Welcome to the annual Insight
ASSA chess championship.

The Greatest Minds in the Game!

Insight is proud to once again sponsor and host the annual Insight ASSA Convention Chess Tournament. Bring your sharpest openings, strategic thinking, and competitive spirit as you compete for the title of actuarial chess champion for 2026.

Ensure your Chess.com profile is up to date and spend some time refining your rating ahead of the tournament. Matches leading up to the semi-final stage will take place online, with the semi-finals and final hosted in person at the ASSA Convention in October 2026.

Following the success of last year’s format, we will once again be running both the Corporate and the Student Challenge — giving professionals and students alike the opportunity to compete, connect, and represent their teams or universities.

The Corporate Challenge allows colleagues to join forces and compete as teams, while the Student Challenge creates space for the next generation of actuaries to test their skills against peers from across the industry. Team scores will be based on the aggregation of individual results, making it easy for everyone to participate.

Series Schedule

03 June – 17 July

21 July – 29 September

07 – 08 October

Series Format

First Rounds

Online on chess.com,
using the Swiss
pairing system

Points

Loss: +0 points
Draw: +0.5 point
Win: +1 point

Top 4 players

Will play knockout
semi-finals and
finals

Winner

Takes home
a R10 000
cash prize

Company Standings

Thank you for registering. Once verified you will receive a confirmation email with all relevant tournament details.

For all additional information please email us on garritn@insight.co.za

Prizes

Claim victory and take home the ultimate reward in our exhilarating chess showdown, while also giving back to the community through the Moves for Life Impact Prize!

1st Prize – 2025 Champion

R10 000 cash prize

Runner Up Prize

R5 000 cash prize

Give Back Prize

R10 000 to Moves for Life

Tournament Rules

  • The first part of the tournament will be played online at chess.com, using the Swiss pairing system with 8 rounds, where players with similar scores are paired against each other in each round. The scoring system will be:
    1. Loss: +0 points
    2. Draw: +0.5 point
    3. Win: +1 point
  • The top 4 players from the Swiss pairing round will play knockout semi-finals and finals over the board at the convention.

  • The tournament is open to all members of the Actuarial Society of South Africa who are planning to attend the in person Convention.
  • Players must register before a specified deadline and provide:
    1. Full name
    2. Email address
    3. Organisation
    4. Role
    5. Chess.com username
    6. Current rapid rating on chess.com

  • The time control for each game will be 15-minute rapid with no increment.
  • All games during the online round will be played on chess.com using the official chess rules.
  • Players may not use any form of computer assistance during their games.
  • Official game settings (15-minute rapid) must be used when playing online.

  • Pairings will be made according to the Swiss pairing system, with players paired against opponents with similar scores in each round.
  • No player will play the same opponent more than once.

  • The tournament will start on 16 September 2024, and run to 8 November.
  • There will be 1 game scheduled per week to be played online.
  • Each player must complete the games schedule for that week before the next week starts. Any missed games will result in a score of 0 for either one or both players depending on the circumstances.
  • The exact schedule for each round will be announced at least [insert time period] before the start of the tournament.
  • Usernames, cell number, and email addresses of opponents for each week will be shared with the players before each round via email, and it is up to the players to make contact on chess.com and play their scheduled matches.

  • After each round, results must be submitted by one or both of the players. This should be done via email with a screenshot of the game results showing both players usernames.

  • In the event of a tie, the following tiebreakers may be used to determine the final standings:
    • Buchholz Cut 1
    • Buchholz
    • Sonneborn-Berger
    • Number of wins
    • Direct Encounter

  • Players must follow the official chess rules and maintain proper conduct during the tournament.
  • Any form of cheating or unfair play will result in immediate disqualification from the tournament.
  • The tournament organisers reserve the right to investigate any suspicious behavior and take appropriate action.
  • Players must be courteous to their opponents at all times and during all communications.

  • The prize distribution will be announced before the start of the tournament.
  • The prizes will be distributed to the winners based on their final rankings after tiebreakers have been applied.

  • Any disputes or issues should be reported to the tournament organisers as soon as possible.
  • The tournament organisers reserve the right to make final decisions on all matters related to the tournament.

  • Players who have missed their games for 2 weeks may be removed from the tournament.

  • The finals games are to be 15 minutes with 2 second increments per move.

  • Players may elect to join a team based on their company. If so then the average of the top 3 scores in the team will determine the teams score.

    For all help and support matters