Fagernes Chess International 2026 brings elite and ambitious tournament players together for a full week of classical chess on March 29-April 5, 2026 in Fagernes, Norway. The event runs at the well-known Scandic Valdres Chess Hotel and pairs a title-focused GM Swiss with a strong Open Swiss, both using a long time control and a nine-round Swiss format.

Players who want serious, FIDE-rated competition will find a compact schedule, professional arbiters, and live boards throughout the week. The organizers also add social side events in the evenings, including Teamtalkingchess plus FIDE-rated blitz tournaments, which makes the festival attractive for both competitive preparation and a memorable chess trip in the Valdres region.

🗓️ Event Details

🏆 Prize Fund

GM Swiss (cash prizes)

Open Swiss (cash prizes)

Organizers share prizes equally when players tie on points in the relevant category. Organizers also award book prizes in both groups, and they may increase or extend prizes if tournament economy allows.

⏱️ Time Control & Pairings

Both main groups use a 9-round Swiss system with the same classical time control: 40 moves in 100 minutes, then 40 minutes to finish, with a 30-second increment from move 1. Organizers apply a 60-minute walk-over time limit from the scheduled start time.

Organizers allow walk-over draws with a half point when players request them for a particular round. Players can take one walk-over draw in the GM Swiss and two walk-over draws in the Open Swiss.

📂 Sections / Groups

📅 Schedule

📝 Registration

Players register by contacting the organizer by email and confirming the group they want to play. Organizers set all start fees by the March 2026 FIDE rating list, and they accept titles when FIDE confirms them officially.

Start fees (main groups)

• GM Swiss: Free (2400+) · EUR 70 (2300-2399) · EUR 100 (2200-2299) · EUR 140 (2150-2199) · EUR 180 (below 2150)

• Open Swiss: Free (2000+) · EUR 80 (1800-1999) · EUR 100 (below 1800 or no FIDE rating)

• Organizers offer a family discount for chess-playing families with at least three participants.

Side events (separate entries)

• Fagernes Slow Blitz: 7-round FIDE-rated Swiss, two groups (over/under 1800), 5+3, juniors NOK 100, others NOK 200, free for GMs, organizers allocate 70% of start fees to prizes.

• Fagernes Blitz: 9-round FIDE-rated Swiss, one group, 3+2, juniors NOK 100, others NOK 200, free for GMs, organizers allocate 70% of start fees to prizes.

• Teamtalkingchess: organizers run a social rapid team concept over six boards with team communication and game swapping.

Title-holder support

• Organizers offer free hotel, food, and travel expenses to approximately 10 GMs rated above 2500 with reasonable travel costs.

• Organizers offer a large hotel discount to up to 20 IMs (over 2350) or WGMs (over 2300).

• Interested GMs contact the organizer by January 1, 2026, and interested IMs/WGMs contact the organizer by February 1, 2026.

👥 Organizer

Hans Olav Lahlum leads the event as main organizer in cooperation with Sotra Sjakklubb, and he brings long experience from major Norwegian championships and international tournaments. He also serves as International Organizer (IO) and International Arbiter (IA), and he supports a professional arbiter team throughout the week.

• Email: hansolahlum@gmail.com

• Phone: +47 95 75 82 86

• Website: https://fagerneschess2026.blogspot.com/

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/181038812529138/

🏨 Venue

Scandic Valdres hosts the tournament in a large hotel and conference setting that caters to chess events and centralizes play, lodging, and services under one roof. The venue sits in Fagernes town center, and organizers provide free water and coffee during the rounds.

Scandic Valdres, Jernbanevegen 26, 2900 Fagernes, Norway

🛎️ Accommodation

Scandic Valdres offers a special chess discount for March 29-April 5, 2026, and the hotel includes free wireless internet. Players must order all discounted rooms through the tournament organizer by email.

Per night per person (with breakfast buffet)

• NOK 1290 (single room)

• NOK 795 (double room)

• NOK 597 (triple room)

• NOK 497 (quadruple room)

Per night per person (with full board: breakfast, lunch, dinner)

• NOK 1650 (single room)

• NOK 1300 (double room)

• NOK 1185 (triple room)

• NOK 1125 (quadruple room)

🚗 How to Get There

Fagernes sits about 187 km north of Oslo, and the playing hotel sits in Fagernes town center. Organizers offer airport transport between Oslo Airport Gardermoen and Fagernes for EUR 60 one way or EUR 100 round trip.

Make Fagernes your spring chess base and chase nine-round momentum in a week that blends serious classical play with memorable evening events.

🧾 Other

Organizers enforce strict anti-cheating and conduct rules with a yellow card / red card system, and they can expel a player from the venue or tournament after serious violations. Players and spectators must not bring phones, computers, or other electronic devices into the playing venue without prior arbiter permission, and organizers penalize violations with a red card and a game loss.

Organizers ban alcohol in the playing venue during playing sessions. Organizers allow photography with any blitz or sound only during the first 10 minutes of each round (or five minutes after both players arrive).