28th WORLD SENIOR CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP
50+ and 65+
Bled, Slovenia
17. – 30. November 2018
GENERAL REGULATIONS
1. Invitation
The World Chess Federation (FIDE), the Slovenian Chess Federation, the Municipality of Bled and the European Chess Academy have the honour to invite all senior women and men throughout the world to participate in the 28th World Senior Chess Championship (50+ and 65+) organised in the Olympic city of Bled, Slovenia, 17th November (arrival) to 30th November (departure) 2018.
2. Participation
The World Senior Chess Championship is open to all players, regardless of rating and title, who reach their age of 50 and 65 by 31st December 2018 and represent National Chess Federations which are members of FIDE. There is no limit in the number of participants per federation.
According to the FIDE tournament rules, the Championship will be played in four categories: age 50+ and 65+ (Open and Women).
The top 3 players in each category of the World Senior Championship 2017 as well as Continental Senior Championship 2017 are qualified with personal rights and will be accepted with free board and hotel accommodation.
3. Entry fees and registration fees
FIDE entry fee: Each player has to pay 70 EUR as FIDE entry fee.
Registration fee: Each player has to pay 80 EUR as registration fee for the event. It includes registration and accreditation.
FIDE entry fee and registration fee together with the payment for the hotel booking must be paid simultaneously with the application. The payment must be made by bank transfer. Invited players or their federations will also pay.
The registration period ends on 17th September 2018, after that the FIDE entry fee is 140 EUR and Registration fee is 120 EUR.
http://wscc2018.european-chessacademy.com
4. Registration, bookings and payments
All players have to register before 17th September 2018 (registration deadline). The entry form should be filled out on the official website of the championship.
All players are obliged to be accommodated in one of the official hotels through the organizer.
Access to playing areas, venues and the hotel will be allowed only to people accredited by the organizer.
In addition to the written application, a personal registration before the beginning of the tournament is necessary. This will be done on 17th November, in the playing venue, between 16.00 and 22.00 and on 18th November, between 08.00 and 10.00. Players who are not registered before the technical meeting (November 18th, 10.00) cannot be included in the drawing of lots and entry fees will be forfeited.
At the time of registration minimum the amount of 300 EUR (80 EUR registration fee + 70 EUR FIDE entry fee + 150 EUR hotel booking) must be transferred (free of bank charge) to the following bank account:
Address of the bank:
DELAVSKA HRANILNICA d.d.
Miklošičeva 5
1000 Ljubljana
Slovenija
Account number:
IBAN: SI56 6100 0001 1892 062
SWIFT (BIC): HDELSI22
Address of our company:
European Chess Academy
Istrska ulica 60g
2000 Maribor
Slovenija.
Players with personal rights must pay only FIDE entry fee and registration fee (150 EUR together) if they register till September 17th 2018.
Accompanying people must pay only the hotel booking (150 EUR).
All the above-mentioned payments are non-refundable if the booking is cancelled.
5. Airport transfers
The organizer will arrange the transfer from the Ljubljana Airport to the hotels in Bled for free for players (it is including in the registration fee). Buses will leave from Ljubljana Airport on November 17th and on November 30st (in front of hotel Park in Bled). Precise information will be published on the official website
http://wscc2018.european-chessacademy.com
All other transfer options are possible, but payable. For transfers, please contact, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
6. Tournament halls
The tournament hall will be Congress centre in Grand Hotel Toplice Bled 5***** (all together 1.500 m square meters). The most beautiful Congress centre in Slovenia!
Address: Grand Hotel Toplice Bled, Cesta svobode 12, 4260 Bled.
There is a large parking lot and free WI-FI connection.
7. Lodging and boarding
Lodging and boarding will be provided with full board (breakfast, lunch, dinner included) at following hotels:
Grand Hotel Toplice Bled 5*****, Cesta svobode 12, 4260 Bled,
https://www.sava-hotels-resorts.com/en/sava-hoteli-bled/accommodations/grand-hotel-toplice
single room = 140 EUR / person and night
double room = 120 EUR / person and night.
10 single rooms, 35 double rooms.
Grand Hotel Toplice is a Tournament venue.
Hotel Park Bled 4****, (Official Olympic hotel during Chess Olympiad 2002), Cesta svobode 15, 4260 Bled,
https://www.sava-hotels-resorts.com/en/sava-hoteli-bled/accommodations/hotel-park
single room = 85 EUR / person and night
double room - single use = 116 EUR / person and night.
