The 2026 Munich Autumn Chess Championships will take place in Munich, Germany, from October 15–18, 2026. European Chess Festivals organizes the four-day chess festival, which combines a FIDE Rapid Championship, a five-round classical Open Championship, and a FIDE Blitz Championship.

The Rapid opens the program on Thursday evening with five rounds at 12+3. The classical Open then runs from Friday through Sunday at 90+30, while the Saturday program also includes a nine-round 3+2 FIDE Blitz Championship. Therefore, players can enter one tournament or combine all three formats during the same Munich weekend.

The Open carries a projected prize fund of €2,400+ (approximately $2,760+) based on 80 players. Meanwhile, the Rapid and Blitz each offer separate projected prize funds of €500–€600 (approximately $580–$690) depending on participation. The standard Open entry fee is €60, while Rapid and Blitz cost €25 each. Alternatively, players can enter all three championships for €90.

♟️ Event Details

The festival brings classical, rapid, and blitz chess together under one event. However, each championship keeps its own rating system, schedule, time control, and prize structure.

⏱️ Time Control & Pairings

Each championship uses a separate time control. Consequently, players who enter the complete festival move from rapid chess on Thursday to classical chess during the weekend and then add blitz on Saturday evening.

Open Championship

The Open consists of five Swiss-system rounds in two sections.

The organizer may adjust the section structure if the final entry numbers or rating distribution require a change. Nevertheless, the current published structure contains Top (A) and U1800 (B).

Players may not play up into a higher section. Instead, the organizer assigns players according to the final pre-tournament DWZ ratings.

A valid FIDE ID is mandatory for Section A. However, players who enter only Section B do not need a FIDE ID.

FIDE-unrated players in Section A may receive an estimated rating for pairing purposes.

Open Byes

Players may request up to two half-point byes during Rounds 1–4.

They must request each bye before the previous round begins. For example, a player who wants a Round 4 bye must submit that request before Round 3 starts.

A Round 5 bye scores zero points.

Rapid Championship

The Rapid Championship starts as one Open Swiss tournament. However, the organizer may divide the event into two sections if participation and rating distribution support that change.

If the organizer creates two sections, both will remain FIDE Rapid rated.

Moreover, the organizer may assign estimated ratings to unrated players for pairing purposes.

A valid FIDE ID is required to participate.

Blitz Championship

The Saturday Blitz consists of nine rounds in one Open section.

The organizer may apply Baku acceleration at its discretion. In addition, unrated players may receive an estimated strength for pairing purposes.

Players who are not at their boards when a round begins may lose the game by default at the arbiter’s discretion.

🏆 Prize Fund

Each championship has its own prize budget. Therefore, the Rapid and Blitz prize funds remain separate from the Open Championship headline amount.

Open Championship

European Chess Festivals projects €2,400+ (approximately $2,760+) in Open prizes based on a field of 80 players.

The festival overview also states that approximately 55–60% of Open entry fees will return to players as prizes. Consequently, the final prize fund depends on participation.

Section A – Top

Section B – U1800

The maximum individual amounts listed above total €2,640. However, the organizer describes them as “up to” values and publishes €2,400+ as the projected fund based on 80 players.

Therefore, €2,400+ remains the correct headline prize figure rather than €2,640.

Rapid Championship

The Rapid Championship projects €500–€600 (approximately $580–$690) in prizes, depending on participation.

Blitz Championship

The Blitz uses the same projected €500–€600 (approximately $580–$690) range.

Tied Prizes

Players who finish level on points share the relevant monetary prizes.

Therefore, tiebreaks determine the final ranking order only. They do not replace prize sharing among tied players.

The organizer distributes prize money by IBAN bank transfer.

Approximate USD equivalents are rounded upward to the next $10.

🧩 Sections / Groups

The competition structure differs between the three championships.

Open Championship

The Top section uses FIDE ratings for the starting order and pairings. Meanwhile, Section B uses DWZ.

Play-ups are not permitted. Therefore, the final pre-tournament DWZ determines the player’s section.

Rapid Championship

The Rapid currently uses one Open playing section.

However, European Chess Festivals may divide the field into two sections if participation warrants it. Both sections would remain FIDE Rapid rated.

Blitz Championship

The Blitz uses one Open section.

The U2000, U1700, and Unrated awards in the Rapid and Blitz are prize categories rather than separate playing groups.

🗓️ Schedule

The festival begins with Rapid on Thursday evening. The Open starts on Friday, while Saturday combines classical chess during the day with the Blitz Championship in the evening.

Thursday, October 15 – Rapid

Friday, October 16 – Open

Saturday, October 17 – Open

Saturday, October 17 – Blitz

Sunday, October 18 – Open

📝 Registration

Players can enter one championship or combine all three under the same registration system.

Entry Fees

The three-event package therefore saves €20 compared with entering each tournament separately.

Titled Players

GMs, IMs, FMs, WGMs, WIMs, and WFMs receive free entry until October 1, 2026.

After October 1, those titled players receive a 50% discount.

Open Late Fee

The standard Open fee is €60. However, registration after October 11 adds a €5 late charge.

