The Chess Castle of Minnesota is preparing to host the Minneapolis Open 2026 this weekend, running from June 5 to June 7, 2026. Taking place at the club’s venue within the Southdale Center in Edina, the US Chess-rated tournament will bring together local and visiting players for a packed weekend of classical and blitz chess.
The organizers have announced a total of $8,120 in listed cash prizes across the weekend’s main tournament and a special Saturday night blitz event. To maintain a focused playing environment, the entire tournament field is strictly capped at 160 players.
The main tournament is designed as a 5-game Swiss split into three distinct sections tailored to clear rating cutoffs:
- Brasket Section: Restricted to experienced players rated 1800 and above.
- Diesen Section: Open to developing competitors rated Under 1800 (U1800).
- Future Section: Dedicated to junior and developing players rated Under 800 (U00).
To accommodate varying player schedules, the tournament features flexible scheduling blocks. The Brasket and Diesen sections offer both a 3-day and a 2-day playing option, while the Future section runs exclusively as a 2-day schedule on Saturday and Sunday.
The 3-day schedule relies on a classical time control of G/75 + 30 (75 minutes for the entire game with a 30-second increment per move). The 2-day option features two quicker games at G/30 + 30 on Saturday morning before merging directly into the main classical schedule for Round 3 at 2:30 PM.
The tournament’s cash prize funds are directly tied to published participation targets for each bracket (Brasket based on 45 players, Diesen based on 55, and Future based on 35). The guaranteed cash amounts include:
- Brasket (1800+): $1,400 for 1st place, $700 for 2nd, and $350 for 3rd, with $250 class prizes for top U2400, U2200, and U2000 finishers.
- Diesen (U1800): $1,000 for 1st place, $500 for 2nd, and $250 for 3rd, with $200 class prizes scaled for top U1600, U1400, U1200, and U1000 players.
- Future (U800): $250 for 1st place, $120 for 2nd, and $80 for 3rd, alongside $60 and $30 depth prizes for U600, U400, and Unrated sub-categories.
In addition to the classical brackets, the venue will shift to fast-paced play on Saturday evening for the Castle Blitz Championship. Starting with a strict registration cutoff at 6:45 PM and first round pairings at 7:00 PM on June 6, the blitz tournament will run as an 8-game Swiss.
The blitz event counts toward US Chess Blitz ratings, featuring a time control of G/5 with a 2-second delay. Based on a participation target of 55 players, it offers a $500 top prize, $250 for second, $150 for third, and flat $150 class prizes for U2300 down to U1100 tiers.
Led by tournament organizer Dane Bruno Zagar, the Chess Castle enforces a firm 30-minute forfeit time for players arriving late to their boards. Competitors are allowed to request one half-point bye, provided the request is submitted before the Round 3 pairings are drawn; all subsequent or unapproved byes will be scored as zero. As an incentive for elite titled masters, the club will fully refund entry fees to Grandmasters (GMs), International Masters (IMs), and FIDE Masters (FMs) who complete at least four tournament games.
Online registration remains open via the official processing portals. Final, on-site entry fees step up by registration deadlines and cost $140 for Brasket, $110 for Diesen, $70 for Future, and $50 for the Saturday night Blitz tournament for players registering directly at the venue during check-in windows.
