The Northern Territory is preparing to welcome chess players from across Australia and abroad for the 2027 Australian Open Chess Championships.
Proudly supported by North West Constructions, the national flagship event will take place from Saturday, January 2 to Monday, January 11, 2027, at the DoubleTree by Hilton along The Esplanade in Darwin.
Designed as an inclusive, single-field festival, both the Classical and Blitz events feature no minimum rating requirements, allowing untitled enthusiasts and club players to compete on the same stage as grandmasters.
The championship features two main events spread across ten days in early January:
Classical Championship (Jan 2โ11): A 9-round FIDE Swiss tournament played at a rate of one game per day starting at 2:00 PM local time. The time control is a standard 90 minutes with a 30-second increment per move. A scheduled rest day will take place on Thursday, January 7.
Blitz Championship (Jan 7): Taking place during the rest day of the main event, the 11-round Blitz tournament kicks off at 2:00 PM with a fast-paced 3 minutes plus 2 seconds increment per move.
The 2027 edition boasts a guaranteed total prize purse of at least $15,000 AUD, with $5,000 AUD reserved for the winner of the Classical Championship. Additional prize categories covering various rating tiers and special brackets will be announced closer to the start of play.
Player entries are processed online via Trybooking. Entry pricing tiers are structured as follows:
- Classical Tournament: $200 AUD for Adults / $120 AUD for Children & Concession holders.
- Blitz Tournament: $40 AUD for Adults / $30 AUD for Children & Concession holders.
- Grandmasters: Titled Grandmasters receive complimentary entry by contacting the organizers at admin@ntchess.org.au.
The playing venue at the DoubleTree by Hilton Darwin offers participants a special event rate of $150 AUD per night for standard king or twin rooms. Additionally, official partner hotel Rydges Darwin Central is offering discounted rates starting from $140 AUD per night for Twin Queen rooms (minimum 2-night stay).
