Improvers Marathon #1: Sign up by Jan 25
Dear Improvers,
The first Improvers Marathon of the year: let's call it Start The Year Right Marathon, starts soon, so let me explain the rules and details.
This is a unique, multi-week event in which players are manually paired by an arbiter. (Yours truly!) Pairings will be posted, and players will coordinate a time to complete their game within the next two weeks. We repeat this for five weeks and celebrate together at the end!
Format
- Five rounds, one game per two weeks.
- Time control: 60+10
- Pairings posted: Every Monday, no later than 9:00 p.m. PT / midnight ET / 6:00 (+1) CET / 10:30 a.m. (+1) IST.
- Players must contact their opponent within a few days to agree on a playing time. If a player is unable to reach their opponent by Friday, they will receive a forfeit win (1 point), while players who fail to respond will receive a forfeit loss (0 points) and will be removed from the tournament.
- Games must be completed by the second Sunday, 12:00 p.m. PT / 3:00 p.m. ET / 21:00 CET / 1:30 a.m. (+1) IST.
- Sections: 0–800, 800–1100, 1200–1599, and 1600+
- Time Zones: To ensure fair and reasonable playing times, players must choose one of the following time-zone groups:
- GMT+4 or earlier (for example, the Middle and Far East, Russia, Japan or Australia)
- GMT+3 or later (Europe, Africa or the Americas)
Dates for the first Improvers Marathon of 2026:
- Registration: until EOD Jan 25
- Round 1: Jan 26 - Feb 8
- Round 2: Feb 9 - Feb 22
- Round 3: Feb 23 - Mar 8
- Round 4: Mar 9 - Mar 22
- Round 5: Mar 23 - Apr 5
- Final Results will be posted around April 8, after the fair play review has been completed.
Prizes
- Diamond memberships go to the top three in each section:
- 1st place: three-month diamond membership
- 2nd place: two-month diamond membership
- 3rd place: one-month diamond membership
This is your chance to apply everything you've learned over the year in longer, more thoughtful games, and test to your understanding, focus, and endurance.
Let's celebrate the year of improvement together, one carefully-considered move at a time!
Sign up and join the first Improvers Marathon of the year by January 25 to be paired for Round 1.