100 single rooms, 60 double/single use rooms.
Hotel Park is 50m from the Tournament venue.
Hotel Golf Bled Superior 4**** (Official Olympic hotel during Chess Olympiad 2002), Cankarjeva cesta 6, 4260 Bled,
https://www.sava-hotels-resorts.com/en/sava-hoteli-bled/accommodations/hotel-golf
double room = 69 EUR / person and night
double room - single use = 116 EUR / person and night
90 double rooms, 40 double/single use rooms.
Hotel Golf Bled Superior is 300m from the Tournament venue.
Hotel Savica Bled 3***, Cankarjeva cesta 6, 4260 Bled,
https://www.sava-hotels-resorts.com/en/sava-hoteli-bled/accommodations/hotel-savica
Hotel Trst 3***, Cesta svobode 12, 4260 Bled,
https://www.sava-hotels-resorts.com/en/sava-hoteli-bled/accommodations/hotel-trst
Hotel Jadran 3***, Cesta svobode 12, 4260 Bled,
https://www.sava-hotels-resorts.com/en/sava-hoteli-bled/accommodations/hotel-jadran
single room = 75 EUR / person and night
double room = 59 EUR /person and night
double room - single use = 96 EUR / person and night.
80 single rooms, 5 double rooms, 30 double/single use rooms.
Hotel Savica is 300 m, Hotels Trst 10 m and Jadran 100m from the Tournament venue.
Free enter to the hotel pools, gym, big discounts for wellness and sauna program.
According to the Slovenian law all hotel guests should pay touristic tax (currently 1,50 EUR per person per day).
Players with personal rights will be accommodated with full board in single rooms. Free lodging and boarding will be provided for them from 17th November (dinner) to 30th November (lunch). Any additional overnights will be charged according to prices mentioned above.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
9. Transport connection:
The nearest airport is International Airport Ljubljana (Letališče Jožeta Pučnika), 30 km from Bled.
Slovenia and Bled are in the heart of Europe, close to many big cities (Ljubljana 50 km, Zagreb 180 km, Vienna 250 km, Venice 250 km, München 400 km etc.)
You can reach Bled by car (Highway A2, Exit Bled), there is also a good train connection from directions Ljubljana or Austria.
10. Tournament schedule
| Saturday | 17.11. | 16.00 – 22.00 | Arrival, registration |
| Sunday | 18.11. | 08.00 – 10.00 | Registration |
| 10.00 | Technical meeting | ||
| 14.30 | Opening ceremony | ||
| 15.00 | Round 1 | ||
| Monday | 19.11. | 15.00 | Round 2 |
| Tuesday | 20.11. | 10.00 | Ad. Mikhalchishin: Chess Lecture (free) |
| 15.00 | Round 3 | ||
| 21.00 | Blitz tournament 1 (fee 5 euro) | ||
| Wednesday | 21.11. | 15.00 | Round 4 |
| Thursday | 22.11. | 10.00 | Chess Quiz (free) |
| 15.00 | Round 5 | ||
| Friday | 23.11. | 15.00 | Round 6 |
| Saturday | 24.11. | 10.00 |
1st Albin Planinec memorial - Rapid tournament (fee 10 euro) |
| Sunday | 25.11. | 15.00 | Round 7 |
| Monday | 26.11. | 15.00 | Round 8 |
| 21.00 | Blitz tournament 2 (fee 5 euro) | ||
| Tuesday | 27.11. | 10.00 | Ad. Mikhalchishin: Chess Lecture (free) |
| 15.00 | Round 9 | ||
| Wednesday | 28.11. | 15.00 | Round 10 |
| Thursday | 29.11. | 10.00 | Round 11 |
| 19.00 | Closing ceremony | ||
| Friday | 30.11. | Departure | |
Plus various surprises, special guests etc.
11. Rules and regulations
The FIDE Tournament Rules should be followed.
The tournament will be played by a 11-rounds Swiss system. National ratings will not be taken into consideration for pairings. The time rate will be 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 for all 11 rounds is 30 minutes.
The women tournaments will be played separately if there are more than 10 participants in total from at least two continents. If there are less than 10 participants in one group, then there will be only one women tournament, with separate prizes. If the women participants are less than 10 in total or from less than 2 continents, they will play in the open tournaments with separate prizes.
