The 42nd International ChessOrg Chess Festival Bad Wörishofen 2027 runs from March 5–13 at Kurhaus Bad Wörishofen, Hauptstraße 16, in Bavaria, Germany. Organized by ChessOrg Hoffmann Reisen GmbH, this long-running festival features nine classical rounds across the main Open, B-Open and Senior tournament.

All sections are FIDE Standard and German DWZ rated, with 90 minutes for 40 moves, 30 minutes for the remaining moves and a 30-second increment from move one. The official invitation advertises €10,000 in prizes, while the main Open and B-Open have separate rating requirements. Senior eligibility is based on birth year.

Most games start at 2:00 PM, giving visitors mornings to enjoy the spa town. The organizer also offers special eight-night hotel packages and direct online registration. Below are verified prizes, schedules, entry conditions, accommodation, transport directions and official links.

📌 Event Details

⏱️ Time Control & Pairings

All three competitions use a nine-round Swiss pairing system and are submitted for FIDE Standard Elo and German DWZ rating. The time control consists of 90 minutes per player for the first 40 moves, followed by an additional 30 minutes for the remainder of the game. A 30-second increment is added after each move, starting at move one. This is a two-stage classical control and should not be confused with a simple 90+30 setting.

The festival’s format encourages one serious game each day. In particular, Rounds 2–8 begin at 2:00 PM, so participants can use the mornings for preparation, exercise or nearby sightseeing. The opening round starts later, at 3:00 PM on March 5, and the final round begins in the morning at 10:00 AM on March 13.

🛌 Half-Point Bye Option

The organizer permits a player to request one half-point bye in any of Rounds 1–6. The request must reach the tournament management at least on the day before the intended round. This offers flexibility for anyone planning a day away from the playing hall. However, it is an administrative arrangement rather than an automatic entitlement after a missed game. Contact the tournament director in advance and confirm the correct pairing status.

⚖️ Rules and Late Arrival

The tournament follows the FIDE Laws of Chess and relevant German federation rating procedures. The published default time is 30 minutes, so a player arriving too late risks forfeiting the round. Players should check the round pairings and any notices at the playing venue, observe the arbiters’ instructions and prepare for games that may last several hours.

🏆 Prize Fund

The tournament’s official two-page invitation advertises a festival prize fund of €10,000 (approximately US$11,220). The main Open and B-Open offer substantial cash prizes, while the Senior competition provides valuable non-cash prizes for its leading finishers. Moreover, the festival includes rating awards, women’s prizes and special recognition for players from the Swabia chess district.

🥇 Main Open — Overall Cash Prizes

♟️ B-Open — Overall Cash Prizes

🎯 Additional Rating and Category Awards

The regulations provide further rating-group prizes in the Open and B-Open. The rating groups are formed in four equally sized bands, each requiring a minimum of 20 players. The published group awards are €110 for first and €50 for second in an eligible rating band, starting from the 16th seed. The organizer determines the actual group structure from the eligible entry field.

The Senior rating awards are organized across five equal rating groups from the 10th seed. Participants present at the closing ceremony may also enter the published prize raffle, except for cash-prize recipients receiving more than €100. Details of how some supplementary categories overlap with overall awards are governed by the organizer’s regulations.

⚖️ Conditions for Guaranteed Cash Prizes

According to the official invitation, the announced monetary prizes are guaranteed with at least 120 paying participants in the main Open and at least 80 paying participants in the B-Open. Furthermore, cash prizes are shared when players finish tied on points, under the organizer’s published prize procedure. Thus, the listed placement amounts should not be interpreted as unconditional individual payouts when participation or ties change the award structure.

The U.S.-dollar amount is a rounded conversion at the European Central Bank’s November 5, 2026 reference rate of €1 = US$1.1224. The organizer pays prize money in euros; the USD figure is included only to help international visitors compare amounts.

♟️ Sections / Groups

The festival includes three separate Swiss-system tournaments, each played over nine rounds. The main Open targets higher-rated players and has the largest cash prizes. B-Open is restricted by an upper Elo threshold, while the Senior competition is defined by birth-year eligibility. The groups share one venue and round schedule but have their own pairings and classifications.

The Open and B-Open rating windows overlap between 1900 and 1999. Consequently, a qualifying player in this interval should select the intended event when registering and confirm their entry with ChessOrg. The Senior competition is separate and open to eligible players of the specified age irrespective of their participation in the open rating categories.

