A festival for professionals and amateurs

The 2026 Grand Prix is much more than a classical tournament - it is an open chess festival that brings together top players, ambitious amateurs and curious spectators. Last year, more than 750 players from 28 countries took part and played thousands of games, a scale that makes the event one of the largest of its kind. With a prize fund of €80,000 and official national championship titles at stake, the tournament is both sporting relevant and accessible to the public.

Master Class Vol.20 - Bent Larsen

In this video course experts examine the games of Bent Larsen. Let them show you which openings Larsen chose, where his strength in middlegames were, how he outplayed his opponents in the endgame & you’ll get a glimpse of his tactical abilities!
Bent Larsen (1935–2010) was the greatest chess player in Danish history, and for a time, the second-strongest player in the Western world behind Bobby Fischer. Between 1954 and 1971, he won the Danish Championship six times, and achieved numerous international tournament victories throughout his career. 
Free video sample: Introduction to Bent Larsen by Peter Heine Nielsen
Free video sample: Introduction to the Opening Section

Well-known grandmasters will be competing for the titles, including in the blitz section (351 participants) Parham Maghsoodloo (IRI), Jose Eduardo Martinez (MEX) and Baadur Jobava (GEO), as well as, from Austria, Felix Blohberger, Konstantin Peyrer and Georg Froewies, who are also playing in the rapid. In the rapid section, with 377 participants, Pranav Venkatesh (IND), Eduardo Iturrizaga (ESP) and Jobava are the top seeds.

In the team competitions, 83 and 86 four-player teams (with a reserve) have registered, respectively. The top teams have an average Elo of around 2200.

Last year's winner, front left: Parham Maghsoodloo won the blitz event convincingly and is looking to defend his title this year | Photo: Official website

Spectators will also be well catered for, as the combination of individual and team competitions guarantees variety and interest. The Grand Prix is deliberately designed as an open tournament and allows professionals, club players and ambitious amateurs to take part. Amateur and hobby players also have genuine chances to win prizes, as various rating categories are contested. This also attracted international players from dozens of countries in previous editions, competing for official Austrian national championship titles in individual and team events.

Understanding Middlegame Strategy Vol.14 Reversed Colour Systems – Benoni, Blumenfeld and Benko Gambit

You will learn how Black's dynamic piece activity and structural counterplay more than compensate for White's extra tempo in the colour-reversed setups.
The Benoni family of openings has toppled world champions, decided match games under the highest pressure, and rewarded those brave enough to play them with some of the most electrifying chess imaginable. In this Fritztrainer, Grandmaster Ivan Sokolov -  continuing his successful series "Understanding Middlegame Structures" - takes you deep inside the complexities of the Colour-Reversed Benoni, the Colour-Reversed Benko Gambit, and the Colour-Reversed Blumenfeld Gambit.
Free sample video: Introduction
Free sample video: Colour Reversed Banoni - Game 1

A tournament for everyone! | Photo: Official website

Venue

The venue is PlusCity in Pasching, near Linz, a publicly accessible shopping mall. The concept is deliberate: chess is intended to become visible, accessible and lively - in the middle of everyday life.

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Mastering the London System

In this course, Grandmaster Elisabeth Pähtz presents the London System, a structured and ambitious approach based on the immediate Bf4, leading to rich and dynamic positions.
The London System is one of the most popular openings at every level of chess but not all Londons are the same. In this course, Grandmaster Elisabeth Pähtz presents the London System, a structured and ambitious approach based on the immediate Bf4, leading to rich and dynamic positions.
Free sample video: Introduction
Free sample video: 5...cxd4 6.exd4 Qb6 sidelines

Schedule

The event takes place over four days:

Rapid (individual, 9-round Swiss system)
Thursday, 14 May 2026 – 1 pm to approx. 9 pm

Blitz (individual, 13-round Swiss system)
Friday, 15 May 2026 – 2 pm to approx. 8 pm

Blitz (team, 13-round Swiss system)
Saturday, 16 May 2026 – 2 pm to approx. 8 pm

Rapid (team, 9-round Swiss system)
Sunday, 17 May 2026 – 11 am to approx. 7 pm

Official website...