Registration Deadline

The final published registration deadline is:

October 13, 2026

Official registration:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd_1lsVRmb3AthS4FR8DhuQQfuTKitIsXw6NXxFYRcfJfPycA/viewform

Players may also contact:

europeanchessfestivals@gmail.com

FIDE ID Requirement

A valid FIDE ID is mandatory for:

Open Section A, Rapid Championship, and Blitz Championship.

Players who enter only the U1800 Section B of the Open do not need a FIDE ID.

Players who have applied for a new German FIDE ID must send the new number to the organizer before the festival begins.

Payment

Players must pay their entry fee by EUR SEPA bank transfer to the IBAN supplied in the registration instructions.

The organizer confirms registration after receiving payment. Therefore, players should include both their name and selected tournament(s) in the transfer reference.

Refunds

The full-refund period ended on September 15.

Players who request a withdrawal from September 16 through October 11 receive a 50% refund.

After October 11, the organizer does not provide refunds.

👥 Organizer

European Chess Festivals organizes the championships. Daniel Rokhvarger publicly identifies himself as the organizer of the Munich event and also holds the title of FIDE Arbiter.

📍 Venue

The championships will take place in Munich, Germany.

The organizer is currently completing the final arrangements for the exact playing venue. Therefore, no verified street address is available yet.

European Chess Festivals plans to publish the venue as soon as the final confirmation is complete. Because the address directly affects accommodation, local transport, and parking, players should check the tournament information again before making non-refundable local travel arrangements.

🏨 Accommodation

European Chess Festivals has not announced an official tournament hotel or accommodation package.

Moreover, because the exact playing venue is still under final coordination, it is not yet possible to identify hotels that can honestly be described as “near the tournament.” Players who book before the venue announcement should therefore choose refundable or flexible accommodation.

For now, the most practical strategy is to stay close to one of Munich’s major public-transport hubs.

Accommodation around these transport hubs gives players flexibility until the tournament address becomes known.

Munich’s official tourism portal lists hotels, guesthouses, and other accommodation options:

https://www.munich.travel/en/accomodation

Players should preferably choose a booking with free cancellation or flexible date/location terms until European Chess Festivals publishes the final venue.

Once the venue appears, the accommodation choice should be rechecked against the actual U-Bahn, S-Bahn, tram, or bus connection rather than distance alone.

🚆 How to Get There

Munich has extensive rail, S-Bahn, U-Bahn, tram, and bus networks. Therefore, international and domestic visitors can reach the city easily even though the tournament’s final local address is still pending.

From Munich Airport

Munich Airport connects directly with the city through the S1 and S8 S-Bahn lines.

Both lines serve central Munich. Therefore, players staying near Hauptbahnhof, Marienplatz, or Ostbahnhof can reach their accommodation without requiring a long-distance transfer.

The final route from the airport to the tournament itself should be checked once the playing venue becomes public.

By Long-Distance Train

München Hauptbahnhof is Munich’s principal long-distance railway station and receives extensive ICE, IC, EC, regional, and international services.

From Hauptbahnhof, players can continue throughout Munich using S-Bahn, U-Bahn, tram, or bus services.

Consequently, staying near the main station can be especially practical for players arriving by rail before the exact venue announcement.

Local Public Transport

Munich’s MVV network combines:

S-Bahn, U-Bahn, tram, and bus services.

Official journey planning:

https://www.mvv-muenchen.de/

Once European Chess Festivals announces the venue, players should use the exact address in the MVV journey planner to identify the nearest stop and the most reliable route.

By Car

A useful driving route and parking recommendation cannot yet be calculated because the venue address remains unconfirmed.

Therefore, drivers should wait for the final venue announcement before choosing parking facilities or planning the final road approach.

ℹ️ Other Information

Tiebreaks

All three championships use the same published ranking order.

However, monetary prizes remain shared among players who tie on points.

Open Pairings

The organizer plans to publish Open pairings on Chess-Results before each round.

They may appear approximately two hours before the round or shortly after the previous round finishes. Therefore, Open players should monitor the tournament’s Chess-Results page throughout the weekend.

Appeals

All appeals require a written submission and a €60 deposit (approximately $70).

The organizer refunds the deposit after a successful appeal. Moreover, the appeals committee may refund it after an unsuccessful appeal if the committee considers the complaint reasonable.

Electronic Devices

Players may not use electronic devices during play.

Phones must remain switched off. Moreover, carrying a prohibited device during a round can result in loss of the game.

A ringing phone may also result in forfeiture.

Spectators may not use electronic devices inside the playing area.

Fair Play

The championships follow FIDE Anti-Cheating Regulations.

In addition, the organizer may introduce further fair-play measures when necessary. Players must therefore follow all instructions from the arbiting team.

Photography

The permitted photography window differs by format.

Participants also consent to tournament photographs for post-event promotional use.

Chess-Results

Separate Chess-Results pages are already active for the three championships.

Open Championship
https://chess-results.com/tnr1496944.aspx?lan=1

Rapid Championship
https://chess-results.com/tnr1496941.aspx?lan=1

Blitz Championship
https://chess-results.com/tnr1496940.aspx?lan=1