Grandmaster Vincent Keymer and World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju will lead the Masters section of the 2026 Prague International Chess Festival. The event, held annually in the Czech capital since 2019, features a strong lineup in both Masters and Challengers categories. It is scheduled for February 25 to March 6 at the Don Giovanni Hotel.
The Prague International Chess Festival continues to grow in prominence, with organizers announcing an impressive participant list for the 2026 edition. This tournament, established in 2019, will occur from February 25 to March 6 in Prague's Don Giovanni Hotel. The Masters section boasts an average rating of 2704, positioning it among the year's top elite events.
In the Masters, Vincent Keymer holds the highest rating, closely followed by reigning World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju. Nodirbek Abdusattorov, currently leading the Tata Steel Chess Masters, joins them. The full roster includes Parham Maghsoodloo, Jorden van Foreest, Aravindh Chithambaram, Nodirbek Yakubboev, David Anton Guijarro, Thai Dai Van Nguyen, and David Navara.
Last year's Masters victor, Aravindh Chithambaram, secured the title with a 6/9 score, edging out Anish Giri, Wei Yi, and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu. Notably, those three Candidates participants will skip this event to focus on preparations. Yakubboev enters the Masters for the first time after clinching the 2025 Challengers via a playoff win over Jonas Buhl Bjerre.
The Challengers section features Benjamin Gledura, Jonas Buhl Bjerre, Daniil Yuffa, Zhu Jiner, Surya Ganguly, Thomas Beerdsen, and Divya Deshmukh, alongside Czech players Vaclav Finek, Stepan Hrbek, and Jachym Nemec. A Futures tournament will also run, though its participants remain unannounced.
Previous festivals have seen strong performances from local and international talents, building anticipation for who will claim victory in 2026.
