Baadur Jobava and Nino Batsiashvili each secured their fifth national chess championships at the 2026 Georgian events in Tbilisi. The open and women's tournaments, held from January 27 to February 5, featured 10-player round-robin formats at classical time controls. Jobava finished unbeaten for gold, while Batsiashvili dominated with a mid-tournament winning streak.
The 85th Georgian Chess Championship and the 83rd Women's edition unfolded simultaneously at the Biltmore Hotel in Tbilisi. In the open section, top seed Baadur Jobava took sole lead after round four and held it through the end. Entering the final round with 5.5 points from eight games—half a point ahead of Tornike Sanikidze and a full point clear of Luka Kiladze—Jobava drew quickly against Sanikidze. All other final-round games also ended in draws, preserving the top standings. Jobava and Sanikidze both went unbeaten, with Sanikidze earning silver and Kiladze bronze.
This marks Jobava's fifth title, following wins in 2003, 2007, 2012, and 2024. His first victory came at age 19, and he peaked at a 2734 rating in September 2012, ranking 19th globally. A highlight was his round-two win over Giga Quparadze, where Jobava played 20.Ne5 for a stable advantage, converting to an endgame victory despite some inaccuracies. All three of his wins came with white pieces.
In the women's event, Nino Batsiashvili asserted control early, clinching the title with a round to spare via five straight wins from rounds four to eight, finishing at 7.5/9. This is her fifth crown, after 2015, 2018, 2020, and 2022 triumphs starting at age 28. The result elevated her above Nana Dzagnidze as Georgia's top female player and to 17th worldwide among women.
Silver went to Lela Javakhishvili on Sonneborn-Berger tiebreak after Meri Arabidze's final-round win over her leveled their scores, leaving Arabidze with bronze. A key early game saw Batsiashvili, playing black against Bella Khotenashvili in round one, capitalize on 29.Nc4?? for a decisive edge, winning amid her opponent's time trouble.
