The Prague International Chess Festival 2026 is underway, featuring elite players in the Masters, Challengers, and Futures sections. World Champion Gukesh D leads the Masters group against strong opponents. Fans can follow the action live on multiple online platforms.
The Prague International Chess Festival 2026 takes place from February 25 to March 6, 2026, in Prague, Czech Republic. This event includes the Masters, Challengers, and Futures sections, drawing some of the world's top-rated chess players. It is described as one of the strongest chess events of 2026.
In the Masters group, World Champion Gukesh D, with a rating of 2754, competes against Vincent Keymer (rated 2776), Nodirbek Abdusattorov (rated 2751), and Hans Niemann (rated 2725). The Challengers section features top women players Zhu Jiner and Divya Deshmukh.
Games typically start at 3:00 PM local time in Prague, which corresponds to 7:30 PM Indian Standard Time. Viewers in India can watch the live action in the evening.
Live coverage is available on several platforms. Chess.com provides move-by-move updates through its official events page and ChessTV, including expert commentary. Lichess.org offers full live games. On YouTube, the ChessBase India channel and the official Prague International Chess Festival channel broadcast the tournament with analysis.
Note that one source mentions the festival starting on February 24, while most sections indicate February 25; the later date is used here as it appears consistently in detailed descriptions.