit my entry?
A: Students are encouraged to go through the school for submission. Seek approval from the chess club.

Q: My school has a chess CCA, but is not participating / sending students for NSI – can I use the NSI Individual Form to submit my entry?
A: Yes, please use the form for individual submission (refer to item No.8). Note that if the school does send players, refunds will not be issued for double entries. Players who use this form acknowledge that they have sought permission from the school to participate in this event.

Q: Is the 77th National School Individual Championship 2026 a qualifying event for the year National Junior Squad 2026?
A: Yes. The NSI is a Qualifying Event that will allow eligible students to enroll into the National Junior Squads in SCF.

Q: Where can I find details on the National Junior Squad?
A: Details can be found in the updated selection and training guidelines.

Q: When should the players be ready to enter the tournament hall?
A: When the ‘Pairing List’ is made available on chess-results.com.

Q: Where can I find

a. the ‘pairings & the rankings’ after each round?
b. the ‘Prize Winner’s list’?
c. the ‘Tournament Seating Plan’?

A: The pairings list, ranking list, Prize winner’s list & Tournament Seating Floorplan is available at chess-results.com. ‘A summarize guide to find the find the above items are available at  A summarize guide to Chess-Result.pdf