Kasparov Chess Foundation Friendship Festival 2026 brings a flagship summer Open and a one-day Blitz highlight to June 25-30, 2026 in Radenci, Slovenia. You can compete in a 9-round Swiss Open that uses the Baku Acceleration Method and targets ambitious players who want serious classical chess in a high-profile setting. The festival headline prize fund reaches €25,000 for the Open, and it adds a dedicated Blitz event with its own cash prizes. The program also features a special Kasparov Chess Day with chess activities alongside the tournament action.

You play in the Congress Center of Hotel Radin, a well-known venue inside the Radenci health resort area, which makes the event easy to combine with a week in Slovenia. The Open schedule spreads rounds across six days with morning and afternoon starts, while the Blitz runs on Sunday as a separate 11-round Swiss. The organizer supports broad participation with discounted entry for titled players and juniors, free entry for top-rated players who register early, and multiple cash categories based on rating and age groups.

🗓️ Event Details

🏆 Prize Fund

Organizer lists prizes as gross amounts and deducts taxes. Organizer also lists additional practical prizes in some categories.

Open Tournament – Overall prizes

Open Tournament – Rating group prizes (FIDE Elo list June 1, 2026)

Open Tournament – Special categories

Blitz Tournament – Overall prizes

Blitz Tournament – Rating group prizes (FIDE Elo list June 1, 2026)

Blitz Tournament – Special categories

⏱️ Time Control & Pairings

The Open Tournament plays 9 rounds in a Swiss system and applies BAM (Baku Acceleration Method). It uses 75 minutes plus 30 seconds per move, then adds 15 minutes after move 40 while keeping the 30-second increment. Players may take up to two half-point byes, and the tournament does not allow byes in the last two rounds.

The Blitz Tournament runs as an 11-round Swiss on June 28. It uses a 3 minutes plus 2 seconds per move time control and awards cash prizes for overall standings, rating groups, and select special categories based on the FIDE Elo list dated June 1, 2026.

📂 Sections / Groups

📅 Schedule

📝 Registration

👥 Organizer

Kasparov Chess Foundation Friendship Festival runs its tournament week in Radenci with the festival team led by Tournament Director Georg Mohr, and European Chess Academy handles registration payments. The organizer combines a major Open prize fund with a standalone Blitz event and schedules a dedicated Kasparov Chess Day as part of the festival program.

• Email: kcffestival@gmail.com

• Phone: +386 40 834 432

• Website: https://www.kcfworldfestival.org/

🏨 Venue

Congress Center of Hotel Radin, Zdraviliško naselje 12, 9252 Radenci, Slovenia
Hotel Radin hosts the playing hall in its congress center inside the Radenci resort complex. The venue sits within the Health Resort Zdravilišče Radenci area, which the organizer describes as a destination with long tradition. You can stay on-site and walk directly to the tournament hall.

🛎️ Accommodation

Hotel Radin and Hotel Izvir offer special chess-player rates at the venue address Zdraviliško naselje 12, 9252 Radenci, Slovenia. Hotel provides half-board pricing at €66 per person per day in a double room, €88 per person per day in a single room, and €55 per person per day for children aged 2–15 in a double room. Hotel adds a local tourist tax of €2.50 per day and a one-time hotel registration fee of €2.50.

Hotel accepts reservations by email at rezervacije@shr.si or by phone at +386 2 512 22 00, and it keeps special rates valid until June 15, 2026. Include full name and age, arrival and departure dates, room type, and any special requests in your message, and wait for the hotel confirmation to finalize the booking. The organizer also offers free half-board to up to 10 grandmasters, and you can contact the Tournament Director for details.

🚗 How to Get There

Use the venue address Zdraviliško naselje 12, 9252 Radenci, Slovenia to plan your route to Hotel Radin. The Congress Center of Hotel Radin hosts the playing hall, so you can head directly to the hotel complex in Radenci for check-in and tournament access.

Bring your best tournament mindset and enjoy a full week of competitive chess and festival activities in Radenci.