76th National Championships 2025

Directions: ACM is a 5 mins walk from Raffles MRT Station Exit H.

Public parking is available at the basement car park of the New Parliament House, at Six Battery Road and at One Fullerton across from the Fullerton Hotel.

Dresscode: Smart Casual. No slippers and sandals are permitted. 

Entry Fee: Free for participants who qualified in above listed qualifier events and IM/WIM, GM/WGM who meet the rating criteria. $130.80 (including GST) for all other entrants. There will not be any refunds after payment is made.

Click here for Registration Form

Default Time: Players have to arrive and make their first move within 1 hour. Absence after 1 hour will be declared a default loss.

Schedule: 

The above schedule is subject to changes. SCF reserves the right to amend event dates and times. Participants will be notified ahead of time if there are changes to the schedule.

*IMPORTANT* All participants are expected to play all rounds and attend the prize ceremony. Players who are unable to attend any rounds should inform the Chief Arbiter ahead of time, unless it is an emergency. Participants who do not provide any valid reason for absence will forfeit their prizes and may face further disciplinary actions imposed by the SCF.

Prizes (Subject to changes after finalising the player list):

Total Prize Fund: $27,000

Each player can only be eligible for 1 cash prize. Players qualifying for 2 or more categories will win the cash prize of the highest amount. The winner of the overall tournament will be crowned Singapore National Champion, while the highest ranked female player will be crowned Singapore National Women’s Champion.

Closing date: 27 January, 6pm. Late entries will not be accepted.

The final ranking is determined by the number of points scored.

Play-offs when there is a tie for first place:
A Play-Off will be held in the event of a tie for first place.  A maximum of 4 players based on Buchholz Cut 1 will be eligible for the play-off. The formats of the play-offs are as follows:

If 2 players:
2 rounds of Rapid (15 minutes + 10 seconds increment) –  if still tied, proceed to next format
2 rounds of Blitz (3 minutes + 2 seconds increment)
Armageddon (5 minutes for White, 4 minutes for Black, Black gets draw odds)

If 3 players:
Semi-Final: 2nd vs 3rd (the player with the best tiebreaks qualifies for the final directly) based on tiebreaks with the following format:

2 rounds of Rapid
2 rounds of Blitz
Armageddon 

Final between the winner of the Semi-Final with the following format:

2 rounds of Rapid
2 rounds of Blitz
Armageddon 

If 4 players:
Semi-Final: 1st vs 4th, 2nd vs 3rd based on tiebreaks with the following format:

2 rounds of Rapid
2 rounds of Blitz
Armageddon 

Final between the winners of the Semi-Finals, with the following format:

2 rounds of Rapid
2 rounds of Blitz
Armageddon 

Colors will be drawn before each mini-match. The player who finished higher in the tiebreaks will decide who to pick the colors on each occasion. Individuals eligible for the Play Off must mutually come to an agreeable date, not more than 1 month after the last round.

The following order of tie-breaks shall be used when there is a tie for places other than the first place

(1) Direct Encounter
(2) Buchholz Cut 1
(3) Buchholz
(4) Greater number of wins with black pieces
(5) Greater number of wins

Appeals Committee 

1.  SCF shall appoint 3 members to form the Appeals Committee.
2. An appeal shall be made in writing within 15 minutes of the completion of the relevant playing session, accompanied by an appeal fee of S$100.
3. Fees shall be refunded if the appeal is upheld, and forfeited if appeal is deemed unsuccessful.
4. The ruling of the Appeals Committee is FINAL and no further correspondence shall be entertained.

Fair Play

1. Only writing material and personal medication is allowed in the playing area.
2. All other personal belongings including wallets, handphones, watches and bags are not allowed in the playing area. These items will be kept in a designated storage area, and players will only retrieve their belongings upon completion of their games. Players who have collected their belongings are NOT allowed to return to the playing area.
3. The playing area will be defined during the technical meeting.
4. At the entrance of the playing venue, Arbiters and Fair Play Officers reserve the right to search players via metal detector or manual means.
5. Arbiters and Fair Play Officers may conduct searches at any point before, during or after the game.
6. Players are to seek Arbiter’s permission if they are to move outside of the playing area. Players may be searched by Arbiters and Fair Play Officers upon re-entry.
7. Players are to play to the best of their natural ability. Any outside assistance in person or via electronic means is strictly prohibited. Arbiters reserve the right to disqualify or declare a game loss if an individual is found to be receiving assistance.
8. All participants shall comply and co-operate with the Fair Play rules. Players may be removed from the tournament at any time on final decision of the Chief Arbiter based on Fair Play rules.