The chess world is stunned after one of the most improbable underdog stories in the history of the game unfolded at the 2026 European Individual Chess Championship in Katowice, Poland! IM Roman Dehtiarov, a 17-year-old from Kharkiv, Ukraine, has clinched the title, defying his #126 starting rank to stand alone atop the podium!
Entering the tournament with a rating of 2452, Dehtiarov was not on anyoneโs radar for the title. However, after 11 rounds against some of the world’s elite Grandmasters, he finished with a spectacular 9/11 score, finishing with a rating performance of 2781. It is a historic result at the European Chess Championship, as Roman Dehtiarov became the first International Master in history to ever win the European Championship (all the previous titles were clinched by Grandmasters)!
Dehtiarovโs path to the gold was outstanding. He recorded eight wins, two draws, and only a single loss (to Turkish GM Isik Can in Round 5). Along the way, he took down six higher-rated opponents, culminating in a high-stakes final-round victory over the tournament leader and top-tier Spanish GM David Anton Guijarro.
Beyond the title of European Champion, Dehtiarov earned the direct Grandmaster title, secured himself a seat in the next FIDE World Chess Cup, and earned 45.6 elo points!
Scoring 8.5/11 points, three Azerbaijani players tied for silver and the additional tiebreak criteria determined the medalists. GM Nijat Abasov had the best tiebreaks to finish in the second place, GM Aydin Suleymanli won bronze medal while GM Mahammad Muradli finished the event in the fourth place.
A Hero From Kharkiv
The victory is even more poignant given Roman Dehtiarovโs personal background. Ukrainian GM Pavel Eljanov shared on X that Dehtiarov, a native of Kharkiv, had stayed in the war-torn city throughout the Russian invasion on Ukraine. At age 14, he reportedly refused an opportunity to relocate to Europe because he did not want to leave his father.
“Despite very limited travel opportunities and almost no training while living in one of the most dangerous regions of Ukraine, Dehtiarov fought his way, turning a struggle into a historic international triumph.
When the war started in early 2022, I tried to help several Ukrainian families relocate to Europe (mostly to England, thanks to @TelegraphChess and Andrew Churavin).
— Pavel Eljanov (@Eljanov) April 19, 2026
In one case, everything was arranged for a family from Kharkiv – until their 14-year-old son, a talented chessโฆ
The top-ranked 20 players earned the prizes in the tournament and qualified for the FIDE World Cup. The special prizes in the event were reserved for the best-ranked Women, Junior U20 players, Senior players, and Polish players.
IM Teodora Injac (Serbia) won the top women’s prize thanks to the best tiebreak criteria in a group of six players who had the same score of 6.5/11 points. IM Stavroula Tsolakidou (Greece) finished as the second-ranked female player, IM Nurgyul Salimova (Bulgaria) came third, while IM Mai Narva (Estonia), IM Aleksandra Maltsevskaya (Poland), and WGM Mariam Mkrtchyan (Armenia) missed the podium.
The best-ranked Junior U20 player was the overall winner of the event IM Roman Dehtiarov (Ukraine), GM Ediz Gurel (Turkey) was second with 8 points, GM Ihor Samunenkov (Ukraine) was third with 7.5 points and better tiebreaks than IM Matic Lavrencic (Slovenia) and IM Svyatoslav Bazakutsa (Ukraine) who had the same score.
The best-ranked Polish players were GM Jan Malek (Poland), GM Szymon Gumularz (Poland) and GM Jan Klimkowski (Poland), each scoring 7.5 points. According to tiebreaks, Jan Malek won first prize, Szymon Gumularz came second, and Jan Klimkowski took third place in this special category.
GM Vasyl Ivanchuk (Ukraine) was the best-ranked senior player in the tournament with the score of 7.5 points, GM Hannes Stefansson (Iceland) came second with 6.5 points, and legendary GM Oleg Romanishin (Ukraine) won third prize with the score of 5.5 points.
The European Chess Championship 2026 will be remembered for its record-breaking 501 participants, but mostly for the emergence of a new chess star from Ukraine.
Photo credits to ECU & Rafal Oleksiewicz
