The 53rd Sparkassen Chess Trophy gets underway on August 1 in Dortmund, Germany, continuing one of Europe’s longest-running and most prestigious chess traditions. Organized as part of the International Dortmund Chess Days, the 2026 edition brings together ambitious grandmasters, experienced professionals, rising talents, and club players from around the world for nine days of competitive action.
Play runs from August 1 to August 9, with the A-Open contested over nine rounds under classical time controls. Alongside the open tournaments, the Women’s Tournament adds another elite competition to the program, while various side events continue Dortmund’s tradition of combining top-level chess with a vibrant festival atmosphere. Top entrants include Matthias Blübaum, Dmitrij Kollars, Rasmus Svane, David Navara, Andrew Hong, Surya Shekar Ganguly, Péter Ács, Rithvik R Raja, Kacper Piorun, Christian Gloeckler, Konstantin Peyrer, Victor Mikhalevski, Aksel Bu Kvaløy, Sugar Gan-Erdene.
This is yet another chance for Matthias Bluebaum, who recently made history by qualifying to the Candidates to complete the Great Bluebaum Sweep
More information on Sparkassen Chess 2026
The festival features an A-Open, B-Open, and an International Women’s Tournament, with all events taking place at the Kulturzentrum “Alte Schmiede” in Dortmund. The A-Open once again serves as the main attraction, offering a €20,000 prize fund and opportunities to achieve FIDE title norms, making it one of the strongest open tournaments on the European summer calendar. Interest in the event remains exceptionally high. Tournament organizers have reported that both the A-Open and B-Open reached full capacity well before the start of the competition, reflecting the growing international appeal of the Sparkassen Chess Trophy in recent years.
The Sparkassen Chess Trophy has evolved into the modern successor of the famous Dortmund Chess Meeting, preserving the city’s rich chess heritage while embracing an open format that welcomes players across all levels. The 2026 edition promises another week of fighting chess and international competition in one of Germany’s most respected annual chess festivals.
Full participants list
| No. | Last Name | First Name | Nation | ELO | DWZ | Title | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blübaum | Matthias | GER | 2694 | 2692 | GM | SF Deizisau |
| 2 | Kollars | Dmitrij | GER | 2634 | 2617 | GM | SF Deizisau |
| 3 | Svane | Rasmus | GER | 2624 | 2619 | GM | Hamburger SK von 1830 eV |
| 4 | Navara | David | CZE | 2619 | 2694 | GM | Schachgesellschaft Solingen e. V. |
| 5 | Hong | Andrew | USA | 2602 | GM | ||
| 6 | Ganguly | Surya Shekar | IND | 2578 | 2529 | GM | Schachgesellschaft Solingen e. V. |
| 7 | Ács | Péter | HUN | 2561 | 2561 | GM | SC Eppingen |
| 8 | Raja | Rithvik R | IND | 2521 | GM | ||
| 9 | Piorun | Kacper | POL | 2519 | GM | ||
| 10 | Gloeckler | Christian | GER | 2506 | 2561 | IM | Wiesbadener SV 1885 |
| 11 | Peyrer | Konstantin | AUT | 2496 | 2497 | IM | Hamburger SK von 1830 eV |
