English Chess Forum

2nd Hampshire Rapid & Blitz Championships

The Championship consists of a 6 round ECF Rated Rapid tournament on Saturday 18th April and a 12 round ECF Rated Blitz tournament on Sunday 19th April. Both tournaments will be held at Barton Peveril 6th Form College, Eastleigh, SO50 5ZA and run by Hampshire Quickplay Officer Iwan Cave.

The tournaments are open to all players, with the highest scoring eligible player in the open being declared Hampshire Champion.

Players can enter one or both tournaments: https://form.jotform.com/260336788691369

Maximum Capacity:
Rapid - 90 Players
Blitz - 50 players

Rate of Play:
Rapid: 15 minutes with a 10 second increment from move one.
Blitz: 5 minutes with a 3 second increment from move one.

Sections:
Rapid: Open, U1650
Blitz: Open

Entry Fee:
One Tournament:
Adult - £20
Junior - £18

Both Tournaments:
Adult - £35
Junior - £32
Entry closes on Thursday 16th April 2026 - no entries will be accepted on the day.

Please note there is a £16 pay-to-play fee (£6.50 for juniors) for players with ECF membership below Gold for the Rapid Tournament only.

Prizes:
1ˢᵗ - £100
2ⁿᵈ - £70
3ʳᵈ - £50

Quickplay Champion - £50
U1650 Quickplay Champion - £50

*Minimum prize fund for each section per tournament. The prize fund will increase in line with the number of entrants and may include rating, women's, and junior prizes.

**The Quickplay Champion is the player with the highest combined score across both tournaments in their respective rating category, with the scores in the Rapid tournament being doubled. Quickplay Champions receive a £50 prize, which can be won in addition to other prizes.

Hampshire Titles:
Hampshire Rapid Champion
Hampshire Blitz Champion

Venue:
Barton Peveril 6th Form College, Chestnut Avenue, Eastleigh, SO50 5ZA

The venue is easily accessible by car and public transport. It is located just off Junction 13 of the M3 and Junction 5 of the M27 and has ample on site parking as well as parking on Chestnut Avenue just outside the college. Southampton Airport Parkway and Eastleigh Train Station are both a 20 minute walk away and public buses from Romsey and Southampton run past the college regularly.

Local amenities can be found a short walk from the college campus in Eastleigh Town Centre.

Details on last year's championship can be found here: https://hampshirechesshistory.co.uk/ham ... ship-2025/

The Hampshire Champions were:
Hampshire Rapid Champion – Roland Bezuidenhout (Fareham)
Hampshire Blitz Champion – Ian Thompson (Chandlers Ford)
Open Quickplay Champion – Ian Thompson (Chandlers Ford)
U1650 Quickplay Champion – Joseph Williams

Quickplay?

Not seen that term used for some years.

Did you mean Rapidplay?

John Upham wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 20, 2026 11:26 am

Quickplay?

Not seen that term used for some years.

Did you mean Rapidplay?

Hi John, there is a Rapidplay on Saturday and a Blitz on Sunday, hence Quickplay champion. We have a HCA Quickplay Officer, as this covers Rapid or Blitz. Also although we have increased the entry fee as venue costs have increased, the entry fee is still good value at £20 for one tournament and £35 for both (and juniors entry fees are slightly lower).

Last year we just about broke even, and hopefully this will be the case this year and we hope it will be well supported by local and non local players. Please do encourage your HJCA juniors to enter!

John Upham wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 20, 2026 11:26 am

Quickplay?

Not seen that term used for some years.

Did you mean Rapidplay?

The term is defined in the entry information posted - "The Quickplay Champion is the player with the highest combined score across both tournaments [Rapid/Blitz] in their respective rating category, with the scores in the Rapid tournament being doubled."

If you don't think Quickplay is a good choice, what would you call the winner?