5th International Chess Festival Cēsis
The 5th International Chess Festival Cēsis brings over-the-board chess back to June 16–21, 2026 in Cēsis, Latvia, with a packed week of competitive play across multiple formats. The festival runs as an international chess tournament program with nine separate events, including FIDE rated competitions alongside special-variant and team tournaments, all staged in the heart of Cēsis across the festival venues.
Across the 5th International Chess Festival Cēsis, players can choose between a major open event that blends rapid and classical games, a two-day rapid and blitz “divcīņa,” and additional tournaments that expand the festival into a true chess week in Cēsis, Latvia. The playing sites span Konrāda kvartāls and Maija parks, with selected events hosted at Cēsis Concert Hall, keeping the entire 5th International Chess Festival Cēsis concentrated within central Cēsis.
🗓️ Event Details
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| 📅 Dates | June 16–21, 2026 |
| 📍 Location | Cēsis, Latvia |
| ♟️ Format | Festival (multiple over-the-board tournaments) |
| ⭐ Rating | FIDE rated events (Rapid/Blitz/Standard) plus unrated festival tournaments |
| 📂 Sections | 9 festival tournaments (open, rapid, blitz, team, and special-variant events) |
| ⏱️ Time control | Varies by tournament (classical, rapid, blitz, and variants) |
| 💰 Prize fund | USD 9,490 (approx.) |
| 🧩 Organizer notes | Main playing sites include Konrāda kvartāls and Maija parks in Cēsis |
| Chess-Results.com | https://chess-results.com/tnr1332468.aspx?lan=1 |
🏆 Prize Fund
| Prize category | Amount (EUR) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Total festival prize fund | EUR 8,000 | Distributed across the festival tournaments |
⏱️ Time Control & Pairings
DRAUGIEM GROUP Open (rapid + classical) runs as an 8-round Swiss tournament. The event starts with 3 rapid rounds at 15 minutes + 5 seconds increment from move 1, then continues with 5 classical rounds at 90 minutes + 30 seconds increment from move 1. The tournament uses international rating submission and plays at Konrāda kvartāls in Cēsis.
SIGNET BANKAS Divcīņa (Rapid) runs as a 9-round Swiss tournament with a rapid time control of 10 minutes + 5 seconds increment from move 1. The games take place at Maija parks in Cēsis and use international rating submission.
Bughouse runs as a team Swiss-system tournament with 9 rounds. The time control is blitz: 5 minutes for the game with no increment, and the event takes place at Maija parks in Cēsis.
📂 Sections / Groups
| Section | Rating / target group | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| DRAUGIEM GROUP Open (rapid + classical) | International rating submission | 8-round Swiss; 3 rapid rounds (15+5) + 5 classical rounds (90+30) |
| SIGNET BANKAS Divcīņa (Rapid) | FIDE Rapid | 9-round Swiss; 10+5; played in Maija parks, Cēsis |
| SIGNET BANKAS Divcīņa (Blitz) | FIDE Blitz | Part of the two-day divcīņa weekend at the festival |
| Go Girl! | Festival tournament | Single-day festival event on June 16 |
| Dice Chess | Festival tournament | Special-variant event hosted at Cēsis Concert Hall |
| Bughouse | Team event | 9-round team Swiss; 5-minute blitz with no increment |
| Junior classification tournaments | Festival tournaments | Additional festival events for classification groups during June 17–19 |
📅 Schedule
| Date | Weekday | Round / Activity |
|---|---|---|
| June 16, 2026 | Tuesday | Go Girl! festival tournament |
| June 17, 2026 | Wednesday | DRAUGIEM GROUP Open (Rounds 1–4) and junior classification tournaments |
| June 18, 2026 | Thursday | DRAUGIEM GROUP Open (Rounds 5–6) and junior classification tournaments |
| June 19, 2026 | Friday | DRAUGIEM GROUP Open (Rounds 7–8) and junior classification tournaments |
| June 20, 2026 | Saturday | SIGNET BANKAS Divcīņa (Rapid) and Dice Chess festival tournament |
| June 21, 2026 | Sunday | SIGNET BANKAS Divcīņa (Blitz) and Bughouse team tournament |
📝 Registration
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| How to register | Online registration form: https://ej.uz/chess2026 |
| Tournament selection | Choose the festival tournaments you want to play during registration |
| Capacity rules | Follow each tournament’s published tournament list and pairing status on Chess-Results |
👥 Organizer
The 5th International Chess Festival Cēsis runs as a multi-tournament chess week in Cēsis, Latvia, delivered in cooperation with Latvian chess stakeholders and festival partners. The organizer program concentrates play across central Cēsis venues, with each tournament managed and published through official festival channels and Chess-Results tournament pages.
🏨 Venue
Konrāda kvartāls, Cēsis, Latvia
The festival uses multiple central Cēsis venues, with core tournaments hosted at Konrāda kvartāls and Maija parks. Selected festival events also take place at Cēsis Concert Hall, keeping the schedule concentrated within Cēsis, Latvia.
🚗 How to Get There
Use the official organizer map link for navigation to the main playing site in Cēsis: https://ej.uz/sahs2026
If you want a chess week that mixes serious competition with festival variety, make Cēsis, Latvia your destination for the 5th International Chess Festival Cēsis in June 2026.
Additional Details
Prize Fund - $8,000