Ohio Congress 2026 – Chess Earth

81st Ohio Chess Congress & State Championship (FIDE)

Cincinnati, OH (Blue Ash)

Friday, August 28 – Sunday, August 30, 2026

NOTE: This weekend is the weekend BEFORE Labor Day

Embassy Suites by Hilton Blue Ash

4554 Lake Forest Dr, Blue Ash, OH 45242

Reserve by Aug. 15, before rooms are gone for the Chess Discount Rate
2 Room Suite – 1 King Bed – Balcony – Nonsmoking – $145.00
2 Room Suite-2 Double Beds – Nonsmoking – $155.00

Call to Reserve: +1 513-733-8900.

Reserve Online and book your hotel room online at the Embassy Suites

Organized by Chess Earth (Congress Tournament Shirt & Vending)

$18,500 in Prizes (based on 240 paid entries)

All pieces, boards, clocks, and score sheets provided.

5-Round Swiss. 2-Day or 3-Day Schedule:

3-Day Schedule: Registration ends 6:00 PM Friday, August 28, 2026.

Time Control for all Rounds in 3-day: G90+30 increment

2-Day Schedule: Registration ends 9:15 AM Saturday, August 29, 2026.

Time Control for Rounds 1-2: G60 +10 increment. Rounds 3-5: G90+30 increment.

Blitz Tournament: Aug. 29. Saturday at 9:00 PM. Register by 8:45 PM. 5-Rounds. Entry Fee $20. Time Control: 3+2.

OCA Board Meeting: Aug. 30. Sunday OCA Board Meeting – 9:00 AM

Round Times:

3-Day Schedule: (G90+30 increment for all rounds)

Round #1 – Aug. 28. Friday – 7:00 PM.

Round #2 – Aug. 29. Saturday – 10:00 AM

Round #3 – Aug. 29. Saturday – 4:00 PM

– Aug. 29. Saturday Blitz Tournament – 9:00 PM, Reg. by 8:45 PM. 5-Rounds. EF: $20. 3+2

Round #4 – Aug. 30. Sunday – 10:00 AM

– Aug. 30. Sunday OCA Board Meeting – 2:00 PM

Round #5 – Aug. 30. Sunday – 4:00 PM

BYES – Must request a BYE by 12:30 PM Saturday, Aug. 29.

2-Day Schedule: (G60 +10 increment for Rounds #1 and #2. Rounds 3-5: G90+30 increment)

Round #1 – Aug. 29. Saturday – 10:00 AM

Round #2 – Aug. 29. Saturday – 1:00 PM

Round #3 – Aug. 29. Saturday – 4:00 PM

– Aug. 29. Saturday Blitz Tournament – 9:00 PM, Reg. by 8:45 PM. 5-Rounds. EF: $20. 3+2

Round #4 – Aug. 30. Sunday – 10:00 AM

– Aug. 30. Sunday OCA Board Meeting – 2:00 PM

Round #5 – Aug. 30. Sunday – 4:00 PM

BYES – Must request a BYE by 12:30 PM Saturday, Aug. 29.

Entry Fee for all sections:

$120 by August 16
$130 by 9:00 AM Friday, August 28
$140 On-site.
GM, IM, WGM, WIM, FM FREE Entry; entry fee ($120) will be deducted from the prize.

Play Up Fee: $20 – NOT Available for Under 2200 & Under 1900 Sections.

Players can PAY to play up one section, but not more than one section; a $20 play-up fee applies.

Re-Entry: $40 – Available For 3-Day Schedule only

Not available in the Open Section or Under 2200
Not available to players in the 2-day schedule.
Re-enter by 9:15 AM Saturday, August 29, 2026.

Register & Pay: https://www.kingregistration.com/register/OhioCongress2026

Check out the Entry List of Players who have entered

Scroll down (towards the bottom) for info on playing in the FIDE Open Section

Open Section – FIDE Rated: (1900+ USCF rated to enter) 1st-$3,000 2nd-$1,500 3rd-$800 4th-$500

Alan Hodge is the FIDE Arbiter.
Trophy to the Ohio State Champion.
Open Section – Board #1 games will be broadcast on www.chessearth.com and Lichess.org

Under 2200 – FIDE Rated: (1700+ USCF rated to enter) 1st-$1500 2nd-$1,000 3rd-$500

Under 1900: 1st-$1,300 2nd-$750 3rd-$500

Under 1600: 1st-$1,300 2nd-$750 3rd-$500

Under 1300: 1st-$1,300 2nd-$750 3rd-$500

Under 1000: 1st-$1,300+trophy 2nd-$750+trophy 3rd-$500+trophy 4th-$250+trophy

If you score 4.0 points, you will receive a trophy in the Under 1000 Section.

