Africa's Premier Youth Rapid Returns to Durbanville
The African Chess Lounge is proud to announce that the 5th Curro Durbanville Youth Rapid 2026 is officially open for registration. This eagerly anticipated CHESSA-rated rapid tournament brings together the brightest young chess minds from across South Africa for a day of high-intensity, competitive chess at one of Cape Town's finest venues.
"This is more than a tournament — it is a platform for youth to demonstrate their skill, competitive spirit, and love of chess at the highest level."
📅 Tournament Schedule & Venue
The event will be held at:
📍 Venue: Curro Durbanville Primary School – Main Hall & High Performance Centre
View on Google Maps →
📋 Registration Information
Registration for the tournament will close on Sunday, 7 June 2026 at 23:00. Players are strongly encouraged to register early to secure their participation.
- Registration must be completed through the official online registration form.
- By registering, participants acknowledge and agree to POPIA data protection conditions.
- Consent is given for photographs and videos taken during the event, which may be used for promotional purposes including social media.
💳 Payment Information
⚠️ Important: Entry fee payments must be made via EFT into the ACL bank account.
- Schools must make a single bulk payment for all their players — individual payments from school players will not be accepted.
- No cash payments will be accepted.
🏆 Sections & Eligibility
Players will be placed into sections based on their Chess SA (Main) rating or FIDE rating — whichever is higher. Section eligibility criteria:
- Players must use the higher of their CHESSA or FIDE rating for section placement.
- Players eligible for the Parents section may opt to play in a higher section.
- Section changes are not permitted after Round 1 pairings are published.
- The Chief Arbiter reserves the right to reassign players to a different section at their discretion.
✅ Membership Requirement: All players must have fully paid their Chess South Africa subscription fees for 2026 prior to participation.
Renew CHESSA Membership →
🥇 Prizes
- Prize money is awarded strictly based on final standings determined by the tiebreak system.
- No splitting of prize funds among participants.
- Players are eligible to win more than one prize.
- The top-performing female player in each section will receive the Best Female prize for that section.
⚖️ Tiebreak System
In the event of tied scores, rankings will be determined in the following order:
- Direct Encounter
- Buchholz
- Sonneborn-Berger
- Most Victories
- Average Rating of Opponents
⏱️ Default Time
There is no default time for Round 1. All subsequent rounds have a default time of 15 minutes. If two players have no opponent before Round 1 starts, the arbiter may manually pair them together.
📵 Electronic Devices
All electronic devices — including smartphones, smart watches, and smart rings — must be switched off in the playing area. Any player found with a device that is not switched off will be immediately forfeited. Medical exceptions must be declared to and approved by the Tournament Director and Chief Arbiter in advance.
📣 Stay Connected
All team managers are strongly advised to join the official tournament WhatsApp group to receive pairings, schedule updates, and tournament communications.
📱 WhatsApp Group: Join Here →
Pairings will also be published on Chess-Results.
👔 Dress Code
Players must be dressed neatly and presentably at all times. Shoes must be worn inside the playing area.
The organisers reserve the right to modify any aspect of the tournament, including venue, sections, format, time control, dates, player numbers, and prize funds. Any changes will be communicated via the tournament WhatsApp group and registered email addresses.
