2026 Coomera King of the Mountain Begins with the Rapid Rounds
- deaynne
- May 7
- 2 min read
The 2026 Coomera King of the Mountain got underway on Tuesday night at the Upper Coomera Centre, launching with the Rapid chess rounds.
A strong field of players competed across five fast-paced Rapid games, with Kerry Stead making an early statement by finishing on a perfect 10 points to take the initial lead in the overall standings.
With the opening round complete, the race for the 2026 title is officially on.
A Unique Combined-Format Championship
The King of the Mountain is a distinctive seven-week chess event that tests players across three different formats:
Blitz Chess (10 rounds)
Rapid Chess (5 rounds)
Classical Chess (5 rounds)
Each format contributes to the overall championship score, with points weighted differently to reward performance across all time controls:
Blitz: Win = 1 point | Draw = 0.5 points (10 points total available)
Rapid: Win = 2 points | Draw = 1 point (10 points total available)
Classical: Win = 3 points | Draw = 1.5 points (15 points total available)
Prizes are awarded based on the combined total from all three events.
The Classical section is ACF rated, while Rapid and Blitz games are QJ rated.
Early Leaders and Past Champions
The tournament has a strong history of competitive champions:
2022: Mars Qi
2023: Luka Hart
2024: Oleg Kitikov
2025: Luka Hart
With Rapid now complete, attention shifts to the Blitz and Classical rounds where the bulk of points are still to be decided.
What’s Coming Next
The competition continues next week with the Blitz event, where another 10 points will be up for grabs in the overall standings. Blitz results could significantly reshape the leaderboard early in the tournament.
Players still have options to join:
Enter the remaining series and receive 2 bye points for the Rapid section
Or join as a standalone Blitz-only entry
Event Details
Location: Upper Coomera Centre – Hall 190 Reserve Rd, Upper Coomera QLD 4209
Time: Tuesday nights, 6:45pm start
Entry Fee: $35 (members and non-members)
Membership Requirement: 2026 CAQ membership required
Registration:https://www.goldcoastchessclub.com.au/event-details-registration/2026-coomera-king-of-the-mountain-combo
Schedule
Day 1: Rapid – Tuesday 5 May
Day 2: Blitz – Tuesday 12 May
Day 3: Classical Round 1 – Tuesday 19 May
Day 4: Tuesday 27 May - No club (hall unavailable)
Day 5: Classical Round 2 – Tuesday 2 June
Day 6: Classical Round 3 – Tuesday 9 June
Day 7: Classical Round 4 – Tuesday 16 June
Day 8: Classical Round 5 – Tuesday 23 June
Time Controls
Rapid: 10 minutes + 2 seconds increment
Blitz: 3 minutes + 2 seconds increment
Classical: 60 minutes + 10 seconds increment
The Race Continues
With Rapid completed and Blitz just around the corner, the standings are only beginning to take shape. Consistency across all three formats will be key as players battle for the 2026 Coomera King of the Mountain title.
Who will rise across Blitz, Rapid, and Classical chess to claim the crown this year?
Comments