12. Anti-Cheating guidelines
The FIDE Anti-Cheating guidelines are valid for WSCC. During WSCC random AC inspections are possible.
13. Appeals procedure
A protest against the decision of an Arbiter must be submitted in writing to the Chief Arbiter, within 30min after the end of the game. A protest fee of 200 Euro shall be payable to FIDE which is refundable if the protest is upheld. The Appeals Committee may also decide to refund the fee if it considers the appeal was not frivolous.
http://wscc2018.european-chessacademy.com
14. Scoring and tie-breaking system
14.1. The score in each game is 1 for a win, ½ for a draw and 0 for a lost game.
14.2. Tie-breaking:
The order of players, that finish with the same number of points, shall be determined by application of the following tie-breaking procedures, beginning from (a) to (b) to (c) to (d) to (e) in sequence:
(a) Results of direct encounters between the tied players (it applies to the situation only if all tied players played with each other),
(b) Buchholz Cut 1,
(c) Buchholz,
(d) The greater number of games played with black,
(e) The greater number of wins.
15. Arbiters and Appeals committee
The Chief Arbiter of the event will be Nebojsa Baralic, IA from Serbia.
The Deputy Arbiter of the event will be Gerhard Bertagnolli, IA from Italy.
The Chairman of Appeals committee will be IGM Adrian Mikhalchishin.
Names of other arbiters and members of the Appeals committee will be announced during the technical meeting.
16. Chess equipment
DGT clocks, electronic boards and other FIDE standard chess sets.
17. Tournament bulletin
The tournament bulletin will be available on the website for all interested persons free of charge.
18. Visa information
The federations, players and accompanying people needing visas are requested to contact the organizer by 17th September 2018 on the email address:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The organizer will provide invitations for visas only after the necessary payments. Schengen visas are valid in Slovenia.
19. Awards and titles
The winner of the World Senior Chess Championship +50 receives the title “2018 World Senior Chess Champion +50“.
The winner of the World Senior Chess Championship +65 receives the title “2018 World Senior Chess Champion +65“.
The winner of the World Senior Women Chess Championship +50 receives the title “2018 World Senior Woman Chess Champion +50“.
The winner of the World Senior Women Chess Championship +65 receives the title “2018 World Senior Woman Chess Champion +65“.
The title of “International Grandmaster (GM)” will be awarded to the two winners of the 2018 FIDE World Senior Chess Championships 50+ and 65+ who will also receive trophies and gold medals. The player finished second will receive a silver medal and “International Master (IM)” title, while the third place will be awarded a bronze medal and also “International Master (IM)” title. The same applies to the respective Women titles.
20. Prizes
Special certificates for the places 1-5.
Money prizes. All together 18.000 EUR.
| Rank | Open 50+ | Open 65+ | Woman 50+ | Woman 65+ |
| 1. | 1.500 | 1.500 | 700 | 700 |
| 2. | 1.200 | 1.200 | 500 | 500 |
| 3. | 1.000 | 1.000 | 350 | 350 |
| 4. | 800 | 800 | 250 | 250 |
| 5. | 700 | 700 | 200 | 200 |
| 6. | 600 | 600 | ||
| 7. | 500 | 500 | ||
| 8. | 400 | 400 | ||
| 9. | 300 | 300 |
22. Bled
For many centuries now, nature lovers and sports enthusiasts from across the world have been enchanted and delighted by Bled. Today it is regularly visited by thousands of tourists wanting to experience for themselves one particular wonder of nature – a unique island on an Alpine lake surrounded by mountains and overlooked by a majestic castle. Others visit Bled simply to indulge in the original Bled cream cake or to enjoy a relaxing walk by the lake. The resort is famed for having a number of regular guests who have been coming to Bled for decades and have inspired a similar love for the town in the next generation. Other local special features include the many thermal springs with water that has a relaxing and reenergising effect.
Bled Island
The island on Lake Bled may be small, but there are many legends surrounding it. The island church is famous for its wishing bell, often rung by newlyweds and ordinary visitors alike.
Bled Castle
Slovenia's oldest castle is situated on top of a steep cliff overlooking Lake Bled. The castle and its courtyard boast breath taking views of the lake and the surrounding mountains. In the summer months, there is a varied programme of events taking place in the courtyard; visitors can see the castle printing press and gallery of herbs.