Every section is listed for FIDE Elo and German DWZ evaluation. The organizer accepts up to 380 players across the festival. Although that overall limit is comparatively generous, registering early helps ensure the correct section, hotel arrangements and payment administration.

🏁 A Tournament for Different Chess Goals

A stronger player may prefer the main Open for opportunities to compete against titled opponents and seek a high finish. A club player in the eligible rating range can consider the B-Open, while qualifying seniors have a dedicated event with its own recognition. Players should also consider the length of the nine-day competition when arranging travel and accommodation.

📅 Schedule

All three tournament sections follow the same daily round schedule, extending from Friday, March 5, to Saturday, March 13, 2027. The official festival page gives additional on-site registration opportunities on Thursday afternoon before the event and Friday morning. The final game starts earlier than the other rounds, followed by a scheduled awards ceremony.

The official PDF specifically highlights 1:00–2:00 PM on opening Friday as a check-in window, while the festival website lists the broader 10:00 AM–2:00 PM check-in period and the option to register on Thursday. Players should follow the final organizer instructions and arrive early enough for administrative checks before Round 1 starts at 3:00 PM.

Only the final day begins at 10:00 AM, so participants should not treat the usual 2:00 PM round start as the schedule for March 13. Those hoping to attend the prize presentation should allow time until the scheduled end of the ceremony at 6:00 PM.

📝 Registration

ChessOrg provides a direct online registration form for the 2027 festival. Select Bad Wörishofen from its tournament selector, supply the necessary personal and chess-rating information, and submit the application. The form requests an email address, postal details, birth date, club, nationality, and applicable chess identification fields such as FIDE ID or DWZ.

💳 Entry-Fee Payment

The official 2027 invitation requires payment to ChessOrg Hoffmann Reisen GmbH by February 27, 2027. The published receiving bank account is IBAN DE18 2806 1822 0431 3615 00. Use the official invitation to verify current transfer information before paying and include enough identification for the organizer to match the payment to your registration.

Players aged under 18 pay the reduced €80 tariff, while Grandmasters and International Masters enter free of charge. All other entrants normally pay €130. Accommodation is not included in this tournament entry fee; the associated hotel packages are separate bookings.

📨 Participant List and Confirmation

The organizer maintains an online 2027 participant list that can be filtered by Main Open, B-Open or Seniors. This is useful for checking that the intended name and section appear correctly. For any questions about a payment, FIDE ID or age-category entry, contact tournament director Jürgen Wempe via the details in the official invitation.

🛌 Optional Half-Point Bye Requests

Players who plan to take a day away from competition may request a half-point bye in Rounds 1–6, notifying tournament management at least one day in advance. This option makes the nine-day event more flexible without implying permission for an unannounced absence. Confirm the arrangement with the arbiter and check the resulting pairings.

🏛️ Organizer

The event is organized by ChessOrg Hoffmann Reisen GmbH, an established German chess tournament and travel organization based in Bad Zwischenahn. Its program includes long-running classical Opens, international amateur festivals and senior competitions. ChessOrg works with local destinations and hotels to bring multiple tournament categories together with accessible accommodation.

Jürgen Wempe is the named tournament director and contact for Bad Wörishofen 2027. His official festival documents list the entry rules, payment information, venue address, round schedule and prize structure. The organizer also maintains online registration and a public participant list, helping visiting players monitor their entry ahead of March.

Beyond Bad Wörishofen, ChessOrg’s 2027 calendar includes the NordWest-Cup in Bad Zwischenahn, the Alpenpokal in Fischen-Langenwang and the Gold-Cup in Meran. The ChessOrg organizer profile on MyChess.Events gives further information about its chess-travel and tournament activities.

📍 Venue

Kurhaus Bad Wörishofen (Kursaal), Hauptstraße 16, 86825 Bad Wörishofen, Bavaria, Germany.

The nine-round festival takes place in the Kurhaus Bad Wörishofen, in the town center at Hauptstraße 16. The municipal event calendar names the Kursaal as the playing area, a suitable hall for hundreds of chessboards. The Kurhaus is a well-known venue for cultural events, conferences and spa-town activities, making it straightforward to identify when arriving in central Bad Wörishofen.

For navigation, use the full Hauptstraße 16, 86825 Bad Wörishofen address rather than a general pin for the town. The official tournament PDF supplies a Google Maps location within the venue complex, 48.0058067, 10.5949099. The municipal directory independently confirms the street address for the Kurhaus.