| 12 | Mikhalevski | Victor | ISR | 2494 | GM | ||
| 13 | Kvaløy | Aksel Bu | NOR | 2483 | GM | ||
| 14 | Gan-Erdene | Sugar | MGL | 2474 | IM | ||
| 15 | Belurkar | Nitish | IND | 2466 | IM | ||
| 16 | Chen | Qi b | CHN | 2466 | IM | ||
| 17 | Poh | Yu Tian | MAS | 2461 | IM | ||
| 18 | Nothnagel | Marian Can | GER | 2451 | 2469 | FM | SK Bickenbach |
| 19 | Panchanathan | Magesh Chandran | IND | 2444 | GM | ||
| 20 | Uurtsaikh | Agibileg | MGL | 2443 | IM | ||
| 21 | Ganzorig | Amartuvshin | MGL | 2443 | IM | ||
| 22 | Vaganian | Rafael | ARM | 2442 | GM | ||
| 23 | Xie | Kaifan | CHN | 2441 | IM | ||
| 24 | Zwirs | Nico | NED | 2435 | 2450 | IM | Hamburger SK von 1830 eV |
| 25 | Bänziger | Fabian | SUI | 2435 | 2435 | IM | Heilbronner SV |
| 26 | Javakhishvili | Lela | GEO | 2430 | 2477 | WGM | SK Schwäbisch Hall |
| 27 | Korchynskyi | Mykola | GER | 2430 | 2426 | FM | Schachverein Erkenschwick 1923 e. V. |
| 28 | Parvanyan | Ashot | GER | 2429 | IM | ||
| 29 | Sumiya | Bilguun | MGL | 2428 | GM | ||
| 30 | Zielonka | Adam | POL | 2421 | FM | ||
| 31 | Khuyagtsogt | Itgelt | MGL | 2414 | IM | ||
| 32 | Besou | Hussain | GER | 2413 | 2428 | IM | LSV Turm Lippstadt |
| 33 | Ahmadinia | Ebrahim | IRI | 2410 | 2377 | IM | Schachfreunde Berlin 1903 e.V. |
| 34 | Bhattacharyya | Soham | IND | 2407 | |||
| 35 | Pavlović | Miloš | SRB | 2406 | GM | ||
| 36 | Sumiya | Chinguun | MGL | 2398 | IM | ||
| 37 | Song | Edward | USA | 2397 | IM | ||
| 38 | Dahl | Christoph | GER | 2393 | 2392 | FM | SG Grün-Weiß Dresden |
| 39 | Agrawal | Vantika | IND | 2393 | WGM | ||
| 40 | Xie | Felix | NZL | 2389 | IM | ||
| 41 | Hess | Max | GER | 2385 | 2386 | IM | SC Garching 1980 e.V. |
| 42 | Sydykov | Bayastan | KGZ | 2382 | 2378 | FM | SC Viernheim 1934 e.V. |
| 43 | Wegener | Olaf | GER | 2380 | 2368 | IM | Münchener SC 1836 e.V. |
| 44 | Pauly | Carlo | GER | 2371 | 2378 | FM | Schachgemeinschaft Porz e. V. |
| 45 | Fiskaaen | Martin Holten | NOR | 2368 | FM | ||
| 46 | Talgatov | Nazar | KAZ | 2365 | FM | ||
| 47 | Silva | Pedro Gil | POR | 2364 | FM | ||
| 48 | Kuegel | Tobias | GER | 2361 | 2421 | IM | SK Kirchweyhe 1947 |
| 49 | Zuferi | Enis | GER | 2356 | 2362 | FM | Heilbronner SV |
| 50 | Heinrich | John | GER | 2356 | 2360 | FM | SV Lengefeld |
| 51 | Wagh | Suyog | IND | 2345 | IM | ||
| 52 | Malinowsky | Levi | GER | 2342 | 2344 | FM | Lübecker SV von 1873 |
| 53 | Panda | Sambit | IND | 2337 | IM | ||
| 54 | Schwitkowski | Luka | GER | 2330 | 2270 | FM | Schachverein Erkenschwick 1923 e. V. |
| 55 | Bat-Erdene | Mungunzul | MGL | 2329 | WIM | ||
| 56 | Ramsdal | Jens Albert | DEN | 2328 | FM | ||
| 57 | Mainka | Romuald | GER | 2323 | 2280 | GM | SC Remagen-Sinzig e.V. |
| 58 | Zhong | Kangmin | CHN | 2321 | FM | ||
| 59 | Batkhuyag | Munguntuul | MGL | 2320 | WGM | ||
| 60 | Khishigbat | Ulziikhishig | MGL | 2318 | IM | ||
| 61 | Panjer | Sidney | GER | 2313 | 2305 | FM | Krefelder Schachklub Turm 1851 e. V. |
