41st ChessOrg Chess Festival Bad Wörishofen
Bad Wörishofen welcomes chess players to the 41st ChessOrg Chess Festival Bad Wörishofen from Friday, March 13 to Saturday, March 21, 2026 in Bad Wörishofen, Germany. This long-running European open festival offers a full nine-round classical schedule across nine days, giving competitors time to focus on serious play while enjoying Bavaria’s well-known spa resort atmosphere. ChessOrg runs the event in the Kurhaus and keeps the structure straightforward with Swiss pairings, consistent start times, and clear entry conditions.
The festival includes three parallel tournaments: an Open for higher-rated players, a B-Open capped by Elo, and a dedicated Seniors tournament with age eligibility by birth year. Each event uses the same classical time control and counts for Elo and DWZ rating evaluation. The organizers also add rating-group prizes, women’s prizes, team prizes in the Open, and a seniors prize concept built around valuable non-cash awards and additional rating prizes.
🗓️ Event Details
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| 📅 Dates | March 13–21, 2026 |
| 📍 Location | Bad Wörishofen, Germany |
| 🏨 Venue | Kurhaus Bad Wörishofen |
| ♟️ Format | 9-round Swiss system |
| ⭐ Rating | FIDE Elo-rated and DWZ-rated |
| 📂 Sections | Open (min. rating 1900) · B-Open (max. Elo 1999) · Seniors |
| ⏱️ Time control | 90 minutes for 40 moves + 30 minutes to finish + 30-second increment from move 1 |
| 👥 Capacity | 380 players |
| 💳 Entry fee | €120 (all tournaments) · Youth under 18: €60 · GM and IM: free |
| 🧩 Organizer notes | Default time 30 minutes · One half-point bye allowed in one of Rounds 1–6 |
🏆 Prize Fund
Open – main prizes:
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1st | €2,000 |
| 2nd | €1,400 |
| 3rd | €800 |
| 4th | €500 |
| 5th | €300 |
| 6th | €150 |
B-Open (max. Elo 1999) – main prizes:
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1st | €800 |
| 2nd | €500 |
| 3rd | €300 |
| 4th | €200 |
| 5th | €130 |
Prize rules and additional prizes:
The organizers split prizes when players tie on points.
The organizers guarantee the cash prize fund when at least 150 paying players enter the Open and at least 80 paying players enter the B-Open.
The organizers award rating prizes in the Open and B-Open in four equal-sized groups (minimum 20 players per group) for places 1–2 in each group: €110 and €50.
The Open also awards team prizes for the teams with the most points: €100 and €50.
The organizers award €100 to the best player from Schachkreis Schwaben (ZPS 27…).
The organizers award women’s prizes of €150, €100, and €50 when at least 10 women participate.
The Seniors tournament awards valuable non-cash prizes for places 1–10 and gives every participant a special gift for the 9th round.
The Seniors tournament also awards rating-group prizes in five equal-sized groups (from start number 10), with €50 for the top scorer of each group.
The organizers run a raffle at the prize ceremony with prizes totaling €500 for all participants who attend.
⏱️ Time Control & Pairings
The festival runs all sections as 9-round Swiss tournaments and applies the same classical time control: 90 minutes for 40 moves, then 30 minutes to finish, plus 30 seconds per move from move 1.
The organizers enforce a 30-minute default time. Players may claim one half-point bye in one of Rounds 1–6.
📂 Sections / Groups
| Section | Rating / target group | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Open | Minimum rating 1900 | Swiss, 9 rounds |
| B-Open | Maximum Elo 1999 | Swiss, 9 rounds |
| Seniors | Women born in 1974 or earlier; men born in 1966 or earlier | Swiss, 9 rounds |
📅 Schedule
| Date | Weekday | Time | Round / Activity |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 13, 2026 | Friday | 10:00–14:00 | On-site registration at the Kurhaus |
| March 13, 2026 | Friday | 15:00 | Round 1 |
| March 14, 2026 | Saturday | 14:00 | Round 2 |
| March 15, 2026 | Sunday | 14:00 | Round 3 |
| March 16, 2026 | Monday | 14:00 | Round 4 |
| March 17, 2026 | Tuesday | 14:00 | Round 5 |
| March 18, 2026 | Wednesday | 14:00 | Round 6 |
| March 19, 2026 | Thursday | 14:00 | Round 7 |
| March 20, 2026 | Friday | 14:00 | Round 8 |
| March 21, 2026 | Saturday | 10:00 | Round 9 |
| March 21, 2026 | Saturday | 16:45–18:00 | Closing ceremony (all tournaments) |
📝 Registration
Players register online and complete payment by bank transfer.
Website: https://www.chessorg.de/bad_woerishofen.php?lang=en
Website: https://www.chessorg.de/index.php?page=bad_woerishofen
Entry fee and payment:
Entry fee (all tournaments): €120
Youth under 18: €60
GM and IM: free
Payment deadline for bank transfer: Monday, March 2, 2026
Bank details (transfer): IBAN: DE18 2806 1822 0431 3615 00 (Account: ChessOrg Reisen)
On-site registration:
Players can also register on Thursday from 17:00–18:00.
Players can register on Friday from 10:00–14:00.
👥 Organizer
ChessOrg Hoffmann Reisen GmbH runs the ChessOrg festival series and coordinates tournament operations and participant support for the Bad Wörishofen festival.
Phone: +49 177 9120251
Phone: +49 4403 1636
Website: https://www.chessorg.de/
🏨 Venue
The festival takes place in the Kurhaus Bad Wörishofen in Bad Wörishofen, Germany. The Kurhaus setting supports multi-section tournament play while keeping players close to the town’s spa and park areas.
🛎️ Accommodation
ChessOrg lists official accommodation options and availability through its hotel booking area.
Booking and availability:
Website: https://www.chessorg.de/
Hotels listed by the organizer:
Kurhotel Alpenrose
Kurheim Marienhof
Kurheim Krößer
Kurhotel Steinle
Golf & Spa Hotel Tanneck
Kurhotel Luitpold
Hotel Justina
🚗 How to Get There
You can reach Bad Wörishofen by regional road and rail connections in southern Germany and then continue to the Kurhaus in the town center. Plan arrival early on Friday to complete registration before Round 1.
Bring your best long-form preparation to Bad Wörishofen and enjoy nine straight days of classical chess in one of Germany’s best-known spa towns.