Players can turn carnival weekend into a focused chess event at the ChessGeeks 3rd Winter-Special 2026 from Friday, February 13 to Sunday, February 15, 2026 in Rödinghausen, Germany. You play five classical rounds in modern seminar rooms on Industriestraße 44 in Rödinghausen-Bruchmühlen, with a serious time control that suits ambitious club players and experienced tournament regulars.

The organizers from chessgeeks.net split the field into an A-Tournament and a B-Tournament, so Elo players and club members without an international rating both find a suitable group. You compete for attractive cash prizes and rating prizes, while a clear entry system, a 100-player limit, and FIDE rules create a professional yet friendly tournament atmosphere over three days.

🗓️ Event Details

🏆 Prize Fund

The ChessGeeks 3. Winter-Special 2026 uses separate prize funds for the A-Tournament and B-Tournament and awards no double prizes, so each player receives at most one prize.

A-Tournament (guaranteed from 45 participants):

Players without any rating do not qualify for rating prizes in the A-Tournament.

B-Tournament (guaranteed from 35 participants):

Unrated players in the B-Tournament cannot receive cash prizes but can still earn a first national rating.

⏱️ Time Control & Pairings

• All rounds in both tournaments use a classical time control of 90 minutes for 40 moves plus 15 minutes for the rest of the game, with a 30-second increment from move 1.

• The event runs as a 5-round Swiss-system tournament across the weekend.

• Arbiters apply the FIDE Laws of Chess, including a 30-minute default time: if you arrive more than 30 minutes after the round starts, you lose the game by forfeit.

• The A-Tournament counts for both Elo and DWZ, while the B-Tournament counts for DWZ; results of unrated players help establish their first national rating.

• Tournament management excludes double prizes and uses published tiebreak systems to decide final prize places when players finish on the same score.

📂 Sections / Groups

The organizer may move individual players from the B-Tournament into the A-Tournament in justified cases to keep both sections balanced and fair.

📅 Schedule

You should arrive in time for the Friday registration window, because the organizer expects all players to check in before the first round.

📝 Registration

You register for the ChessGeeks 3. Winter-Special 2026 online at:

https://www.chessgeeks.net/

After completing the registration form, you pay your entry fee by bank transfer. The order of payment determines your place in the field, so your entry counts as confirmed only after the organizer receives your payment. If you choose to pay in cash on site, you add €5 to the listed entry fee.

Entry fees:

Bank details for entry fees:

You receive the payment reference text during online registration and should include it with your transfer. When the limit of 100 paid entries is reached, the organizer creates a waiting list and fills any cancellations from that list. If you cancel up to 10 days before the tournament starts, the organizer refunds your entry fee minus a €10 administrative deduction; later cancellations do not receive a refund.

👥 Organizer

Chess enthusiasts from chessgeeks.net organize the 3. Winter-Special and aim to offer a compact but serious classical tournament over the carnival weekend. The team focuses on clear regulations, fair pairings and a relaxed atmosphere in modern rooms, so you can concentrate fully on your games.

• Organizer: chessgeeks.net

• Tournament director: Stefan Junker

• Phone: +49 176 6286 1840

• Email: info@chessgeeks.net

• Website: https://www.chessgeeks.net/

• Tournament page: https://www.chessgeeks.net/turnier.html?t=5

🏨 Venue

You play all rounds in seminar rooms at Industriestraße 44, 32289 Rödinghausen / Bruchmühlen, Germany. The venue offers modern, well-lit playing spaces for both tournaments, along with analysis areas and on-site catering options so you can eat and drink between rounds without leaving the building. The location in an industrial area makes access straightforward by car and provides sufficient parking for the limited field of 100 players.

🚗 How to Get There

You can travel by car via the regional road network in North Rhine-Westphalia and follow signs toward Rödinghausen / Bruchmühlen before turning into Industriestraße 44. Parking options near the seminar rooms allow you to leave your car close to the venue and walk directly into the playing area.

If you prefer public transport, you travel by train to a nearby regional station and complete the last part of the journey by bus or taxi to Rödinghausen-Bruchmühlen. Because round 1 starts on Friday at 7:00 p.m., you should plan your arrival so that you can complete on-site registration between 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

You can enjoy five serious classical games, fight for attractive main and rating prizes, and spend carnival weekend in a focused chess setting at the ChessGeeks 3. Winter-Special 2026 in Rödinghausen-Bruchmühlen.

🧾 Other

• The tournament applies the FIDE Laws of Chess, and the arbiter’s decisions are final in all disputes.

• The organizer provides on-site catering, including hot meals on days with two rounds; for coffee or tea you should bring your own mug, or you can buy a mug at the venue for €2.

• By registering you consent to the recording and publication of photos, videos and participant names in connection with the event.

• In case of obvious printing or wording errors in the regulations, the tournament management reserves the right to make reasonable corrections while maintaining the spirit of the original announcement.