The Kurhaus is situated near the central pedestrian area, hotels, public gardens and the spa-town’s visitor facilities. It is not the same place as the THERME Bad Wörishofen thermal baths outside the historic centre; competitors should therefore check that their route ends at the Kurhaus and not at a wellness venue elsewhere in the town.

🏨 Accommodation

ChessOrg’s official 2027 invitation includes special eight-night room packages at two local hotels, Hotel Steinle and Hotel Luitpold. Prices are shown as per person for eight nights, including breakfast, not as the price of a single room for the whole stay. Therefore, a pair of travelers sharing a double room must account for the per-person tariff when estimating total costs. A third centrally located option, KurOase im Kloster, may suit guests seeking a quieter atmosphere.

🏨 Kneipp-Kurhotel Steinle — Official Festival Offer

Gärtnerweg 17, 86825 Bad Wörishofen, Germany. Kneipp-Kurhotel Steinle is a traditional spa hotel near the center of town. Its official website describes guest rooms, family rooms, a restaurant and wellness facilities including a pool, sauna, infrared cabin and whirlpool. Many rooms have balconies, and the hotel’s location can be useful for tournament participants who prefer to remain within Bad Wörishofen.

The organizer’s flyer explicitly permits earlier arrival or a longer stay, subject to individual arrangements. Reserve directly or follow ChessOrg’s hotel instructions and reconfirm the package availability for March 5–13, 2027.

🏨 Kur- und Tagungshotel Luitpold — Close to Kurhaus

Kneippstraße 7, 86825 Bad Wörishofen, Germany. The Kur- und Tagungshotel Luitpold stands by the central spa promenade, close to the Kurhaus. The town’s official accommodation directory identifies the Kneippstraße 7 address and describes the hotel as a family-run property with a café, massage services and convenient access to the town’s pedestrian area.

This property may be especially convenient for players who want a short journey between their room and the playing hall. The prices above are taken from the 2027 tournament flyer and should be confirmed directly for the requested dates and room category. Early arrival or extensions can be requested subject to room availability.

🌿 KurOase im Kloster — Quiet Central Alternative

Klosterhof 1, 86825 Bad Wörishofen, Germany. KurOase im Kloster is an established Kneipp hotel in a historic monastery building. The hotel’s official website lists 65 rooms, wellness treatments and a quiet garden. It also advertises free on-site courtyard parking, Wi-Fi and breakfast service, making it a possible alternative for participants who want a calmer stay between long games.

This hotel does not appear among the two special eight-night rates in the tournament flyer, so its prices must be checked separately. According to the hotel’s own booking guidance, normal check-in begins at 3:00 PM and checkout is by 10:00 AM. Guests arriving after 6:00 PM should notify the hotel in advance.

For the full festival, visitors may need accommodation across eight nights. The opening round is on March 5, and Round 9 with the prize ceremony ends on March 13. Travelers who wish to avoid a rushed departure may choose an additional night. Compare hotel conditions with the published round schedule before confirming a reservation.

🚆 How to Get There

Kurhaus Bad Wörishofen (Kursaal), Hauptstraße 16, 86825 Bad Wörishofen, Bavaria, Germany. Bad Wörishofen is a small spa town in Bavaria’s Unterallgäu district. The Kurhaus is in the central area, not at the Therme complex. Visitors can approach by regional rail, through nearby airports or via the southern German motorway network.

🚉 From Bad Wörishofen Railway Station

Bad Wörishofen Bahnhof is the local railway terminal and is served by RE 73 connections through Türkheim (Bayern) and Buchloe, with services extending toward Augsburg depending on the timetable. Once at the station, follow pedestrian directions toward the Kurhaus at Hauptstraße 16; the venue is in the central town area rather than in a remote resort.

The official German station information and the Deutsche Bahn journey planner provide current service details. The rail connection is particularly relevant to travelers staying in other Bavarian cities who want to reach the festival without a car.

🚆 From Munich, Augsburg and Buchloe

Travelers approaching from Munich Hauptbahnhof can use the wider rail network toward Buchloe, then connect toward Türkheim (Bayern) and Bad Wörishofen. The Deutsche Bahn route information identifies a regional RE 73 link between Buchloe, Türkheim and the town. Augsburg is another practical interchange because of its regional connections to the Allgäu area.

Check the Deutsche Bahn ticket and timetable planner for the exact tournament dates, as track works, train splitting at Türkheim or service adjustments can change the required transfer. On March 5, finish your journey early enough for the on-site check-in and the 3:00 PM opening round.

