4th Far West Thessaloniki Chess Festival 2026
4th Far West Thessaloniki Chess Festival 2026 The 4th Far West Thessaloniki Chess Festival 2026 is a two-day rapid and blitz program at the Cultural Center of Diavata on September 5–6. The festival brings FIDE-rated fast chess to western Thessaloniki through separate Open competitions.
The Rapid Open uses seven Swiss rounds at 10 minutes plus three seconds per move. The Blitz Open uses eleven Swiss rounds at three minutes plus two seconds per move. Both competitions are submitted for the corresponding FIDE rating lists.
The current Chess-Results records list IA Prodromos Gerontopoulos as chief arbiter and FA Maria Trivella as deputy chief arbiter. Players should verify the final reporting times and entry arrangements because the event schedule was updated from earlier preliminary dates.
📌 Event Details
| Field | Information |
|---|---|
| 📅 Dates | September 5–6, 2026 |
| 🌍 Location | Diavata, Thessaloniki, Greece |
| ⚡ Rapid Open | 7 rounds · 10+3 · FIDE Rapid rated |
| ⚡ Blitz Open | 11 rounds · 3+2 · FIDE Blitz rated |
| 👨⚖️ Chief Arbiter | IA Prodromos Gerontopoulos |
| 👨⚖️ Deputy Chief Arbiter | FA Maria Trivella |
| 🏛️ Venue | Cultural Center of Diavata |
⏱️ Time Control & Pairings
The Rapid Open consists of seven rounds at 10+3. The Blitz Open consists of eleven rounds at 3+2.
Players entering both events should verify separate check-in procedures and avoid assuming that registration for one automatically covers the other.
🏆 Prize Fund & Awards
No complete verified cash-prize total was available in the current public tournament records. The prize-fund field is left blank pending an official prize schedule.
📂 Sections / Groups
| Section / Group | Eligibility | Format / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Rapid Open | Eligible registered players | 7-round FIDE Rapid event |
| Blitz Open | Eligible registered players | 11-round FIDE Blitz event |
🗓️ Schedule
| Date | Time | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| September 5 | Organizer timetable | Rapid Open |
| September 6 | Organizer timetable | Blitz Open |
| Before each event | Published reporting deadline | Attendance confirmation |
| After final event | Organizer timetable | Awards and closing |
📝 Registration
| Registration Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Rapid entry | Confirm through the organizer’s current announcement |
| Blitz entry | Confirm separately where required |
| FIDE details | Provide correct FIDE ID and federation |
| Updated dates | Use the current September 5–6 records, not an older preliminary announcement |
Use the current official resource URLs below. Registration is complete only after the organizer confirms acceptance and any required payment.
👤 Organizer
| Organizer Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Organizer | Chess Club Ionias Thessalonikis |
| Contact | Use the current organizer and Chess-Results records for entry information. |
| Primary Official URL | https://chess-results.com/tnr1399020.aspx?lan=1 |
| Chess-Results URL | https://chess-results.com/tnr1399020.aspx?lan=1 |
📍 Venue
Cultural Center of Diavata – Eleftheriou Venizelou 5, 57008 Diavata, Thessaloniki, Greece
The venue is the Cultural Center of Diavata at Eleftheriou Venizelou 5.
Participants should confirm the exact hall, building entrance and local parking arrangements.
🚗 How to Get There
| Travel Option | Practical Details |
|---|---|
| By air | Thessaloniki Airport is the main gateway: https://www.skg-airport.gr/en. |
| By train | Use Thessaloniki railway station and continue by suburban transport, bus or taxi: https://www.hellenictrain.gr/en. |
| By bus | Check Thessaloniki public transport through https://www.oasth.gr/en/. |
| By car | Diavata lies west of central Thessaloniki. Use Eleftheriou Venizelou 5 for navigation. |
| On arrival | Allow extra time for the final local connection and venue identification. |
Transport schedules, road conditions, engineering work and parking rules may change. Check the final route shortly before departure.
🏨 Accommodation Near the Venue
| Accommodation Option | URL / Practical Details |
|---|---|
| Grand Hotel Palace Thessaloniki | https://www.grandhotelpalace.gr/ |
| Lazart Hotel | https://www.lazarthotel.com/ |
| The Met Hotel | https://www.themethotel.gr/ |
Accommodation is not included unless the organizer explicitly states otherwise. Confirm availability, final price, taxes, cancellation terms, breakfast, accessibility, parking and transfer time directly before payment.
ℹ️ Other Information
The festival records contain separate event IDs for Rapid and Blitz. Results and ratings are processed independently.
Recheck the official date and timetable shortly before departure because this festival previously appeared with preliminary scheduling information.
The Rapid and Blitz competitions are separate rated events even though they share the same festival identity and venue. A player who enters both should verify whether a combined fee exists and whether separate attendance confirmation is required on each day.
Diavata is outside the historic center of Thessaloniki. Visitors staying in central hotels should allow additional time for westbound local transport, especially when travelling at weekend service frequencies.
Keep the latest organizer communication because room assignments, capacity, reporting procedures and payment instructions can change.