| 62 | Möller | Maurin | GER | 2301 | 2296 | FM | SK Blauer Springer Paderborn 1926 e. V. |
| 63 | Saminskij | Jan | SUI | 2301 | FM | ||
| 64 | Arsenie | Cristian Marc | SUI | 2300 | FM | ||
| 65 | Namesh Ramalakshmi | Jaidambareesh | IND | 2300 | FM | ||
| 66 | Scholz | Christian | GER | 2292 | 2305 | IM | Schachklub Königsspringer Iserlohn 1934 |
| 67 | Weihrauch | Jakob | GER | 2283 | 2291 | FM | Hamburger SK von 1830 eV |
| 68 | Fuhrmann | Bahne | GER | 2277 | 2228 | FM | Hamburger SK von 1830 eV |
| 69 | Bock | Jürgen | GER | 2276 | 2204 | Schachklub Delbrück | |
| 70 | Nezhyvenko | Mykhailo | GER | 2270 | 2217 | FM | Krefelder Schachklub Turm 1851 e. V. |
| 71 | Rappazzo | Johannes | SUI | 2268 | FM | ||
| 72 | Grabowski | Pawel | POL | 2265 | 2291 | FM | SC Remagen-Sinzig e.V. |
| 73 | Sam | Gabriel | USA | 2265 | FM | ||
| 74 | Turmunkh | Munkhzul | MGL | 2264 | WGM | ||
| 75 | Chassard | Cedric | GER | 2262 | 2213 | FM | TSV Schott Mainz |
| 76 | Korten | Lando | GER | 2256 | 2225 | Schachfreunde Brackel 1930 e. V. | |
| 77 | Weidemann | Jakob | GER | 2255 | 2272 | FM | Schachklub Münster 32 e. V. |
| 78 | Khishigbaatar | Bayasgalan | MGL | 2252 | WCM | ||
| 79 | Hainke | Guntram | GER | 2250 | 2222 | FM | Schachklub Königsspringer Iserlohn 1934 |
| 80 | Schuricht | Emil Frederick | GER | 2243 | 2217 | FM | Krefelder Schachklub Turm 1851 e. V. |
| 81 | Vemparala | Nikash | USA | 2242 | CM | ||
| 82 | Legde | Georg | GER | 2241 | 2205 | FM | Freibauer Mörlenbach-Birkenau |
| 83 | Sommer | Justus | GER | 2239 | 2215 | Lübecker SV von 1873 | |
| 84 | Bashirov | Kemal | GER | 2232 | 2312 | FM | Schachfreunde Essen-Werden 1924/80 e. V. |
| 85 | Gramb | Marius | GER | 2229 | 2228 | Brühler Schachklub 1920 e. V. | |
| 86 | Marynychenko | Yehor | GER | 2227 | 2196 | CM | USV TU Dresden |
| 87 | Michalczak | Thomas | GER | 2227 | 2225 | FM | Schachgesellschaft Solingen e. V. |
| 88 | Ayyachamy | Kumaresh | IND | 2224 | CM | ||
| 89 | Walter | Richard | GER | 2223 | 2186 | Heilbronner SV | |
| 90 | Chitlange | Sakshi | IND | 2220 | WIM | ||
| 91 | Ramien | David | GER | 2216 | 2231 | SG Trier 1877 e.V. | |
| 92 | Sonnenschein | Philipp | GER | 2213 | 2231 | CM | Schachverein Dinslaken 1923 e. V. |
| 93 | Baatar | Batbaatar | MGL | 2212 | FM | ||
| 94 | Thiel | Thomas | GER | 2206 | 2194 | FM | Schachverein Wattenscheid 1930 e. V. |
| 95 | Harish | Neeraj | USA | 2201 | CM | ||
| 96 | Webster | Dex | USA | 2201 | |||
| 97 | Parvanyan | Alfred | GER | 2200 | 2192 | CM | SK Norderstedt von 1975 |
| 98 | Tirelli | Mauro | ITA | 2199 | |||
| 99 | Prieb | Robert | GER | 2195 | 2212 | FM | Schachfreunde Brackel 1930 e. V. |
| 100 | Challa | Niharika | IND | 2193 | WFM | ||
| 101 | Zhang | Junyi | ENG | 2192 | CM | ||
| 102 | Kamp | Adrian | GER | 2186 | 2189 | Schachklub Münster 32 e. V. | |
| 103 | Amini | Yusuf | GER | 2185 | 2153 | Schachclub Monheim/Baumberg 1958 e. V. | |
| 104 | Payyappat | Sreyas | IND | 2184 | 2254 | FM | HSK Lister Turm |
| 105 | Wagner | Alexej | GER | 2183 | 2151 | FM | LSV Turm Lippstadt |