More about Bled: http://www.sava-hotels-resorts.com/en/bled/about-the-resort/
VIDEO – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TQXFPoCPc4
23. BLED – THE CHESS CAPITAL OF THE WORLD
Bled. A wonderful subalpine gem, whose beauty has charmed countless tourists. And Bled – the chess capital of the world. With a tradition, starting way back in the year 1931, which has peaked with hosting of the 35th Olympiad 2002. With the tradition that refuses to die – in November Bled is hosting the World Championship again; this time with seniors as our guests.
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Why Bled? »In silence rests the lake,« we could murmur lyrics to the Slovenian folk song. Silence, which is so needed by people, who have one of the most intellectual professions in the world. Or by those, who move the wooden figurines just for leisure. By everyone – without exceptions. Bled with its natural features fulfils every chess player’s need.
And Bled – the tourist resort. Incredibly neat, with excellent hotel services. With everything that a chess star could desire. Bled offers you all - indeed, Bled knows and can do that. They are gaining experiences since the olden days ...
In 1930s, dr. Milan Vidmar, a great son of Slovenian nation, wished to thank the chess world for all hospitality he received on his travels over the globe. He wanted to welcome his fellow players in Slovenia and be the best host ever seen. Knocking on many doors and writing a myriad of requests, he obtained what is the most important - money. Then he said: »We will play in Bled; the world should see how beautiful is our Slovenia! I will invite the best of the best; I will organize the tournament for all eternity!« One of the participants was also Alexander Alekhine, the World Champion, who had not been defeated for ages. And not just him - Aron Nimzowitsch, Rudolf Spielmann, Savielly Tartakower, Geza Maroczy, Salo Flohr… the foreign masters who have shared a chessboard with Vidmar on many occasions. We should not forget the locals – next to Vidmar there were also a world traveller Bora Kostić and a future national star Vasja Pirc, a boy who has soon followed the footsteps of his great teacher.
The tournament was played in the extension of Grand Hotel Toplice, which has been guarding the lake to the present day. At least with its famous history, numerous celebrities and crowned heads staying there.
After the locomotion around the tournament calmed down, Bled has fallen off the radar for the next 18 years. However, the picturesque town has not been forgotten – the tournament of 1931 has lived on in chess players' memories. Soon, Slovenian political climate has changed – in the socialist Yugoslavia chess was much more respected than in the dead monarchy. Tournaments were organized one after another and sooner or later they remembered to plan one in Bled.
In 1949 Bled hosted a spectacular duel between Vasja Pirc and the fifth World Champion dr. Max Euwe; a decade later (1959) they organized first two round of the Candidate Tournament – the one, who sent Mikhail Tal on the chess Olympus after he bested three ex and future champions: Vasily Smyslov, Tigran Petrosian and Bobby Fischer.
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Two years later, at the thirtieth anniversary of the first big tournament in Bled, another spectacular tournament was hosted at the location. Dr. Milan Vidmar, an arbiter, has said his goodbye by making one last appearance on the big scene.
During the next few decades there was an abundance of various tournaments – national championships, international duels and other tournaments. Chess players were shaking hands and sharing hotel rooms; some were resting on laurels of their success and the others were dealing with disappointments – yet everyone has been charmed by the town and the scene, which have not left anyone cold-hearted.
When competing for the organization of the 35th Olympiad (2002), the rich tradition ensured Bled's quick victory over the giants like St. Petersburg. The Olympiad that will be remembered by the last Russian gold and the brilliant games of Garry Kasparov during his last tournament for Russian national team.
In the years following the Olympiad, Bled has rested once again. Now it is waking up again and does not hesitate to shoot for stars. Grand Chess is returning to one of the most beautiful locations ever been seen. Welcome to Bled, the chess capital of the world.
24. Currency
The local currency is the Euro.
25. Tournament office
European Chess Academy, Istrska ulica 606, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia.
Chief organizer & Tournament Director: IGM, FST, IO Georg Mohr (Slovenia).
Phone: +386 40 834 432.
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
E-mail (Visa): This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
E-mail (Transfer): This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
E-mail (Hotels): This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Official website (all information and on line registration):
http://wscc2018.european-chessacademy.com
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