Explore the Festival Week-End Primavera 2026 International Chess Open, April 10-12, 2026, in Genoa, Italy, and compete in a fast-paced weekend festival that blends serious chess with a comfortable hotel setting. The event runs across three rating-based sections and delivers a strong €2,500 cash prize fund for club players, ambitious improvers, and experienced competitors. The organizers run a compact 5-round Swiss format that keeps every round meaningful and every point valuable. You play in a well-equipped congress venue that supports focused play and smooth tournament operations.

Expect a practical schedule, clear section boundaries, and tournament conditions that suit both local and traveling players. The playing hall sits inside Novotel’s congress facilities, which offer modern amenities and quiet spaces for concentration between rounds. The venue’s location helps you arrive easily by car, train, or public transport, and the event includes free garage parking for players. Bring your competitive mindset and enjoy a spring chess weekend in one of Italy’s most vibrant port cities.

🗓️ Event Details

🏆 Prize Fund

Open A (overall prizes)

Open B (overall prizes)

Open C (overall prizes)

Rating band prizes (Elo < 1900)

The organizers award prizes as indivisible and non-cumulative, so each player receives only one prize. The organizers pay prizes by bank transfer and apply the legally required 20% withholding tax.

⏱️ Time Control & Pairings

The tournament uses a 5-round Swiss system across all sections and applies a standard time control of 90 minutes + 30-second increment from move 1. The tournament uses Buchholz (FIDE Cut 1), Buchholz total, and ARO for tie-breaks. Players forfeit a round after 60 minutes of lateness. The organizers may approve up to three requests to move from Open B to Open A and up to three requests to move from Open C to Open B when the player sits within 50 Elo points of the section threshold.

📂 Sections / Groups

📅 Schedule

📝 Registration

Register through https://vesus.org and confirm your entry with a bank transfer by March 31, 2026. Include “iscrizione torneo primavera 2026” and your section (A, B, or C) in the transfer description, then email the organizer with the player name, proof of payment, and a mobile number.

Bank transfer details: IBAN IT89N010300140000003547036, account name “Società Dilettantistica Genovese L. Centurini”. The organizer closes registration after the first 134 paid entries. Request a full refund up to two weeks before the event; after that point, the organizer decides refunds case by case based on documented reasons. Complete on-site check-in on Friday between 14:00 and 17:00, or start from Round 2 with 0 points.

👥 Organizer

Circolo Scacchistico Genovese Luigi Centurini organizes this long-running spring weekend festival and welcomes players across multiple rating bands for a concentrated, competitive Swiss event in Genoa. The team runs clear entry rules, structured sections, and a practical schedule that fits weekend travel and supports reliable tournament play.

• Email: info@centurini.it

• Phone: +39 333 6811067, +39 340 0639249

Novotel Genova City (Hotel Novotel), Via Cantore 8, Genoa, Italy
The hotel provides modern tournament conditions inside its congress facilities, with spacious and quiet rooms that support focused play. The venue offers amenities such as a pool and underground parking, and it sits near the Genoa Ovest highway exit. The hotel also places you close to the city center, the cruise terminal area, and major local attractions.

🛎️ Accommodation

Novotel Genova City offers special tournament rates that include buffet breakfast and garage parking: €150 per night for a double room for single use, and €180 per night for a double room (double bed plus sofa bed). The hotel adds a €4 city tax. Contact: +39 010 09991, H1709-RE@accor.com.

Hotel Cantore, Via Antonio Cantore 32b, offers €73 (double for single use), €88 (double room for two), and €113 (triple), with breakfast included and a €3 city tax. The hotel charges €15 per day for private parking, limits room availability, and requires advance payment. Contact: +39 391 3074786, hotelcantoresrl@gmail.com.

B&B Le Stanze del Notaio, Via Antonio Cantore 40/3, offers rooms from €50, €70, or €90 (up to three people), with Wi-Fi, a small buffet breakfast, and a €3 city tax. Contact: +39 349 7800453. For additional lodging options, contact Sergio Nanni at +39 340 0639249.

🚗 How to Get There

Arrive by car via the Genoa Ovest highway exit and reach the venue quickly thanks to the hotel’s strategic location. Use rail connections through Genova Sampierdarena or Genova Principe stations, then take local buses (lines 1, 18, or 20) toward the Cantore area for a short ride to the venue. Genova Brignole station also connects by bus line 18. The airport sits about 6 km from the hotel, which supports convenient transfers for international travelers.

Make your spring chess weekend count with five high-impact rounds in a city that rewards both strong play and great downtime.

🧾 Other

The organizer bans smoking in the playing venue. Players must keep phones and electronic devices switched off at all times and store them in a bag or separate jacket; players may not carry them on their person. The organizer may run anti-cheating checks before, during, and after rounds under FIDE anti-cheating guidelines. Entry also confirms consent for the publication of personal data, ratings, photos, videos, pairings, and results connected to the event.