23. Rheinland-Pfalz Senioren-Open runs from August 18-26, 2026. This is a chess tournament in Altenkirchen, Germany, in 2026. It returns as the official Rhineland-Palatinate Senior Chess Championship and offers a full nine-round classical format for senior players.

The tournament uses a 9-round Swiss system and is rated for both Elo and DWZ. In addition, all players need a FIDE ID, and the event follows a classical 90 minutes for 40 moves, then 30 minutes to finish, with a 30-second increment per move.

Play takes place at Hotel Glockenspitze in Altenkirchen. The hotel also serves as the main accommodation base, so the event is practical for players who want to stay close to the playing hall throughout the tournament week.

📌 Event Details

⏱️ Time Control & Pairings

The event uses a 9-round Swiss system. Tie-breaks follow FIDE Buchholz with one dropped result, which gives the tournament a clear and familiar ranking structure for a long classical event.

The time control is 90 minutes for 40 moves, then 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with a 30-second increment per move. Moreover, the waiting time is 30 minutes, so players should be in the hall on time for every round.

Players may take one half-point bye up to Round 5. However, they must request it before the round draw and no later than 15:00.

🏆 Prize Fund

The published cash-prize schedule totals €2,360, which is approximately $2,720. That figure includes the main prizes, women’s prizes, three rating groups, and Nestor prizes as published in the official flyer. Category prizes are linked to the stated minimum participation condition where applicable.

Main prizes

Category prizes

Prize winners must be present at the ceremony, and double prizes do not apply. In addition, the organizer will raffle more prizes among players who do not win a cash prize.

👥 Sections / Groups

The tournament runs as one single senior open section. Therefore, all participants compete in the same main field, while category prizes create additional goals for women, lower rating groups, and Nestor players.

🗓️ Schedule

The schedule is easy to follow. First comes registration and the opening on Tuesday. After that, the event settles into one round each day at 10:00 until the final round and awards ceremony.

📝 Registration

The registration process is simple. Players register online and then complete payment by bank transfer. Because the field is limited to 120 players, early registration is the safest option.

🏢 Organizer

Schachbund Rheinland-Pfalz e.V. organizes the tournament as the official Rhineland-Palatinate senior championship. The published contact for the event is Wolfgang Cleve-Prinz, who serves as senior chess representative for the federation.

Phone: +49 160 96893890
Email: Wolfgang.Cleve-Prinz@t-online.de

📍 Venue

Hotel Glockenspitze, Im Sportzentrum 2, 57610 Altenkirchen/Ww, Germany

The venue combines the playing hall and the main accommodation in one place. In addition, the official tournament material highlights air-conditioned playing halls, which is a useful advantage for a late-August event. Hotel rates published in the flyer are €99 for a single room and €159 for a double room, both including breakfast.

🚆 How to Get There

Altenkirchen (Westerw) station is the main rail stop for the town, and the hotel sits about 1 km from both the station and the town center. For drivers, Hotel Glockenspitze stands at Im Sportzentrum 2 and is signposted locally. The hotel also describes its location as roughly one hour from Cologne, Bonn, and Frankfurt.

This Altenkirchen senior open offers a clear classical structure, practical hotel-based play, and a strong championship setting in Rhineland-Palatinate.