The Confucius Cup is the premier tournament in the Irish calendar. As a Bonus Point Level C tournament in the European Grand Prix, it attracts some of the strongest players in Europe — recent champions include Kim Youngsam, Stanislaw Frejlak 1p, and Kim Seongjin. Thanks to the generous support of our hosts, the UCD Confucius Institute, the facilities and hospitality are of the highest standard.

2026

The 2026 Confucius Cup will take place over the weekend of 9th-11th October at the Confucius Institute building on the Belfield campus of University College Dublin (UCD) in south Dublin. The Rapid tournament will take place on the evening of Friday, 9th. The Confucius Cup (Open) tournament will take place on Saturday, 10th, and Sunday, 11th.

Location

The tournament will take place on the campus of UCD, on the south side of the city. Several public bus routes serve the university, and travel times from the city centre should be no more than 20 minutes at the weekend. The university is well connected to the airport via the Aircoach bus service (route 700), and offers plentiful parking for those driving. The Confucius Institute building is close to the main entrance from the N11 (campus map).

Accommodation

Accommodation in Dublin can be expensive and we recommend booking early.

Registration

Registration is now open here: https://forms.gle/YgDoDQ4m3npRXooi6

Registration Fees & Payment

Rapid Tournament
Standard Rate — €10
Concession Rate (students, unwaged etc.) — €5

Open Tournament
Standard Rate — €30 (€35 from 15th September)
Saturday Only — €20
Sunday Only — €15
Concession Rate (students, unwaged etc.) — €15

Please pay for your registration in advance using this link, with the note “Confucius Cup your name“: revolut.me/henryjtn4 (no Revolut account needed).

Tournament Format

The Rapid tournament is a five round Swiss tournament. Time controls are 18 minutes sudden death for the first round, decreasing by 2 minutes for each subsequent round. Handicap is difference in score plus 1. Ties are broken by direct comparison, SOS, then SOSOS.

The Confucius Cup is a five round McMahon tournament, with the first three rounds played on Saturday and the remaining two on Sunday. Time controls are 60 minutes main time plus five periods of 30 seconds byo-yomi (EGF Class A). Komi is 6.5. Handicap is difference in McMahon Score minus 1. Ties are broken by direct comparison, SOS, then SOSOS.

Schedule (Provisional)

Friday, 9th October

19.00 Check-In (but try to check in before 7 – we’ll be there)
19.10 Rapid Tournament Round 1
19:51 Rapid Tournament Round 2
20:28 Rapid Tournament Round 3
21:01 Rapid Tournament Round 4
21:30 Rapid Tournament Round 5

Saturday, 10th October

09.00 Check-In
09.45 Opening Ceremony
10.00 Confucius Cup Round 1
13.30 Confucius Cup Round 2
16.30 Confucius Cup Round 3
19.30 Dinner

Sunday, 11th October

09.00 Check-In
09.15 Confucius Cup Round 4
13.00 Confucius Cup Round 5
16.30 Closing Ceremony and Prize-Giving
19.30 Dinner and drinks

This schedule is subject to change.

Twitch & OGS Broadcast

Note: PROVISIONAL.

The top boards will be broadcast on OGS, with live reviews by EGF professionals on the EGF Twitch channel. The Twitch broadcast will be shown on the big screen in the lecture theatre adjacent to the main playing area.

Prizes (PROVISIONAL)

Food & Drink

Coffee, tea and pastries will be served in the morning and afternoon on both Saturday and Sunday. There will be a Chinese dinner featuring three main dishes and a drink (included in price of entry) in the Confucius Chinese restaurant on Saturday evening.

Other food options and a full bar are readily available throughout the day in the Food Hall of the nearby UCD Student Village.

If you are staying on for Sunday night, there will be a group dinner at an Asian restaurant in the city centre, followed by a few creamy pints in a pub.

Registered players (5)

• Guanqiu Chen (2kyu, Plymouth) – Registered
• Emmet O’Rourke (7kyu, Dublin) – Paid
• Henry Williams (11kyu, Dublin) – Paid
• Conor Strickland (20 kyu) – Paid
• Samuel Leung – Registered

Contact

The tournament organisers for 2026 are Henry Williams and John Courtney.

For all questions, comments and concerns please contact: secretary@irish-go.org