1. Acceptance of Terms
The Sligo Chess & Culture Festival is organised and operated by Sligo Chess Club.
These Terms & Conditions apply to registration for and participation in tournaments, activities and other events organised as part of the Sligo Chess & Culture Festival.
References in these Terms & Conditions to the “festival”, “we”, “us” or “our” mean Sligo Chess Club, operating the Sligo Chess & Culture Festival.
By registering for a tournament or other ticketed festival event, the person making the registration agrees to these Terms & Conditions. Where a registration is made on behalf of a child or another participant, the person making the registration confirms that they are authorised to do so and accepts these Terms & Conditions on the participant’s behalf where applicable.
Participation in the Sligo Chess & Culture Festival is also subject, where applicable, to the festival’s:
- Tournament Regulations;
- Fair Play Policy;
- Code of Conduct; and
- Privacy Policy.
Players are also subject to the FIDE Laws of Chess, applicable FIDE regulations and the regulations of the Irish Chess Union where relevant to the competition.
Participants are responsible for familiarising themselves with the rules and policies applicable to their event.
2. Registration
A registration is not complete until the required registration information has been submitted and any applicable entry fee has been received.
Participants are responsible for providing accurate information when registering.
The festival may correct obvious errors in registration information and may contact participants where clarification is required.
The festival reserves the right to refuse or cancel an entry where there is a reasonable organisational, eligibility, disciplinary, safeguarding, Fair Play or other legitimate reason for doing so.
Where an entry is refused or cancelled by the festival before participation begins, any entry fee paid for that event will normally be refunded unless the cancellation results from misconduct, the provision of materially false information, an existing exclusion from the festival, or another circumstance in which withholding a refund is lawful and reasonable.
3. Tournament Sections and Eligibility
Players register for the tournament rather than for a particular rating section.
Where a tournament is divided into rating sections, the festival will allocate each player to the appropriate section based on the rating criteria published for that tournament.
For the 2027 festival, section allocation will be determined using the applicable January 2027 rating list, in accordance with the published Tournament Regulations.
Players are responsible for providing accurate identifying information when registering so that their applicable rating can be determined.
The festival may correct a player’s section allocation where an administrative error or incorrect player information has resulted in the player being placed in the wrong section.
The festival may merge, divide or otherwise restructure sections where reasonably necessary due to entry numbers or other exceptional circumstances. Any material change will be communicated to affected players as soon as reasonably practicable.
4. Entry Fees and Payment
Entry fees are those displayed at the time of registration.
Different entry fees may apply depending on the date of registration, tournament, participant category or other published criteria.
Any applicable payment-processing or other charges will be displayed before payment where required.
5. Cancellations and Refunds
Participants who voluntarily withdraw from one or more tournaments may request a refund up to 7:00pm on Friday, 8 January 2027, three weeks before the start of the festival’s first tournament.
A single €5 administration fee will be deducted from the total refund, regardless of how many tournament entries are cancelled together. The fee applies per cancellation request, not per tournament. For example, a participant withdrawing from all four main tournaments in a single request will incur only one €5 administration fee.
The administration fee applies regardless of the payment method used and is intended to contribute towards the reasonable administrative and payment-processing costs associated with registrations and cancellations.
Refund requests must be submitted by email to info@sligochessfestival.com and received before the deadline. Refunds will normally be issued to the original payment method.
After the refund deadline, tournament entry fees are normally non-refundable in the event of voluntary withdrawal, as the festival will have made financial and organisational commitments based on registrations received.
No administration fee will be deducted where a participant is legally entitled to a full refund, including where the organisers cancel a tournament.
A participant who is disqualified or removed from an event for a serious breach of the Tournament Regulations, Fair Play Policy or Code of Conduct will not normally be entitled to a refund for the affected event.
Nothing in this section affects any statutory rights a participant may have under Irish consumer law.
6. Changes to the Festival
Tournament schedules, rooms, programme activities, speakers, guests and other festival arrangements may occasionally need to change.
The festival may make reasonable changes where necessary for operational, sporting, safety or other legitimate reasons.
Where a material change affects a participant’s booking, the festival will provide appropriate information and, where required by law, an appropriate remedy.
7. Cancellation or Events Outside Our Control
The festival may need to cancel, postpone, relocate or materially alter an event because of circumstances outside its reasonable control, including severe weather, venue unavailability, public emergencies, government restrictions, transport disruption or other exceptional circumstances.
If the festival cancels an event and does not provide the service purchased, participants will be informed of the arrangements applicable to their booking, including any refund or alternative required by law.
The festival is not responsible for participants’ separate travel, accommodation or other expenses except where liability arises under applicable law.
Participants are therefore encouraged to consider appropriate travel insurance when making significant travel arrangements.
8. Prizes
Prize information will be published on the relevant tournament page.
