The stage is set in Tokyo for the pinnacle of the national chess calendar: the 2026 Japan Chess Championship, famously known as the 27th Argentina Cup. From May 2 to May 6, 2026, the country’s top rated players will gather at the Shinagawa Ward General Kumin Hall “Curian” to compete for the title of Japan Chess Champion.
The championship will be held as a 9-round Swiss tournament, utilizing a classical time control of 90 minutes plus a 30-second increment from move one. Unlike open tournaments, this event is exclusively for seeded members of the Japan Chess Federation, ensuring a highly concentrated field of the nation’s strongest players. There are no class divisions; all competitors will battle in a single unified section.
The winner will not only be crowned the Japan Chess Champion but will also claim the Argentina Cup. The organizer has confirmed a total cash prize fund of JPY 260,000, with the champion receiving JPY 100,000.
The five-day marathon features a challenging schedule, with most days consisting of two rounds. A special highlight of the week occurs on Monday, May 4th, when the tournament schedule pauses for the 2025 Annual Awards Ceremony, before returning to the board for the final rounds.
Participants:
1 IM Tran Thanh Tu JPN 2402
2 FM Otsuka Shou JPN 2322
3 IM Kojima Shinya JPN 2307
4 IM Nanjo Ryosuke JPN 2301
5 CM Nakahara Kan JPN 2244
6 FM Yamada Kohei JPN 2182
7 CM Kobayashi Atsuhiko JPN 2130
8 CM Averbukh Alex JPN 2126
9 Higashino Tetsuo JPN 2117
10 Moritani Sho JPN 2105
11 Dryglas Maciej JPN 2088
12 Yonemitsu Kohei JPN 2080
13 FM Jones Stephen JPN 2054
14 Fujii Chiaki JPN 2043
15 Nagataki Kota JPN 2037
16 Shioguchi Tatsuya JPN 2034
17 CM Matsuo Tomohiko JPN 2032
18 Furuya Masahiro JPN 2012
19 Taga Hiroto JPN 1991
20 Noguchi Koji JPN 1981
21 Matsumoto Yoshitaro JPN 1966
22 Okabe Yuma JPN 1951
23 Gishi Takeshi JPN 1945
24 Yamaguchi Tosei JPN 1939
25 AIM Higashishiba Teruomi JPN 1925
26 Matsunaga Toma JPN 1900
27 Tanaka Satoshi JPN 1900
28 Kitagami Show JPN 1890
29 Kihara Taira JPN 1887
30 Shakuya Keita JPN 1887
31 Sakai Enju JPN 1880
32 Kuroda Yunosuke JPN 1875
33 Honda Yoshiki JPN 1873
34 Yanai Yuya JPN 1871
35 Saito Hiromasa JPN 1870
36 Hashimoto Shunji JPN 1859
37 Tanaka Ryosuke JPN 1850
38 Patil Rushad JPN 1847
39 WCM Sakai Azumi JPN 1843
40 Araki Dai JPN 1843
41 Abe Taro JPN 1842
42 Togawa Kentaro JPN 1826
43 Yamamichi Atsuya JPN 1816
44 Kato Ami JPN 1799
45 Ono Tadashi JPN 1777
46 Uetani Toshiaki JPN 1765
47 Aoki Yasuhiro JPN 1764
48 Noda Ryo JPN 1757
49 WCM Mitsuyama Rikka JPN 1745
50 WCM Hasegawa Emi JPN 1740
51 Karasawa Yuta JPN 1739
52 Takayasu Melody JPN 1721
53 Ivanov Elizabeth JPN 1710
54 Hirukawa Yoshitomo JPN 1697
55 Furuse Mizuki JPN 1677
56 Sato Keito JPN 1664
57 Niori Toma JPN 1639
58 Itokazu Antonio JPN 1605
59 Matsumoto Yuya JPN 1598
60 Terasawa Koshiro JPN 0
61 Mizohata Kyotaro JPN 0
62 AIM Baze Rejold JPN 0
63 Yoshii Yukihiko JPN 0
64 Miura Yoshito JPN 0
65 Terakawa Toki JPN 0
66 Sakamoto Akihiro JPN 0
67 Akeroyd Peter JPN 0
