III Nokia Winter Tournament 17.–18.1.2026

The Nokia Winter Tournament held in January has become a tradition and our club's annual main event. In the previous two years, it was played around Epiphany. This year, the competition has been delayed by a couple of weeks due to the Finnish Youth Championship. The venue is once again the highly praised SPR Nokia premises in the city center of Nokia, on the edge of Pirkkalaistori square.

Registration

Registration for the tournament is done via the Google Forms form or, if absolutely necessary, by contacting Risto Eerikäinen at 0408295131 or risto.otso(at)gmail.com.

We hope that the entry fee is paid in advance to the club's account. As a benefit for this payment method, you will receive a weekend coffee pass! (For those who do not drink coffee, we will arrange something equivalent from the tournament café offerings.) Alternatively, the entry fee can be paid in cash when confirming participation. It is 40 euros for adults and 25 euros for youths.

Account number: FI58 8000 2806 4768 58
Recipient: Jouni Kainukangas
In the message field, mention the player's name(s)

The main registration period is open until Thursday, January 15, at 23:59. Those registering later or at the venue will be charged a five-euro late registration fee.

A valid 2026 competition license or a one-time license is required, in accordance with normal license regulations, for players who have played at least 11 games counted for the Finnish SELO rating system.

Venue

The tournament is played in the city center of Nokia, on the second floor of a commercial building on the edge of Pirkkalaistori square, in the accessible premises of SPR Nokia. See the venue presentation and photos on Visit Nokia's pages. Nearby, there are restaurants and accommodation services.

Schedule

Participation must be confirmed at the venue on Saturday, January 17, between 10:00–10:30. If the entry fee has been paid electronically in advance, it is possible to confirm participation by calling 0408295131 on Saturday morning while en route to the venue.

If the entry fee has not been paid in advance, it must be paid in cash by 10:30. However, please note the aforementioned coffee pass benefit for electronic payers and preferably pay the tournament fee in advance by bank transfer!

1. round Sat at 11:00
2. round Sat at 16:00
3. round Sun at 10:00
4. round Sun at 15:00

Tournament System

The tournament is played in rating groups of approximately 12 players each. The time control is 90 minutes + 30 seconds per move.

Pairings are made using the Swiss-Manager software. Results will be published on the chess-results.com website and other chess result platforms. Results will be submitted for SELO rating calculation and FIDE Elo calculation.

Prizes

Small cash prizes will be awarded to the best player or the two best players in each rating group. Prizes will total N percent of the entry fees, where N is the number of participants. Approximately 30–50 percent, therefore.

Arrival

Parking near the venue is free on Sundays. On Saturdays, there is a widespread time limit in Nokia city center. The nearest unrestricted parking area is in the tire factory yard, accessible from the traffic light intersection between Souranderintie and Pirkkalaistie. The walking distance to the venue from there is 300–400 meters.

The nearest public transport stop is 8602/8603 "Pirkkalaistori" right next to the venue. Bus line 72 stops there after circling through Nokia bus station first. Some internal Nokia lines also stop there, to which one can transfer at the bus station. A good alternative is stop 8506/8507 "Ilkantie" about 500 meters away. All local buses arriving in Nokia stop there: 70 and 72 from Tampere center and 71 from Tesoma. See more details on Nysse route guide. Nokia railway and bus stations are a little over one kilometer from Pirkkalaistori. Local trains between Nokia and Tampere, as well as long-distance trains between Pori and Tampere, stop at the railway station.

Pre-made timetable displays limited to lines 70 and 72, which operate between Nokia and Tampere center:

Railway station timetable displays:

Registered Players

A list of players registered for the competition will be added here in the weeks leading up to the event.

Tournament Results

A link to the tournament results will be added here after the event concludes.