| 106 | Goldkuhle | Collin | GER | 2181 | 2066 | Schachfreunde Essen-Werden 1924/80 e. V. | |
| 107 | Mukazhanov | Mansur | GER | 2180 | 2070 | SG Trier 1877 e.V. | |
| 108 | Mann | Gergely | GER | 2179 | 2190 | Schachfreunde Essen-Werden 1924/80 e. V. | |
| 109 | Nasta | Kiren | USA | 2175 | |||
| 110 | Helms | Finn | GER | 2175 | 2133 | SAbt SV Werder Bremen | |
| 111 | Nguyen | Thanh An | GER | 2163 | 2130 | SV Dresden-Striesen e.V. | |
| 112 | Vanek | Tomas | CZE | 2155 | FM | ||
| 113 | Scholz | Benedict | GER | 2155 | 2159 | Schachklub Königsspringer Iserlohn 1934 | |
| 114 | Derr | Oleg | GER | 2152 | 2157 | CM | VSG 1880 Offenbach |
| 115 | Schmidt | Horst | GER | 2142 | 2087 | SF Bad Mergentheim | |
| 116 | Kummerow | Heiko | GER | 2140 | 2148 | FM | Schachverein Erkenschwick 1923 e. V. |
| 117 | Hagenmeyer | Felix | GER | 2139 | 2109 | Heilbronner SV | |
| 118 | Kumbharathi | Vedansh | USA | 2137 | |||
| 119 | Morais | Miguel | POR | 2132 | |||
| 120 | Moreto Quintana | Alex | ESP | 2131 | |||
| 121 | Brockhoff | Moritz | GER | 2125 | 2146 | TSG Oberschöneweide e.V. | |
| 122 | Baljé | Jan | NED | 2123 | |||
| 123 | Vyas | Miransh | USA | 2120 | |||
| 124 | Najar Arrieta | Oriol | ESP | 2114 | |||
| 125 | Hulshof | Peter | NED | 2113 | |||
| 126 | Alankar Sawai | Vandan | IND | 2113 | CM | ||
| 127 | Anetov | Amirzhan | KAZ | 2108 | CM | ||
| 128 | Hirzel | Cédric | SUI | 2108 | |||
| 129 | Engemann | Till | GER | 2108 | 2137 | SC Viernheim 1934 e.V. | |
| 130 | Bolashakov | Nurali | KAZ | 2106 | CM | ||
| 131 | Roebers | Jan | NED | 2101 | FM | ||
| 132 | Kastek | Thomas | GER | 2101 | 2081 | Hamburger SK von 1830 eV | |
| 133 | Reis | Pedro | POR | 2099 | |||
| 134 | Bayarjargal | Bayarmaa | MGL | 2097 | WIM | ||
| 135 | Ejsymont | Blanka | POL | 2095 | WFM | ||
| 136 | Leusch | Gernot | GER | 2095 | 1868 | SC Postbauer-Heng e.V | |
| 137 | Marzatico | Luca | ITA | 2094 | |||
| 138 | Di Fonzo | Valerio | ITA | 2094 | CM | ||
| 139 | Alonso Moreira | Ronaldo | BRA | 2092 | |||
| 140 | Saxena | Vihaan | USA | 2085 | |||
| 141 | Linde | Wolfgang | GER | 2083 | 2072 | Schachverein Welper 1922 e. V. | |
| 142 | Humbert | Arthur | GER | 2083 | 2088 | SK Tarrasch 1945 München | |
| 143 | Pradeep | Harshill | GER | 2081 | 2141 | CM | SK Bickenbach |
| 144 | Ehrke | Michael | GER | 2079 | 2089 | Lübecker SV von 1873 | |
| 145 | Boer | Alef | NED | 2079 | 2068 | SF Lilienthal von 1971 | |
| 146 | Leutwyler | Martin | SUI | 2072 | 2083 | SF Gottmadingen | |
| 147 | Zhang | Xiheng | NED | 2069 | |||
| 148 | Fruth | David | GER | 2069 | 2108 | USV TU Dresden | |
| 149 | Hempel | Lorenz | GER | 2069 | 2097 | SC Einheit Bautzen | |
| 150 | Surender | Anil | SWE | 2067 | |||
| 151 | Riabtsev | Ivan | UKR | 2064 | |||
| 152 | Poon | Pak Yu | HKG | 2063 | |||
| 153 | Wille | Thomas | GER | 2062 | 1976 | Männer-Turn-Verein Langenberg 1882 e. V. | |
| 154 | Clemens | Adrian | NED | 2061 | FM | ||
| 155 | Wilde | Justin | GER | 2060 | 2134 | Sportgemeinschaft Kaarst 1912/35 e. V. | |