MyChess.Events lists the tournament for discovery and planning. Official entry must be completed through the organizer’s current channel.
✅ Final Checks Before Travel
| Check | Action |
|---|---|
| Entry confirmation | Keep written confirmation that the organizer accepted the registration and payment. |
| Eligibility | Recheck rating, age, federation, license and section requirements before departure. |
| Schedule | Verify the reporting deadline, first-round start and any last-minute timetable update. |
| Travel | Allow additional time for public transport, parking, venue access and local navigation. |
| Accommodation | Confirm the room, taxes, breakfast, cancellation policy and journey to the playing venue. |
| Documents | Bring identification, federation details, medication and any equipment requested by the organizer. |
🔗 Official Resources
| Resource | URL |
|---|---|
| Chess-Results – Rapid Open | https://chess-results.com/tnr1399020.aspx?lan=1 |
| Chess-Results – Blitz Open | https://chess-results.com/tnr1399014.aspx?lan=1 |
| Chess Club Ionias Thessalonikis | https://skakionias.gr/ |
Additional Details
Organizer
♟️ About Chess Club Ionias Thessalonikis
Chess Club Ionias Thessalonikis, officially known in Greek as Σκακιστικός Όμιλος Ιωνίας Θεσσαλονίκης, is a Greek chess club and tournament organizer based in Ionia, in the Municipality of Delta and the western part of the Thessaloniki metropolitan area.
The club is affiliated with the Hellenic Chess Federation and the Thessaloniki–Halkidiki Chess Clubs Union. Its regular activities are centered around the Municipal Library of Nea Magnisia. The organization welcomes children, teenagers, adults, beginners, recreational players, and experienced competitors.
Chess Club Ionias Thessalonikis provides organized lessons, competitive training, club activities, team chess, and opportunities to participate in nationally and internationally rated tournaments. Its programs are delivered in cooperation with municipal libraries, local communities, schools, chess officials, and other regional organizations.
International Arbiter Prodromos Gerontopoulos is the club’s principal public representative and an important figure in its tournament program. He regularly serves as chief arbiter and organizer at club events while also contributing to arbitration and competition administration across the wider Thessaloniki chess community.
🏆 Tournaments and Competitive Chess
Tournament organization is one of the club’s principal activities. Chess Club Ionias Thessalonikis organizes classical, rapid, blitz, youth, school, team, and memorial competitions in Ionia, Diavata, Nea Magnisia, and other areas of the Municipality of Delta.
Its main recurring event is the Far West Thessaloniki Chess Festival. The festival reached its fourth edition in 2026 and included separate FIDE-rated rapid and blitz competitions at the Cultural Center of Diavata. The 2026 edition was dedicated to the memory of Yugoslav and Serbian Grandmaster Slavoljub Marjanović.
The club also organizes the Gavriil Mastrovasilis Memorial Rapid Tournament. This competition honors Gavriil Mastrovasilis, a former president of the Thessaloniki–Halkidiki Chess Clubs Union and a long-serving contributor to Greek chess administration.
Additional events include the Ionias–Delta Blitz, children’s rapid tournaments, municipal school championships, friendship competitions, and open events organized with the Chess Academy of Delta Axios. These partnerships allow the club to provide tournaments for both experienced federation players and children entering organized chess for the first time.
Competitive team chess is also an important part of the club’s identity. In 2026, Chess Club Ionias Thessalonikis won its regional qualifying group and advanced to the final phase of the Greek A National Team Championship in Patras. The achievement placed the club among the teams competing in Greece’s principal national interclub event that season.
🎓 Youth Development and Community Chess
Youth chess forms a central part of the club’s work. Chess Club Ionias Thessalonikis cooperates with the Municipality of Delta and its municipal libraries to provide weekly chess lessons for beginners, advanced juniors, adults, and competitive players.
Training activities take place in communities across the municipality. Players learn the rules, tactical patterns, strategic planning, calculation, notation, tournament procedures, and the correct use of chess clocks. Developing juniors can then progress into school championships, regional age-group competitions, national events, and club team chess.
The club regularly helps organize the Municipality of Delta Individual School Chess Tournament. These events introduce children from local schools to structured competition and create a connection between educational chess, municipal activities, and federation clubs.
Young members have achieved notable results in regional and national school competitions. In 2026, club player Maximos Zafeiriou won the Thessaloniki–Halkidiki Open Under-14 qualifying championship. Other members also represented the club at the Greek National Individual School Championships.
Inclusive chess is another important area of activity. In 2025, the club implemented the Greek chapter of the Chess4Hope program in partnership with the Artemis association for people with disabilities and with support from the Municipality of Delta.
The project provided adapted weekly chess lessons for children with neurodevelopmental and physical disabilities. The sessions used visual aids, repetition, tactical exercises, endgame instruction, and small classroom tournaments. The program aimed to support concentration, emotional regulation, confidence, social participation, and cognitive development.
Through tournament organization, competitive team chess, municipal-school partnerships, youth instruction, and inclusive community projects, Chess Club Ionias Thessalonikis plays an active role in developing chess throughout western Thessaloniki.
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