The Quebec Open Chess Championship 2026 (COQ) concluded at the Sandman Hotel Montreal-Longueuil, after a week of classical chess battles across five skill divisions.
In the main Section A (Open), Grandmaster Bator Sambuev delivered a powerful performance, storming through the field to claim clear first place with an impressive score of 8.5/9 points.
Sambuev (rated 2538) put on an unstoppable display, giving up just a single draw across nine grueling rounds. His dominant run left the rest of the field far behind, securing the $3,000 top prize and the prestigious provincial open title.
Finishing as runner-up was fellow Canadian Grandmaster Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux (2606), who finished a full 1.5 points behind Sambuev at 7/9 points to claim the $2,000 second-place prize.
Organized by the Fédération québécoise des échecs (FQE) under Tournament Director Alexandre Ber and Chief Arbiter IA Danny Goldenberg, the 2026 edition ran from July 21 to July 26. The 9-round Swiss tournament featured a standard time control of 90 minutes plus a 30-second increment per move, with ratings submitted for FQE, CFC, and FIDE calculations.
In addition to the main classical event across Sections A–E, the festival week featured a full chess celebration, including side competitions such as the Championnat de 960 du Québec on July 23 and the Championnat de Blitz du Québec on July 25. The event also awarded the traditional $500 Prix de beauté Raymond Petit for the best game played during the tournament.
Final standings:
1 GM Sambuev Bator CAN 2538 – 8.5
2 GM Rodrigue-Lemieux Shawn CAN 2606 – 7
3 FM Marchand Calix CAN 2097 – 6.5
4 GM Le Siege Alexandre CAN 2499 – 6
5 IM Chiku-Ratte Olivier-Kenta CAN 2439 – 6
6 St-Germain Jack CAN 2152 – 6
7 Wang Edison CAN 2121 – 6
8 NM Luksza Arkadiusz CAN 2020 – 6
9 Ramesan Raunak Amit CAN 2091 – 6
10 Jacquet Stéphane FRA 2022 – 6
11 IM Duong Thanh Nha CAN 2192 – 5.5
12 Bérubé Maximilien CAN 2100 – 5.5
13 Turcotte Jonathan CAN 1957 – 5.5
14 Duval Mathieu CAN 1920 – 5.5
15 Alcantara Maximo CAN 1945 – 5.5
16 Wu Tony (Dongze) CAN 2108 – 5.5
17 Kiryakov Marin CAN 1903 – 5
18 Bonami Jonathan CAN 1718 – 5
19 Sun Jonathan CAN 1983 – 5
20 Audouze Oscar FID 2011 – 5
21 Martinez Mulet Dario Leonel CAN 2234 – 5
22 Daigle Gilles CAN 1979 – 5
23 Laurain Guy CAN 1967 – 5
24 Nassif Aba USA 1998 – 5
25 Paikin Andrei RUS 1847 – 5
26 Trinh Tri Bao CAN 2115 – 4.5
27 Murali Dhruv CAN 2038 – 4.5
28 Both Aaron CAN 2039 – 4.5
29 Hartner Rian CAN 1930 – 4.5
30 WFM Li Yi Lin CAN 2024 – 4.5
31 Di Matteo Alessio CAN 1916 – 4.5
32 Evenko Kirill CAN 1776 – 4.5
33 Dube Daniel CAN 1795 – 4.5
34 NM Arsenault Nicolas CAN 2117 – 4
35 Robichaud Louis CAN 2043 – 4
36 Lamontagne Damien CAN 1900 – 4
37 Colvin Andrew CAN 2085 – 4
38 Currie James CAN 1868 – 4
39 Porlier Xavier CAN 1973 – 4
40 NM Chabot Roland CAN 1973 – 4
41 Bernales Garcia Oscar PER 1704 – 4
42 Gauthier Denis CAN 1710 – 4
43 Huynh Nhu Phuong Nghi VIE 1705 – 4
44 Gamache Lucien CAN 1908 – 4
45 Dube Dominic CAN 1899 – 4
46 Iordanescu Victor Nicolae CAN 2006 – 3.5
47 Han Ruochong CAN 1598 – 3.5
48 Sychev Danila CAN 1826 – 3.5
49 Hu Raymond CAN 1843 – 3.5
50 Steinberg Ellis CAN 1870 – 3.5
51 Balevski Roberto CAN 1168 – 3.5
52 Yavorskyi Yevhen CAN 1639 – 3.5
53 Kerhuel-Lefebvre Stéphane CAN 1518 – 3.5
54 Doshi Nabhya CAN 1716 – 3
55 Jean Lucas CAN 1635 – 3
56 NM Batorshyn Ilia CAN 2323 – 3
57 Huang Yuxuan CAN 1530 – 3
58 Desforges Jean CAN 1975 – 3
59 Wilkin Alain CAN 1813 – 3
60 Lynch Jonathan CAN 1587 – 3
61 Dion Francis CAN 2004 – 2.5
62 Goldner John CAN 1556 – 2.5
63 Efpraxiadis Jean CAN 1636 – 2.5
64 Poulin Maurice CAN 1966 – 2.5
65 Zheng-Roy Ethan CAN 1407 – 2.5
66 Nica Ion CAN 1696 – 2
67 Lemieux Serge CAN 1360 – 1
