Lithuanian Finesse on the Shores of Lake Bled

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The 2026 Bled Chess Festival for Amateurs concluded this week, bringing 78 players to the stunning shores of Lake Bled. From 9–15 March, competitors rated under 2300 battled for the title in a playing venue overlooking the crystal-clear waters of Slovenia’s most famous Alpine destination.

After nine rounds of intense competition, FM Zanas Nainys (Lithuania, 2286) emerged as the sole winner with a final score of 7.5/9.

The tournament reached a dramatic finish on the last day. Heading into the last round, Nainys was tied for the lead with IM Leon Mazi (Slovenia, 2280), both sitting on 6.5 points. While Nainys secured his victory by defeating Turkey’s Ismail Cinar Keloglu (Turkey, 2083), the local favourite Mazi suffered a surprising upset. He was defeated by the 13-year-old Slovenian prodigy Leonard Belyaletdinov (Slovenia, 2119).

This impressive final-round win propelled young Belyaletdinov into second place with 7 points. A group of three players followed closely behind on 6.5 points to share third place: IM Leon Mazi, Canada’s FM Adam Dorrance (2288), and FM Miha Furlan (Slovenia, 2239).

Beyond the main tournament, the festival offered a packed schedule for chess fans. Highlights included masterclasses with Grandmasters Luka Lenic and Markus Ragger, alongside IM Laura Unuk. Between blitz tournaments and simultaneous exhibitions, players also enjoyed the scenic walks around the lake that make this event a highlight of the amateur calendar.

Final rankings – Bled Chess Festival 2026:

RK		Name	Typ	sex	FED	ELO	PTS
1	FM	Nainys, Zanas	U18		LTU	2286	7.5
2		Belyaletdinov, Leonard	U14		SLO	2119	7
3	IM	Mazi, Leon	S65		SLO	2280	6.5
4	FM	Dorrance, Adam			CAN	2288	6.5
5	FM	Furlan, Miha	S50		SLO	2239	6.5
6	IM	Biti, Ozren			CRO	2267	6
7		Mestek, Igor	S50		SLO	2013	6
8	WIM	Vidic, Teja		w	SLO	2106	6
9		De Graaf, Dick	S50		NED	2126	6
10		Krstić, David	U14		SLO	2158	5.5
11		Todashvili, Mate			GEO	1930	5.5
12		Keber, Aljoša	U18		SLO	2140	5.5
13		Žužek, Bor	U16		SLO	2057	5.5
14		Keloglu, Ismail Cinar	U18		TUR	2083	5.5
15	FM	Božinovič, Bogdan	S65		CRO	2080	5.5
16		Finke, Kelvin			AUS	1986	5.5
17		Sibincic, Nikola	U16		BIH	1988	5.5
18		Mihič, Adam	U16		SLO	1933	5.5
19		Simončič, Silvo	S65		SLO	2029	5.5
20		Engesser, Jonas			GER	2026	5.5
21	IM	Praznik, Niko			SLO	2294	5
22		Demšar, Maks	U20		SLO	2074	5
23	IM	Vujakovic, Branko	S65		CRO	2219	5
24		Mihič, Peter	U14		SLO	1938	5
25		Kovačič, Peter			SLO	2138	5
26	FM	Praznik, Anton	S65		SLO	1973	5
27		Srebrnič, Vojko	S65		SLO	1976	5
28		Fucka, Samo			SLO	2015	5
29		Gazic, Petar	U12		BIH	1918	4.5
30		Gowtham, K K			IND	1955	4.5
31		Smirnov, Maksim	U16		SLO	2103	4.5
32		Logar, Metod	S65		SLO	1958	4.5
33		Zupan, Blaž	U18		SLO	1767	4.5
34		Vanhove, Koen	S50		BEL	1967	4.5
35		Tojomalala, Aiko	U16		MAD	1790	4.5
36		Bogič, Kristjan			CRO	1851	4.5
37		Stefan, Marino	U10		CRO	1928	4.5
38		Mihajlović, Ognjen	U16		SLO	2042	4.5
39		Schranzhofer, Marco			AUT	1935	4.5
40		Sajovic, Marko	S50		SLO	1975	4.5
41		Mulhem, Laith.	U18		SYR	1993	4.5
42		Maček, Inti	U16	w	SLO	1883	4.5
43		Sušnik, Matej	S50		SLO	1975	4.5
44		Dekker, Alain	S50		RSA	2053	4.5
45		Krstevska, Mare	S50	w	MKD	1764	4.5
46	CM	Lavorgna, Giovanni	S65		ITA	1908	4.5
47		Jakša, Ema	U12	w	SLO	2049	4
48		Muri, Emil	S65		SLO	1855	4
49		Baban, Boris	S65		BUL	1790	4
50		Tomažin Košorok, Tadej	U14		SLO	1610	4
51		Bakogiannis, Charalampos			GRE	1613	4
52		Rutte, Edwin	S50		NED	1794	4
53		Bučan, Luka			SLO	1714	4
54		Pichler, Gerhard	S65		AUT	1737	4
55		Vikić, Ekrem	S50		SLO	0	4
56		Cole, David	S50		ENG	1881	4
57	WFM	Orel Mušič, Simona	S65	w	SLO	1913	4
58		Beardsley, Benjamin			NED	1834	3.5
59		Vuljanic, Ana		w	CRO	1707	3.5
60		Milharcic, Tibor	U10		SLO	1552	3.5
61		Milovanovič, Maja		w	SLO	0	3.5
62		Baškovec, Brin	U14		SLO	1454	3.5
63		Črnivec, Enrika	S65	w	SLO	0	3.5
64		Glavač, Urh	U16		SLO	0	3
65		Hertling, Juergen	S50		GER	1858	3
66		Kaloh, Edvard	U12		SLO	1818	3
67		Praznik, Nikolaj	U12		SLO	1551	3
68		Suicmez, Alkan			NED	1748	3
69		Čufurović, Din			SLO	1826	3
70		Kisič Štros, Jakob	U18		SLO	1616	3
71		Kaloh, Frida	U10	w	SLO	1404	3
72		Čevka, Ksenija	S65	w	SLO	0	3
73		Avsec, Oliver	S50		SLO	0	3
74		Okorn, Vita	U10	w	SLO	0	3
75		Faure, Pierre			FRA	1818	2.5
76		Hutter, Jerca	U14	w	SLO	0	2.5
77		Lenic, Lev	U08		SLO	0	2
78		Brlan, Timotej	U12		SLO	0	1