| 156 | Hirzel | René | SUI | 2057 | |||
| 157 | Klings | Peter | GER | 2057 | 2017 | Freibauer Mörlenbach-Birkenau | |
| 158 | Shuqja | Klean | ALB | 2054 | WFM | ||
| 159 | Saveljevs | Aleksandrs | LAT | 2047 | |||
| 160 | Salsa | Nicola | ITA | 2047 | 2061 | Schachklub München Südost e.V. | |
| 161 | Hu | Junyan | ENG | 2046 | CM | ||
| 162 | Allen | Phillipp | GER | 2046 | 2036 | Schachverein Erkenschwick 1923 e. V. | |
| 163 | Davganamdag | Tugsbilguun | MGL | 2045 | |||
| 164 | Bonade | Massimo | ITA | 2041 | |||
| 165 | Müller | Frank | GER | 2038 | 2011 | SK Sodingen/Castrop 24/23 e. V. | |
| 166 | Pfaltz | Maximilian | SUI | 2032 | |||
| 167 | Berkle | Pascal | GER | 2031 | 2042 | Schachverein Erftstadt e. V. | |
| 168 | Ramsdal | Lasse | DEN | 2031 | |||
| 169 | Piacquadio | Riccardo Daniele | SUI | 2021 | |||
| 170 | Slanina | Aaron | GER | 2019 | 2080 | SV Rochade Eving 25/64 | |
| 171 | Kock | Stefan | GER | 2017 | 1995 | SG Glückstadt von 1920 | |
| 172 | Rebelo da Silva | Lourenço | POR | 2016 | |||
| 173 | Ramsdal | Mikkel | DEN | 2015 | |||
| 174 | Merz | Martin | GER | 2015 | 2016 | Schachverein Bönen 49 | |
| 175 | Drishtee | Ghosh | IND | 2014 | WCM | ||
| 176 | Ejsymont | Eryk | POL | 2009 | |||
| 177 | Wang | Nathan | CAN | 2006 | |||
| 178 | Leers-Fischer | Hans | GER | 2004 | 1914 | Schachgemeinschaft Meiderich/Ruhrort e. V. | |
| 179 | Althoff | Ralph | GER | 2002 | 2048 | Schachfreunde Brackel 1930 e. V. | |
| 180 | Hofmann | Benjamin | GER | 2001 | 2036 | Schachverein Hemer 1932 e. V. | |
| 181 | Weidert | Florian | BEL | 2000 | 2025 | Krefelder Schachklub Turm 1851 e. V. | |
| 182 | Tarasenko | Nazar | GER | 1994 | 2049 | SV Kaponier Vechta | |
| 183 | Visahan Chitradevi | Nivedita | IND | 1991 | WFM | ||
| 184 | Philippe | Denis-Emmanuel | BEL | 1987 | |||
| 185 | Neuschild | Marius | SUI | 1987 | |||
| 186 | Moritani | Sho | JPN | 1985 | |||
| 187 | Muranyi | Erich | GER | 1980 | 1960 | Schachfreunde Brett vor’m Kopp Duisburg e. V. | |
| 188 | Liesendahl | Felix | GER | 1977 | 1979 | Schachgemeinschaft Ennepe-Ruhr-Süd | |
| 189 | Kania | Markus | GER | 1973 | 2055 | Sabt Frankfurter TV 1860 | |
| 190 | Sutharjan | Dakxwin | GER | 1969 | 2012 | Schachfreunde Brackel 1930 e. V. | |
| 191 | Conrad | Joachim | GER | 1969 | 1947 | Schachverein Welper 1922 e. V. | |
| 192 | Bekker | Gary | AUS | 1966 | CM | ||
| 193 | Reinhardt | Johannes | GER | 1961 | 1952 | SV Bad Schwartau von 1930 | |
| 194 | Celmer | Ole | GER | 1958 | 1946 | Think Rochade – SC HRO | |
| 195 | Avelino | Camila | POR | 1952 | WFM | ||
| 196 | Roebers | Bregje | NED | 1946 | |||
| 197 | Zander | Vincent | GER | 1938 | 1918 | Sportgemeinschaft Kaarst 1912/35 e. V. | |
| 198 | Glasschröder | Maximilian | GER | 1914 | 1877 | SK Weilheim e.V. | |
| 199 | Krien | Hartmut | GER | 1900 | 1705 | Schachklub Heidenau | |
| 200 | Doedens | Julian | GER | 1897 | 1941 | Schachverein 1922 Hilden | |
| 201 | Nolte | Gerhard | GER | 1849 | 2012 | ESV Rot-Weiß Göttingen |

