The 60th Ballarat Begonia Open 2026

Venue: Ballarat Tech School, Federation University 136 Albert Street, Ballarat Central

Round Times:

Saturday 7 March Registration: 12 noon, Opening ceremony: 1.30 pm, Round 1: 1.45 pm, Round 2: 7.30 pm
Sunday 8 March Round 3: 9.30 am, Round 4: 2.30 pm, Round 5: 7.30 pm
Monday 9 March Round 6: 9.30 am, Round 7: 2.30 pm

Rate of Play:

All moves in 90 minutes per player plus an increment of 30 seconds per move from move 1. A forfeit will be awarded if a player is 30 minutes late for a game.

Entry Fees:

GM’s, WGM’s, IM’s and WIM’s: Free Adults: $150 Concession (For those under 18 on 7 March 2026): $130

Prizes:

Prize Pool of $17,300

• Outright Prizes for first 8 players: 1st prize of $4000, $2000, $1500, $1000 and down to 8th prize of $300
• 3 Ratings Groups for players rated under 2000: 1st $1000, 2nd $500, 3rd $300
• Unrated Players Group: 1st $300, 2nd $200
• Top Female Player Prize: $500
• Top Ballarat Player Prize: $200
• Special Ironman Prize: $200

Box Hill CC Member Prizes: For members of Box Hill Chess Club not winning another prize -
Top Adult $200 Top Female $200 Top Junior $200

Grandmasters and International Masters

GM’s, WGM’s, IM’s and WIM’s are entitled to free entry to the Tournament. They must however, contact the tournament manager at treasurer@ballaratchess.com to register their intention to play before entries close and get their complimentary entry code for TryBooking https://www.trybooking.com/DHYTV

Half Point Byes:

Players may request the Arbiter for up to 2 half point byes in rounds 1 to 5. This must be done in writing prior to the tournament or before the start of the previous round.

Ratings Groups and Unrated Players:

There will be 3 separate sections for players rated under 2000 and a separate section for unrated players. The 3 rated player groups will be determined by dividing the number of rated players under 2000 by 3. The unrated players will not be included in this calculation and will only be eligible for outright prizes and those shown above for unrated players.

General:

The tournament will be rated by both the ACF and FIDE. Draws under 15 moves will not be accepted by the Arbiter.

Sponsorship:

The club appreciates the generous support of PPT Financial, Federation University, Northern Star Chess, Box Hill Chess Club and the Friends of Begonia.

Further Information:

You can call Tournament Manager Kevin Perrin on 0418 533 517, President Peter Stickland on 0408 115 778 or email inquiries to president@ballaratchess.com

Flyer 2026

Further info