The Davos Swiss Ski Open 2026 takes place from November 27–29, 2026, at Waldhotel Davos in Davos Platz, Switzerland. The official tournament flyer also presents the event as the Davos Ski Alpine Chess Open 2026.

Organized by Swiss Chess Tour, the tournament offers a compact three-day classical format with five Swiss-system rounds. Players compete in one General Open with FIDE Standard, Swiss national, and DWZ rating calculation.

The tournament combines serious classical chess with a mountain-resort setting in the Swiss Alps. A published CHF 1,800 / approximately $2,280 total prize fund includes overall and rating-category awards, while the schedule leaves the competition concentrated into one weekend.

♟️ Event Details

⏱️ Time Control & Pairings

The Davos Swiss Ski Open 2026 consists of five classical rounds played under the Swiss system.

Time Control: 90 minutes + 30 seconds increment per move from move 1

Each player starts with 90 minutes and receives an additional 30 seconds after every move.

A player may arrive up to 60 minutes after the scheduled start of a round before losing the game by default.

Half-Point Bye

Each player may request one half-point bye during the first three rounds.

The bye should be requested from the organizer before pairings for the relevant round are prepared.

The published regulations do not allow the same half-point bye option for Rounds 4 or 5.

Tie-Break

The official flyer identifies Buchholz as the technical tie-break criterion.

No additional tie-break sequence is specified in the published tournament flyer.

🏆 Prize Fund

The tournament publishes a total cash prize fund of:

CHF 1,800 / approximately $2,280

The full prize fund applies with at least 25 players. If fewer than 25 players participate, the organizer may reduce the prize fund proportionally.

Main Prizes

Rating Prizes

The first rating prize in each category requires at least three eligible players.

The second rating prize requires at least five eligible players in that category.

Additional Award

The official flyer also lists a book prize for the W / S / U16 category.

The flyer uses the abbreviation “W/S/U16” without providing a more detailed award breakdown.

🧩 Sections / Groups

The tournament consists of one General Open.

All participants compete together in the same five-round Swiss tournament.

The rating categories are prize categories, not separate tournament sections.

Therefore, all players remain in the same overall pairings and standings throughout the five rounds.

📅 Schedule

The complete tournament takes place from Friday, November 27 through Sunday, November 29, 2026.

Players should complete check-in by 7:15 PM on Friday.

Round 1 begins only 15 minutes later at 7:30 PM, so players arriving in Davos on Friday should allow sufficient time for possible winter travel delays.

📝 Registration

Players can register through the official Swiss Chess Tour registration channel:

https://www.swisschesstour.com/1/contacts_3401351.html

Entry Fees

The published tournament flyer does not specify a separate registration deadline or late-entry surcharge.

Players should therefore register early and confirm that their entry appears in the current participant list.

Participant List

The current starting list, followed later by pairings and results, is published through Chess-Results:

https://chess-results.com/tnr1321252.aspx?lan=1

Players should check their name, federation, FIDE ID, and rating before the tournament and contact the organizer if any information needs correction.

👤 Organizer

Tournament data on Chess-Results is also maintained through:

sympa-marketing@bluewin.ch

📍 Venue

Waldhotel Davos – Buolstrasse 3, CH-7270 Davos Platz, Switzerland.

Waldhotel Davos is a 4-star superior hotel situated above Davos in a quiet panoramic position at approximately 1,600 metres above sea level.

The tournament is played directly inside the hotel, allowing participants staying at Waldhotel to combine accommodation and the playing venue in one location.

The historic property was formerly a forest sanatorium. Its history is also connected with Thomas Mann, whose visit to his wife Katja in the sanatorium in 1912 later influenced his novel The Magic Mountain.

Hotel Facilities

Waldhotel Davos provides:

• restaurant and bar facilities;
• spa and wellness facilities;
• indoor pool;
• free Wi-Fi;
• ski storage;
• lift / elevator;
• on-site parking;
• free parking for hotel guests.

The hotel also advertises complimentary pickup from the railway station among its guest services. Participants wishing to use this service should arrange it with the hotel in advance.

Parking

Waldhotel Davos provides free hotel parking.

This is particularly useful during the tournament weekend because Davos applies winter parking restrictions to many public parking areas.

Drivers should nevertheless check road and weather conditions before traveling to Davos at the end of November.

🏨 Accommodation

The tournament venue itself is the most convenient accommodation option because players can stay and play in the same building.

Two other established hotels are also located in the surrounding Davos Platz area.

Waldhotel Davos

Buolstrasse 3, CH-7270 Davos Platz

This is the tournament venue and therefore the most practical choice for competitors.

Players staying here can avoid daily travel to the playing hall and have immediate access to their room between rounds.

The hotel offers restaurants, wellness facilities, an indoor pool, Wi-Fi, and free parking.

