2026 is one of the most significant years in chess history. The World Chess Championship features the youngest match ever contested. The Chess Olympiad heads to Samarkand. The Grand Chess Tour visits four countries. This page is your complete global chess calendar for 2026, updated regularly.
For tournaments in India, see our Chess Tournaments in India 2026 guide.
Quick Summary
- Biggest event of 2026: World Chess Championship between Gukesh Dommaraju and Javokhir Sindarov, provisionally scheduled November 23 to December 17, 2026. Host city not yet confirmed. Prize fund $2.5 million.
- Women's World Chess Championship 2026: Ju Wenjun vs Vaishali Rameshbabu. Dates and location not yet confirmed by FIDE.
- Candidates winners: In Candidates 2026, the open section won by Javokhir Sindarov (Uzbekistan) with 10/14 undefeated. Women's section won by Vaishali Rameshbabu (India) with 8.5/14, entering as the lowest-rated player in the field.
- Grand Chess Tour 2026: 6 events across Warsaw, Bucharest, Zagreb, and Saint Louis. Poland won by Hans Moke Niemann ($50,000). Romania won by Vincent Keymer ($100,000). Croatia, Saint Louis, and the Finals still to come.
- Norway Chess 2026 Open: Ongoing in Oslo. Wesley So leads with 12.5 points after 7 rounds. Alireza Firouzja second on 10.0 points. Tournament ends June 5.
- Norway Chess Women 2026: Ongoing in Oslo. Bibisara Assaubayeva leads with 12.5 points after 7 rounds. Divya Deshmukh second on 10.0 points. Anna Muzychuk third on 9.5 points. Tournament ends June 5.
- Chess Olympiad 2026: Samarkand, Uzbekistan. September 15 to 27, 2026. Approximately 200 nations expected. India are defending Women's gold medallists from Budapest 2024.
- Tata Steel 2026: Masters won by Nodirbek Abdusattorov (9/13). Challengers won by Andy Woodward (10/13).
- FIDE World Team Rapid and Blitz 2026: Hong Kong, June 17 to 21, 2026. Prize fund €500,000. First time this event is held in East Asia. 42 teams competing.
- European Women's Chess Championship 2026: Ongoing in Batumi, Georgia until June 6. Anastasiia Hnatyshyn and Meri Arabidze leading after Round 7.
- Women's Candidates top finishers: Vaishali Rameshbabu (India) 1st, Bibisara Assaubayeva (Kazakhstan) 2nd, Zhu Jiner (China) 3rd, Aleksandra Goryachkina 4th.
- Next upcoming major event: FIDE World Team Rapid and Blitz Championships, Hong Kong, June 17 to 21, 2026.
World Chess Championship Events 2026
Tournament | Location | Dates | Status | Result / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 | Pegeia, Cyprus | Mar 28 - Apr 16 | Completed | Won by Javokhir Sindarov (10/14, undefeated) |
FIDE Women's Candidates Tournament 2026 | Pegeia, Cyprus | Mar 28 - Apr 16 | Completed | Won by Vaishali Rameshbabu (8.5/14) |
World Chess Championship 2026 | Host city TBC | Nov 23 - Dec 17 | Upcoming | Gukesh Dommaraju vs Javokhir Sindarov. Prize fund $2.5M. Host city bidding deadline Jun 21. |
Women's World Chess Championship 2026 | TBC | TBC | Upcoming | Ju Wenjun vs Vaishali Rameshbabu. Dates and location not yet confirmed. |
Grand Chess Tour 2026
Tournament | Location | Dates | Format | Status | Result / Leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Super Rapid and Blitz Poland 2026 | Warsaw, Poland | May 5-9 | Rapid + Blitz | Completed | Won by Hans Moke Niemann (22.5 pts, $50,000) |
Super Chess Classic Romania 2026 | Bucharest, Romania | May 14-23 | Classical | Completed | Won by Vincent Keymer (6.0/9, $100,000) |
Super Rapid and Blitz Croatia 2026 | Zagreb, Croatia | Jul 1-5 | Rapid + Blitz | Upcoming | Prize fund $200,000 |
Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz 2026 | Saint Louis, USA | Aug 2-6 | Rapid + Blitz | Upcoming | Prize fund $200,000 |
Sinquefield Cup 2026 | Saint Louis, USA | Aug 10-20 | Classical | Upcoming | Prize fund $350,000 plus decisive games bonus |
GCT Finals 2026 | Saint Louis, USA | Aug 22-27 | Mixed | Upcoming | Prize fund $500,000. Top 4 GCT qualifiers only. |
Elite Super-Tournaments 2026
Tournament | Location | Dates | Format | Status | Result / Leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tata Steel Chess Masters 2026 | Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands | Jan 16 - Feb 1 | Classical | Completed | Won by Nodirbek Abdusattorov (9/13) |
Tata Steel Chess Challengers 2026 | Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands | Jan 16 - Feb 1 | Classical | Completed | Won by Andy Woodward (10/13) |
FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship 2026 | Wangels, Germany | Feb 13-15 | Chess960 | Completed | Won by Magnus Carlsen. Prize fund $300,000. |
Reykjavik Open 2026 | Reykjavik, Iceland | Mar 25-31 | Classical Open | Completed | Won by M. Amin Tabatabaei (Iran) |
Grenke Freestyle Chess Open 2026 | Karlsruhe, Germany | Apr 1-6 | Chess960 Open | Completed | Won by Vincent Keymer. Prize €50,000. |