Trophies for the winners in the Under 1000 Section and the Ohio State Champion.

– USCF official Regular as of August 1, 2026. Unofficial USCF ratings may be used if otherwise unrated.

– Players must reveal foreign, FIDE or other over the board ratings, and these ratings, adjusted, may be used if higher than USCF.

– Notation required in all sections. Only US Chess approved electronic score sheets allowed.

Doubles Prize: $200-100

Best male/female or female/female 2-player “team.”

Combined score among all sections.
Must average under 2200; may play in different sections.
Register by 5:00 PM Saturday, December 19. Prize limits do not apply to the Doubles Prize. No additional fee to register.

Register & Pay: https://www.kingregistration.com/register/OhioCongress2026

Check out the Entry List of Players who have entered

Embassy Suites by Hilton Blue Ash

4554 Lake Forest Dr, Blue Ash, OH 45242

Reserve by Aug. 15, before rooms are gone for the Chess Discount Rate
2 Room Suite – 1 King Bed – Balcony – Nonsmoking – $145.00
2 Room Suite-2 Double Beds – Nonsmoking – $155.00

Call to Reserve: +1 513-733-8900.

Reserve Online and book your hotel room online at the Embassy Suites

Organized by Chess Earth. (Congress Tournament Shirt & Vending)

All pieces, boards, clocks, and scoresheets provided.
Chess Earth is the vendor and has created a tournament shirt.
We are selling chess equipment, chess merch, and chess swag
Questions? admin@chessearth.com

FIDE Rules apply in the Open Section.

The information below pertains to the FIDE Open Sections only.

To play in the FIDE Open Section:

Players must be rated 1900+ USCF or higher to play in the Open FIDE Section (1700+ USCF for Under 2200). Players cannot “play up.” Players must have a FIDE Identification Number (FIN) and be current USCF members. If you do not have a FIN, please obtain one before entering the tournament. FIN APPLICATION FORM – APPLY HERE

FIDE Rating Requirements and USCF Membership

Players do not need a FIDE rating to play in a FIDE section. But you need a FIDE Identification Number (FIN). A player must be a current member of the US Chess Federation (USCF) on the tournament dates to play in any FIDE section. A USCF membership may be purchased or renewed on the USCF website.

FIDE Identification Number:

In addition to a current USCF membership, players must have a FIDE Identification Number (FIN) to play in any FIDE section. If you do not have a FIN, please obtain one before entering the tournament. FIN APPLICATION FORM – APPLY HERE

Players who qualify for a FIN under the US Federation may obtain one by completing the FIN application form on the USCF website. Please make sure to apply for a FIN early enough to allow processing to be completed before the tournament. We recommend applying at least three weeks prior to the tournament. It does no harm to apply for a FIN even if you later decide not to enter a FIDE section, or do not enter the tournament at all. You could very well want to have a FIN at some future time, so getting a FIN now takes care of that.

Players who do not qualify for FIN under the US Federation must obtain their FIN through their national federation before entering the tournament.

FIDE Rating Considerations:

The time control for rounds 1 and 2 of the 2-day schedule does not qualify, so these games will not be submitted for FIDE rating. To earn a FIDE rating you need five games against rated opponents at a stipulated time control (over a period of 26 months)… are required to get a FIDE rating. Moreover, FIDE will not include a player on its list of rated players unless his or her FIDE standard rating is at least 1400. (FIDE Handbook, B. Permanent Commissions, 02. FIDE Rating Regulations (Qualification Commission), FIDE Rating Regulations effective from 1 March 2024, section 7.1.4.)

Arriving late to a game:

The default time (the period of time after a round starts that is allowed to a player to arrive at his or her board before forfeiting) is 60 minutes. Be aware that if both players are absent when a round is started, White’s clock will be started, and all the time that elapses until White’s arrival will reduce White’s time, even if Black also arrives late.