The 5th Skyline Chess Open will take place from October 9 to 12, 2026, at the Washington Dulles Airport Marriott in Dulles, Virginia.
Serving as a US Chess Grand Prix event offering 80 Grand Prix points and contributing to the VCF Cup, the tournament features a total prize fund of $10,000, with guaranteed prizes in the Open section based on 150 entries.
The event is organized into four main sections to accommodate players across different rating bands: Open, Under 2000, Under 1600, and Under 1200.
The Open and U2000 sections are FIDE-rated and require a FIDE ID, with eligibility for the top flight restricted to players maintaining a peak USCF or FIDE rating of 1800 or higher since January 1, 2025.
Competitors in the Open, U2000, and U1600 sections can select between a 4-day schedule (7 rounds at 90 minutes with a 30-second increment) and a 3-day schedule featuring accelerated early rounds. The U1200 section runs as a 2-day 6-round Swiss at 50 minutes with a 5-second delay per move.
In addition to the main classical schedule, a side Blitz tournament will take place on Saturday evening, October 10. Top boards from the Open section will be broadcast live online.
Top rated players are GM Zhou Jianchao 2637 USA, IM Evan Park 2556 USA, IM Lokumannage Susal Thewjan De Silva 2489 SRI, GM Bryan Smith 2478 USA, FM Kyle Zhuang 2380 USA etc
