The GRENKE Chess Festival is easily my favorite event on the calendar, and returning for my third time this year only confirms it. With 3,658 participants in 2026, it has solidified its spot as the world’s largest open tournament. Beyond the scale, what keeps me coming back is the impeccable organization and a vibe you simply won’t find anywhere else.
Comparing this to the 2024 edition, a few changes stood out. I stayed at Motel One through an organizer-provided discount, which was a great call the hotel is just a three-minute walk from the playing hall. I was also pleased to see the introduction was done in both German and English this year, one of my past suggestions to the organizers! Another suggestion is receiving pairings via WhatsApp/SMS, maybe from another edition.
The festival now features six different tournaments: three classical and three Freestyle Chess (Chess960). In Freestyle, pieces on the back rank are randomized, making it impossible to rely on opening preparation. The organizers are pushing this format hard, and the prizes for Freestyle are significantly higher. Each category is based on rating: A for 2000+ Elo, B for under 2000, and C for under 1600. I played in the Classical B Open, which was massive, over 1,500 people in my section alone!
The schedule was grueling: two rounds a day (at 10 AM and 4 PM) with a 90-minute + 30-second increment time control. That’s eight hours of chess a day! I started with a bang, winning my first three games, especially impressive since my second and third opponents were over 100 Elo points stronger than me. However, the intensity caught up in rounds 4 and 5, where I lost to two 1900+ players. I was winning round 5 until a late-game blunder cost me the point. I finished with a solid 4.5/9, and considering 8 of my 9 opponents were rated at least 100 points above me, I was thrilled to gain 15 Elo points.
With a performance rating of 1863, this was my best result since the pandemic. But more importantly, it was a much-needed break. For five days, the rest of the world disappeared, and it was just me and the board.
One funny highlight: the Schwarzwaldhalle venue borders the Karlsruhe Zoo. At one point, people visiting the zoo went from watching animals in cages to peering through the windows at a huge hall where 2,500 people were locked in deep thought over chessboards!
Adrian Matei's blog 
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