The 2026 International Prague Chess Festival has begun in Prague, Czech Republic, featuring top grandmasters in its Masters event. Reigning World Champion GM Gukesh D headlines alongside players like GM Vincent Keymer and GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov. The tournament runs from February 24 to March 6 at the Don Giovanni Hotel.
The Prague Chess Festival 2026, now in its eighth edition, was officially opened on February 24 and features multiple round-robin events including Masters, Challengers, and Futures sections, alongside open tournaments and rapid events. The Masters tournament, a Category XIX event with an average rating of 2710.4, pits 10 grandmasters against each other in a single round-robin format over nine rounds. The time control is classical: 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the remainder, with a 30-second increment per move from the start.
Top seed GM Vincent Keymer of Germany (2776) leads the field, followed by GM Gukesh D of India (2754), the reigning World Champion, and GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan (2751). Other participants include GM Hans Niemann (USA, 2725), GM Parham Maghsoodloo (Iran, 2708), GM Jorden Van Foreest (Netherlands, 2705), GM Aravindh Chithambaram (India, 2700), GM Nodirbek Yakubboev (Uzbekistan, 2691), GM David Anton Guijarro (Spain, 2666), and GM David Navara (Czech Republic, 2628). Games in the Masters section are yet to be played as of February 25, 2026.
The Challengers event includes players such as GM Benjamin Gledura (Hungary, 2652) and GM Jonas Buhl Bjerre (Denmark, 2629), while the Futures tournament, supported by the European Chess Union and FIDE Development Fund, features 10 young female talents, including Anna Hrckova (Czech Republic, 2039) and Lilian Schirmbeck (Germany, 2035), competing under similar conditions to the higher sections.
Past winners of the Prague Masters include Aravindh Chithambaram (India, 2025), Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzbekistan, 2024), and Ray Robson (USA, 2023). The event is broadcast live with commentary by GM Alojzije Jankovic and WGM Keti Tsatsalashvili on the ECU YouTube channel. Detailed schedules and regulations are available on the official website.
