BY RICHARD MENANOPO
The Solomon Islands Chess Federation has recorded a major rise in player registrations and online engagement ahead of its Chess Tournament 2026 this Sunday at Outback Holiday Resort in Rove.
Updates shared through the federation’s official social media platform this week confirmed that registrations increased rapidly over the past two days, forcing organisers to close entries earlier than expected due to overwhelming response.
In its first registration update posted yesterday, the federation confirmed that 49 players had already signed up for the tournament, consisting of 45 male players and four female players.
“Registration is still open, and we especially encourage more interested female players to join the tournament,” the federation stated.
Organisers also remind players to verify their names and spelling details before entries close, noting that registrations were important for Swiss pairing arrangements and online arbiter setup coordinated from Sydney, Australia.
However, in a later update, the federation confirmed registrations had jumped to a total of 88 players, including 82 male players and six female participants.
“Registration has closed yesterday evening at 8pm, due to overwhelming amount of registrations,” the federation announced.
Meanwhile, the federation also reported strong growth across its social media platforms ahead of the tournament.
According to Facebook analytics shared yesterday evening, the federation’s page recorded nearly 40,000 views and more than 1,000 interactions within the last seven days.
“In just 7 days, our page reached nearly 40,000 views with over 1,000 interactions, a huge sign that chess is alive and growing in the Solomon Islands,” the federation stated.
The federation thanks players, parents, supporters and followers for supporting the growth of chess in the country.
Tomorrow’s competition will be played under a rapid 20-minute format over eight rounds, while the featured Challenge Match between Junior Lui and Fred R is also expected to attract strong interest.
Island Sun previously reported that the tournament venue was shifted from White River School to Outback Holiday Resort as preparations intensified for what is shaping up to become one of the federation’s biggest local competitions in recent years.
Photo: Supplied
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