Fallsview International Chess Qualifier Nº 1

Seven rounds of blitz above the falls. The opening event in a three-tournament series on the road to the inaugural Fallsview International Chess Open, played at the Hyatt Regency Niagara Falls Fallsview Hotel in the heart of the Fallsview district.

The format

• Seven-round Swiss: everyone plays every round, win or lose
• Blitz control of 5+5: five minutes on your clock with a five-second increment from move one
• Officially rated by the Chess Federation of Canada, so every game counts
• Open to all ratings, from first tournament to titled players
• $45 flat entry fee for every player, at every level
• A new opponent every half hour

The schedule

Rounds start every thirty minutes. Arrive early, settle in, and be at your board for the first pairing.

• Round One: 7:00 PM (first pairings)
• Round Two: 7:30 PM
• Round Three: 8:00 PM
• Round Four: 8:30 PM
• Round Five: 9:00 PM
• Round Six: 9:30 PM
• Round Seven: 10:00 PM (final round)

The prizes: C$1,000 guaranteed

• 1st Place: $300, plus free entry into the Master Section of the Fallsview International Chess Open
• 2nd Place: $200
• 3rd Place: $150
• 4th Place: $100
• 5th Place: $50
• Top Woman: $100
• Top Under 18: $50
• Top Under 1600: $50
• Total guaranteed: $1,000

The golden seat: win the night and you are in. The tournament winner receives free entry into the Master Section of the inaugural Fallsview International Chess Open, regardless of rating.

The series

Three nights, three Master seats. Each qualifier carries its own C$1,000 guaranteed prize fund and sends one winner into the Master Section.

• Qualifier Nº 1: Thursday, August 13, 2026 at the Hyatt Regency Niagara Falls Fallsview (this event)
• Qualifier Nº 2: Thursday, September 24, 2026 at the Hyatt Regency Niagara Falls Fallsview
• Qualifier Nº 3: Wednesday, October 14, 2026

Good to know

• Presented with Annex Chess Club and Niagara Falls Chess Club
• The boards go up minutes from the brink of Niagara Falls: play seven rounds, then step outside into one of the most famous views in the world
• Coming in from out of town? The final round wraps by 10:30 PM. Turn the qualifier into a Niagara Falls getaway and sleep steps from the falls