✈️ From Memmingen Allgäu Airport

Memmingen Airport serves the Allgäu region and may offer international flight connections suitable for visitors coming to Bavaria. Travelers can use regional airport services toward Memmingen and then plan an onward rail or road journey to Bad Wörishofen. However, the final connection may require changes, so do not assume a direct rail service from the airport terminal to the tournament venue.

Use the Allgäu Airport official website for current terminal access and the Deutsche Bahn planner for the onward trip. A pre-booked taxi or transfer may be more convenient for late arrivals or groups traveling with luggage.

✈️ From Munich Airport

Munich Airport is another international gateway. Travelers can reach Munich’s main railway network using airport rail services and continue via Munich Hauptbahnhof and Buchloe toward Bad Wörishofen. This option may be especially useful when direct flights to Memmingen are unavailable.

Travel time varies with connections, and the German railway timetable may change before March 2027. Review each stage of the journey and allow extra margin on Friday afternoon. A road transfer from the airport is another option, but its cost and duration should be confirmed with the provider.

🚌 Local Buses and Town Transport

Bad Wörishofen has local bus services, visitor transport and walking routes serving the town’s hotels, gardens and spa facilities. For this tournament, use the central Hauptstraße / Kurhaus area as your destination. Check current local routes with the official Bad Wörishofen tourism office and the timetable information available through Deutsche Bahn.

Because the town is relatively compact, some participants staying in central hotels may find a pedestrian route more practical than using a bus. Nevertheless, people with mobility requirements or bulky luggage should check the hotel-to-Kurhaus approach before traveling.

🚗 By Car and Parking

Drivers can reach Bad Wörishofen via the A96 motorway and local connecting roads, following signposts into town. Set the navigation destination to Kurhaus Bad Wörishofen, Hauptstraße 16, 86825 Bad Wörishofen. The Kurhaus has public facilities and nearby parking options, including a garage associated with the building, but parking fees and access restrictions should be checked on arrival.

Do not use a generic Bad Wörishofen centre coordinate as the final destination. The organizer has supplied a specific venue position for navigation. Since games are classical and can take several hours, drivers should verify the legal parking duration before leaving a vehicle.

🕒 Arrival and Final-Day Departure

Participants may check in on Thursday, March 4, from 5:00 to 6:00 PM, or on Friday, March 5 during the advertised registration period. Round 1 starts Friday at 3:00 PM. On the final Saturday, March 13, Round 9 begins at 10:00 AM and the prize ceremony is scheduled for 4:45 PM. Players expecting an award should avoid return travel that clashes with the ceremony.

ℹ️ Other Information

📜 Forty-Two Editions of International Chess

The Bad Wörishofen chess festival is a long-running event in German tournament chess. The organizer’s official 2027 invitation includes a historical winners’ list extending back to 1985, alongside separate records for the Senior tournament. This history reflects the event’s established place in the European chess calendar. The championship has welcomed Grandmasters, International Masters and club players from numerous countries over the decades.

🌿 Chess and the Kneipp Spa Tradition

Bad Wörishofen is associated with the wellness philosophy of Sebastian Kneipp. The town combines gardens, walking paths, cultural sites and established wellness hotels. The festival’s one-game-per-day schedule, particularly the 2:00 PM starts, allows participants to enjoy this setting while still concentrating on serious FIDE-rated chess.

⚖️ Rating, Late Arrival and Point Sharing

All three tournaments count toward FIDE Elo and German DWZ. The official default time is 30 minutes. The invitation states that cash awards are shared when players finish tied on points, subject to the organizer’s prize rules. The official minimum paying-participant thresholds must also be satisfied for the advertised cash funds to be guaranteed.

🛌 Senior Categories and Half-Point Byes

The Senior tournament has a different age threshold for women and men: women born in or before 1977 and men born in or before 1967. The organizer also allows an advance-requested half-point bye in Rounds 1–6. These rules should be considered when choosing a section and planning wellness or sightseeing activities around the tournament.

🎁 Closing Ceremony and Prize Raffle

The festival finishes on Saturday, March 13, 2027. The awards presentation starts at approximately 4:45 PM and is scheduled until 6:00 PM. A raffle with a published prize value of €500 is open to eligible participants who attend the ceremony, excluding cash-prize recipients receiving more than €100. Seniors who complete their ninth game are also promised a special commemorative gift.

🔗 Useful Official Links