Players must satisfy the published eligibility requirements for a prize.
Unless otherwise stated, a player may receive only one prize from the same tournament.
Where players finish on equal points, prizes and final places will be determined using the published tie-break criteria rather than by dividing prize money.
Players must participate in the final round to be eligible for a prize unless the Tournament Regulations provide otherwise.
Cash prizes will normally be paid within two weeks of the conclusion of the relevant tournament.
The festival may make reasonable changes to advertised prizes before the tournament where circumstances require it. Any material changes will be communicated as soon as reasonably practicable.
9. Participant Conduct
Everyone attending the Sligo Chess & Culture Festival is expected to behave respectfully towards players, officials, staff, volunteers, hotel staff, visitors and members of the public.
Participants must comply with the festival’s Code of Conduct.
Harassment, bullying, discrimination, violence, threats, serious disruption and other serious misconduct may result in removal from an event or festival venue and may result in exclusion from future festivals.
Where appropriate, incidents may also be reported to the Irish Chess Union, FIDE, An Garda Síochána, safeguarding authorities or other relevant bodies.
10. Fair Play
Players participating in chess tournaments must comply with the festival’s Fair Play Policy.
This includes requirements concerning electronic devices, personal belongings, access to the playing area and cooperation with authorised Fair Play checks.
Fair Play violations may result in penalties under the FIDE Laws of Chess, forfeiture of a game, disqualification, removal from a tournament or other appropriate action.
11. Children and Young People
Parents and guardians remain responsible for the supervision and welfare of children attending the festival except where the festival has expressly stated that a particular supervised activity provides otherwise.
The presence of arbiters, organisers, volunteers or other festival personnel does not in itself mean that the festival has assumed responsibility for supervising an individual child outside the duties associated with the relevant activity.
Parents and guardians should ensure that arrangements appropriate to the child’s age and circumstances are in place.
The festival’s safeguarding and Code of Conduct procedures apply to interactions involving children and young people.
12. Photography, Filming and Broadcasting
Photography, video recording and other media activity may take place during the festival for the purposes of documenting, reporting on and providing coverage of the event.
Photographs and video may therefore appear on the festival’s website and social-media channels or be provided to media organisations in connection with coverage of the festival.
Where the festival wishes to use an identifiable image of an individual player specifically for promotional or advertising purposes, permission will be obtained before doing so. For children, permission will be obtained from a parent or guardian.
Tournament games may be recorded electronically using DGT Smart Boards and may be published online, broadcast with a delay, analysed or commentated upon.
The tournament playing area may also appear in live or recorded video used as part of tournament coverage and commentary.
Further information about photography, filming, game publication and the processing of personal data is contained in the festival’s Privacy Policy.
13. Personal Property
Participants remain responsible for their personal belongings.
Electronic-device storage and designated bag storage may be provided as part of the festival’s Fair Play arrangements.
Participants should avoid bringing unnecessary valuables to the festival and should collect stored belongings promptly after their games.
The festival will take reasonable care of property placed into storage provided by the organisers but cannot guarantee against every risk of accidental loss or damage.
Nothing in these Terms & Conditions excludes or limits liability where doing so would be unlawful.
14. Injury, Loss and Liability
Participants attend and participate in festival activities subject to the ordinary risks associated with the relevant activity.
The festival will take reasonable measures to provide a safe and professionally managed event.
Nothing in these Terms & Conditions is intended to exclude or restrict liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or restricted, including liability for death or personal injury arising from an act or omission for which the festival is legally responsible.
To the extent permitted by law, the festival is not responsible for losses that were not reasonably foreseeable or for losses arising from circumstances outside its reasonable control.
15. Decisions of Tournament Officials
Chess-related decisions are made in accordance with the FIDE Laws of Chess and the published Tournament Regulations.
Players wishing to appeal an eligible arbiter decision must follow the appeals procedure and deadlines contained in the Tournament Regulations.
Nothing in these Terms & Conditions affects any legal rights a participant may have outside the sporting appeals process.
16. Personal Data
Personal information supplied in connection with registration or participation will be processed by Sligo Chess Club in accordance with the festival’s Privacy Policy and applicable data-protection law.
17. Changes to These Terms
The festival may update these Terms & Conditions where reasonably necessary.
The version applying to a registration will normally be the version in effect when that registration is made. Where a later change materially affects an existing registration, participants will be informed where appropriate.
18. Governing Law
These Terms & Conditions are governed by the laws of Ireland.
Nothing in these Terms & Conditions limits any mandatory consumer rights available under Irish or applicable European Union law.
19. Contact
The Sligo Chess & Culture Festival is organised and operated by Sligo Chess Club.
Questions concerning registrations or these Terms & Conditions can be directed to:
Sligo Chess & Culture Festival
Sligo Chess Club
Email: info@sligochessfestival.com
Telephone: +353 89 485 9892