The Congress Center Karlsruhe recently concluded its tenure as the global epicenter of chess, hosting over 3,500 participants for the 2026 GRENKE Chess Festival.
This year’s edition made history by pairing the traditional GRENKE Chess Open with the high-stakes GRENKE Freestyle Chess Open, boasting a record-breaking combined prize pool of over EUR 285,000.
The spotlight of the festival was undoubtedly the Freestyle (Chess960) tournament. German Grandmaster Vincent Keymer emerged victorious, earning the nickname “Win-cent” after a stellar performance. By clinching first place, Keymer secured a EUR 50,000 prize and, more importantly, a direct qualifying spot for the 2027 Freestyle Chess World Championship in Weissenhaus.
Keymer’s path to victory was anything but easy. In a dramatic Round 8, played from a starting position Magnus Carlsen described as “absolute fireworks,” Keymer nearly defeated Sarana in what experts called a “masterpiece,” though the game eventually ended in a draw. In the final round, a quick draw against French GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave was enough for Keymer to secure the title on superior tiebreak scores. Vachier-Lagrave finished second, also taking home EUR 50,000.
The tournament served as a vital gateway for the upcoming Freestyle World Championships. Three women secured their tickets to the inaugural 2026 Women’s Freestyle World Championship. Harika Dronavalli (India), Alua Nurman (Kazakhstan), and Dinara Wagner (Germany) all finished with an impressive 6 points to claim their spots.
While Freestyle Chess captured the imagination of many, the traditional GRENKE Chess Open remained as competitive as ever. In the Classical A-Open, Uzbekistan’s IM Mukhammadzokhid Suyarov took the top prize, narrowly edging out Dominik Horvath and Chongsheng Zeng in a tense 8.0-point tiebreak.
Other Notable Winners:
B-Open (Classical): Garik Sharajyan (Armenia) – 8.5/9
B-Open (Freestyle): WFM Emilie Marchadour (France) – 7.5/9
C-Open (Classical): Oswald Zum Wald (Switzerland) – 8.5/9
C-Open (Freestyle): Anas Skeik (Germany) – 8.0/9
As Grandmaster Peter Leko noted, the GRENKE Chess Festival remains a “must-play” event where world-class elites and amateurs compete side-by-side. With its successful integration of the Freestyle format, the 2026 festival proved that the “world’s largest open” is still finding new ways to innovate and unite the global chess community.
