The Fagernes International Autumn 2026 concluded after ten rounds in Norway, with Kazakh Grandmaster Rinat Jumabayev securing first place in the GM group.
Entering the final day as the tournament leader, Jumabayev drew his tenth-round game against GM Krishnan Sasikiran of India to finish on 7.5 points. He was caught at the top of the crosstable by GM Tiger Hillarp of Sweden and GM G B Harshavardhan of India, who won their final encounters against GM Frode Urkedal and IM Christian Glöckler, respectively.
Jumabayev took the championship title on superior tiebreaks, continuing his strong historical record in Fagernes after sweeping both GM tournaments at the venue in 2024.
Sweden’s Tiger Hillarp delivered one of his strongest performances in recent years, outperforming his expected score by more than 2.5 points with a tournament performance rating of 2615.
Despite a late setback, 14-year-old German talent IM Christian Glöckler secured his second GM norm after eight rounds, marking the sole title norm achieved at this year’s festival.
Sasikiran took fourth place solo with 7 points, while a dense group of players finished on 6.5 points, including Glöckler, GM Vitaly Sivuk, IM Semen Mitusov, IM Moksh Doshi, IM Bennet Hagner, and FM Eivind Grunt Kreken. Mitusov and Kreken finished as the highest-placed Norwegian representatives in 7th and 10th place, respectively.
In the Open group, Indian International Master Sharan Rao put on a dominant display, completing a perfect score of 10 points from 10 rounds.
Attending the event primarily as a coach for younger players, Rao outstripped the field, with Stanislav Hohelj of Ukraine taking second place on 7.5 points and Trondheim’s Martin K. Andersen finishing as the top Norwegian in third on 7 points.
Bergensjakk / Official website