Direct contact:

Phone: +41 81 415 15 15
Email: info@waldhotel-davos.ch
Website: https://www.waldhotel-davos.ch/

Hotel Edelweiss Davos

Rossweidstrasse 9, 7270 Davos Platz

Hotel Edelweiss is another practical option in the same general part of Davos.

The hotel is close to the Congress Centre, Promenade, local bus services, and several central Davos facilities.

It offers breakfast, Wi-Fi, sauna facilities, ski storage, and a limited number of parking spaces.

AMERON Davos Swiss Mountain Resort

Scalettastrasse 22, 7270 Davos Platz

AMERON is located opposite the Davos Congress Centre and provides a more upscale alternative.

Facilities include an extensive spa area with indoor pool, sauna and gym, restaurant facilities, Wi-Fi, and underground parking.

All accommodation prices above are approximate public 2026 rates rather than official tournament rates. The November 27–29 tournament weekend may be priced differently depending on demand, room type, occupancy, and cancellation conditions.

🚆 How to Get There

Davos is located in the canton of Graubünden in eastern Switzerland.

Public transport is particularly practical because Switzerland’s national and regional railway networks connect directly to the Davos area.

✈️ From Zurich Airport

Zurich Airport (ZRH) is the principal international airport for most overseas participants.

Davos Tourism indicates a public-transport journey of approximately 2 hours 45 minutes from Zurich Airport to Davos.

The normal route is:

Zurich Airport → Zurich Main Station → Landquart → Davos

At Landquart, passengers transfer from the Swiss Federal Railways network to the Rhaetian Railway (RhB) for the mountain journey to Davos.

Players should check the final timetable shortly before traveling because railway schedules can change.

🚆 By Train

Travel by SBB to Landquart, then transfer to the Rhaetian Railway for Davos.

From a Davos railway station, continue to Waldhotel Davos by:

• local bus;
• taxi;
• hotel transfer;
• or on foot if practical with luggage and weather conditions.

Waldhotel’s tourism listing advertises a free railway-station pickup service, which hotel guests can request in advance.

🚗 By Car

From the Zurich direction, take the motorway toward Chur and leave the motorway at Landquart, following signs for Davos.

The drive from the Landquart motorway exit to Davos is approximately 40 km.

Davos Tourism warns that snow chains may be required in winter during heavy snowfall, except where appropriate four-wheel-drive vehicles are exempt.

Drivers should therefore check the weather and road situation before departure.

🅿️ Winter Parking

Davos has a general winter nighttime parking restriction on many public parking areas from:

November 1 to April 30, 3:00–7:00 AM

The restriction does not apply to parking facilities specifically allowing paid 24-hour parking.

Tournament participants staying at Waldhotel have the advantage of the hotel’s own free parking.

ℹ️ Other Information

♟️ FIDE Registration

The tournament is registered with FIDE as:

Davos Ski Open 2026

FIDE Event ID: 503766

FIDE confirms the dates of November 27–29 and the classical 90+30 time control.

🏷️ Tournament Name

The event appears under slightly different names in the official sources:

• the tournament flyer uses Davos Ski Alpine Chess Open;
• Chess-Results uses DAVOS – SWISS SKI OPEN – 2026.11;
• FIDE uses Davos Ski Open 2026.

These names refer to the same November 27–29 tournament at Waldhotel Davos.

👨‍⚖️ Arbiter Information

There is currently a discrepancy between the two principal tournament databases.

The current FIDE registration lists:

IA Tiziana Balzarini – Chief Arbiter
Claudio Boschetti – Deputy Chief Arbiter

However, the more recently updated Chess-Results tournament page lists:

IA Jean Dominique Coqueraut – Tournament Director and Chief Arbiter

Because these published sources do not currently agree, players should check the latest organizer information before the tournament for the final arbiter appointment.

➗ Half-Point Bye

Every player may request one half-point bye in Rounds 1–3.

The published regulations do not extend this option to Rounds 4 or 5.

💰 Prize Fund Condition

The published CHF 1,800 prize fund applies when there are at least 25 players.

With fewer participants, the organizer may adjust the total prize fund pro rata.

Therefore, the CHF 1,800 amount should be described as the published prize fund, not as an unconditional guaranteed fund.

🏔️ Chess Weekend in Davos

The tournament’s compact Friday-to-Sunday schedule makes it possible to combine a classical FIDE-rated competition with a short stay in Davos.

However, late November is a mountain-winter travel period. Players should leave additional time for the Friday journey, particularly because check-in ends at 7:15 PM and Round 1 starts at 7:30 PM.

🔎 Before the Tournament

Players should check Chess-Results and Swiss Chess Tour shortly before departure for the latest:

• participant list;
• final arbiter information;
• pairings;
• rating information;
• organizer announcements;
• any schedule changes.

Official organizer:

https://www.swisschesstour.com/

Registration:

https://www.swisschesstour.com/1/contacts_3401351.html

Chess-Results:

https://chess-results.com/tnr1321252.aspx?lan=1

FIDE Event ID:

503766