TePe Sigeman and Co Tournament 2026 | Malmö, Sweden | May 1-7 | Classical | Completed | Won by Magnus Carlsen (Armageddon vs Erigaisi) |
Norway Chess 2026 Open | Oslo, Norway | May 25 - Jun 5 | Classical + Armageddon | Ongoing | Wesley So leads (12.5 pts after R7). |
Norway Chess Women 2026 | Oslo, Norway | May 25 - Jun 5 | Classical + Armageddon | Ongoing | Bibisara Assaubayeva leads (12.5 pts after R7). |
UzChess Cup Masters 2026 | Tashkent, Uzbekistan | Jun 7-15 | Classical | Upcoming | - |
FIDE World Team Events 2026
Tournament | Location | Dates | Format | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
World Senior Team Championship 2026 | Durrës, Albania | Apr 2026 | Classical Teams | Completed | USA won 50+ Open. Germany won 65+ Open. |
FIDE World Team Rapid and Blitz Championships 2026 | Hong Kong | Jun 17-21 | Team Rapid + Blitz | Upcoming | Prize fund €500,000. Queen Elizabeth Stadium. 42 teams. |
46th Chess Olympiad 2026 | Samarkand, Uzbekistan | Sep 15-27 | Classical Teams | Upcoming | 11 rounds. Approximately 200 nations. India defending Women's gold. |
Continental Championships 2026
Tournament | Location | Dates | Status | Result / Leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
European Women's Rapid and Blitz Championship 2026 | Monaco | Jan 8-12 | Completed | - |
European Senior Team Championship 2026 | Rhodes, Greece | Mar 21-31 | Completed | - |
European Individual Chess Championship 2026 | Katowice, Poland | Apr 6-20 | Completed | Won by Roman Dehtiarov (9/11). Prize €100,000. |
European School Chess Championship 2026 | Poreč, Croatia | Apr 26 - May 5 | Completed | - |
Asian Individual Chess Championship 2026 | Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia | May 28 - Jun 7 | Ongoing | Prize $60,000. Top 5 qualify for the 2027 World Cup. |
European Women's Chess Championship 2026 | Batumi, Georgia | May 24 - Jun 6 | Ongoing | Hnatyshyn and Arabidze lead after Round 7. |
European Senior Individual Championship 2026 | Acqui Terme, Italy | Jun 1-11 | Ongoing | - |
American Continental Championship 2026 | Oaxtepec, Mexico | Jun 1-11 | Ongoing | Prize $20,000. The top 4 qualify for the 2027 World Cup. |
African Individual Chess Championship 2026 | Jwaneng, Botswana | Jun 18-27 | Upcoming | 9-round Swiss. |
European Fischer Random Championship 2026 | Thessaloniki, Greece | Jun 2026 | Upcoming | - |
European Youth Rapid and Blitz Championship 2026 | Rzeszów, Poland | Jun 2026 | Upcoming | - |
European Youth Team Championship 2026 | Pardubice, Czech Republic | Jul 16-24 | Upcoming | - |
World Schools Team Championship, African Stage 2026 | Cape Town, South Africa | Jul 6-11 | Upcoming | - |
World Schools Team Championship, Americas Stage 2026 | San Jose, Costa Rica | Aug 11-16 | Upcoming | - |
European Chess Club Cup 2026 | Budva, Montenegro | Oct 16-24 | Upcoming | - |
European Youth Chess Championship 2026 | Rhodes, Greece | Oct 30 - Nov 10 | Upcoming | - |
World Youth and Junior Championships 2026
Tournament | Location | Dates | Age Groups | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Africa Youth Chess Championship 2026 | Entebbe, Uganda | May 2026 | Multiple | Completed | Egypt won 11 medals including 6 gold. |
World Cadet Chess Championship 2026 | Batumi, Georgia | May 2026 | U8, U10, U12 | Completed | India won U12 Girls (Shubhi Gupta) and U8 Girls (Charvi A). |
FIDE World Youth Chess Championship 2026 | Montesilvano, Italy | Jun 14-27 | U14, U16, U18 | Upcoming | Open and Girls categories. |
FIDE World University Team Championship 2026 | Almaty, Kazakhstan | Aug 4-9 | University students | Upcoming | Prize €25,000 for winning team. |
FIDE World Junior Championship 2026 | Lima, Peru | Oct 3-16 | U20 | Upcoming | Open and Girls categories. |
FIDE World Cadet Championship 2026 | Batumi, Georgia | Nov 10-17 | U8, U10, U12 | Upcoming | Dates provisional, check FIDE calendar. |
Major Open Tournaments 2026
Tournament | Location | Dates | Prize | Status | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gibraltar International Chess Festival 2026 | Gibraltar | Jan 21-30 | TBC | Completed | TBC |
Sligo Chess and Culture Festival 2026 | Sligo, Ireland | Jan 30 - Feb 8 | TBC | Completed | TBC |
Menorca Open 2026 | Menorca, Spain | Apr 7-12 | €6,000 (1st) | Completed | Abhimanyu Mishra (USA) |
Baku Open 2026 | Baku, Azerbaijan | Apr 28 - May 6 | $50,000 | Completed | Sina Movahed (Iran), 8/9 |
Sardinia World Chess Festival 2026 | Orosei, Sardinia | May 3-10 | €50,100 | Completed | Frederik Svane (Germany), 7.5/9 |
Commonwealth Chess Championship 2026 | Waskaduwa, Sri Lanka | 01-05-2026 | TBC | Completed | Mitrabha Guha (India), 7.5/9 |
Stepan Avagyan Memorial 2026 | Armenia | May 28 - Jun 6 | TBC | Ongoing | - |
Sharjah Masters 2026 | Sharjah, UAE | TBC (postponed) | $15,000 (1st) | Postponed | New dates not announced |
