47th Birmingham Rapidplay

The 47th Birmingham Rapidplay is on Sunday 15 November at Quinborne Community Centre in Quinton, with play starting at 10:30am. It's a FIDE-rated event run by the English Chess Federation and the Birmingham & District Chess League, with Alex Holowczak as organiser.

The day is split into four sections, so you'll be playing against people in your own rating bracket. The Open is for those with a minimum rating of 1700; the Major is under 1800 with a minimum of 1400; the Inter is under 1500 with a minimum of 1100; and the Minor is under 1200 with no minimum. Your section is decided by your ECF Rapidplay Rating as of November 2026, so it's a fair way to make sure you're matched up properly from the start.

There are seven rounds on the day, each played at 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move. That's a decent amount of chess to get through in one go, and the 10-second increment means you won't be scrambling for time on every single move. There's a total prize fund of £1,000 to share across the sections: the Open takes the biggest slice, with £200, £100 and £50 for the top three, and the other sections get £120, £60 and £30 for their top three. Entries are limited to 150 players, and you can't enter on the day, so you'll need to get your name in beforehand.

The venue is Quinborne Community Centre on Ridgacre Road, B32 2TW, and there's free parking on site, which is a nice luxury for a Sunday morning. Hot and cold refreshments are available throughout the day, so you can keep going between rounds without having to leave. Entry is £20, with a £20 surcharge for anyone who isn't an ECF Gold member or above.