Gloeckler stuns with 2689 performance rating!

Fourteen-year-old Christian Gloeckler secured victory in the Masters Open Tournament at the Biel Chess Festival with one round still to play. The German IM defeated Dimitris Alexakis in the ninth-round top-board encounter, extending his lead to 1½ points and putting the title beyond the reach of his closest rivals.

Gloeckler, who entered the tournament as the ninth seed, has scored 8/9 points, with seven wins and two draws. He remains unbeaten and reached the top of the standings with four consecutive victories between rounds six and nine. That sequence included a win with the black pieces against second seed Peter Acs.

His ninth-round victory over Alexakis came in an Accelerated Dragon. Gloeckler showed good opening preparation, kept control of the tactical complications and later converted his advantage in the endgame.

The Bulletproof 1.b3 Repertoire

This compact course is designed specifically for practical play. Instead of overwhelming you with endless theory, it focuses on the critical lines, typical plans, and recurring tactical ideas.
Looking for an opening that gets your opponents thinking on move one? Grandmaster Andy Woodward has relied on 1.b3 for years in blitz and bullet, using it to defeat strong masters and grandmasters who underestimated its hidden venom. While many players dismiss the opening as harmless, they often find themselves caught in unfamiliar positions, tactical traps, and uncomfortable middlegames. This compact course is designed specifically for practical play. Instead of overwhelming you with endless theory, it focuses on the critical lines, typical plans, and recurring tactical ideas that matter most when the clock is ticking.
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: King's Indian Setup

Christian Gloeckler got the better of Cao Qingfeng from China with black in the eighth round | Photo: Biel Chess Festival

The result also secured Gloeckler his first grandmaster norm. His tournament performance rating stands at 2689. His final-round pairing against Hungarian grandmaster Adam Kozak ensures that he has also faced the necessary number of grandmasters.

Gloeckler has gained 18.1 rating points so far in Biel. At the age of 14, he has risen to 39^th place in the live under-20 ranking and 9^th in the under-16 list.

The champion will face Kozak in the tenth and final round. The Hungarian is part of a six-player group on 6½ points and remains in contention for a place on the podium.

Standings after round 9

Mastering Calculation - Think Clearly, Calculate Precisely, Improve Consistently

Chess is a concrete game. There is no way around training your calculation skills. Improve your visualization, pattern recognition and learn calculation techniques such as reciprocal thinking with this course.
Calculation is at the heart of practical chess. Every chess concept builds on proper calculation technique. Therefore, all chess players should continuosly train the fundamental techniques, concepts and patterns this course will present. The goal isn't only to teach you to calculate, but to give you the tools and insights to keep improving long after the final lesson.
Free sample video: Introduction

Free sample video: Quiet Moves

...94 players

All available games - Masters Open

Press release by the Biel Chess Festival

Masters: Three draws, Aronian still leads

The final stage of the Masters Triathlon has not yet produced a decisive result in the race for the title, although the field of title contenders has narrowed from four to two.

For three-time winner Le Quang Liem and Turkish rising star Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, Wednesday's draws were not enough to pose a threat to the leader, Levon Aronian.

How to Avoid Mistakes and Boost Your Winning Rate

Doesn’t every chess game get decided by mistakes? Absolutely. But most players never truly comprehend that they are making the same kind of mistakes over and over again.

Aydin Suleymanli, on the other hand, remains in contention and has his fate in his own hands going into the final round: the Azerbaijani GM, who stepped in at short notice as a replacement, is playing Aronian and could be crowned the 2026 Biel champion with a win.

Still in contention for overall victory - Aydin Suleymanli | Photo: Biel Chess Festival

Current standings

All games - Final stage

All games - Final stage

Generations Challenge: Xiao keeps chances of victory alive

In Wednesday's Generations Challenge game, Xiao Tong faced Marco Materia. Xiao, who was 4½ points behind the leader before the match, therefore needed to pick up points to retain any chance of winning the tournament. Materia, on the other hand, could have overtaken Xiao - at least temporarily - with a win.

The encounter between the two 17-year-olds was evenly contested, with neither player managing to gain an advantage, and it consequently ended in a draw. Xiao has thus reduced the gap to the leader, Vaclav Finek, to 3 points. With a win in Thursday's showdown, the Chinese representative could still be crowned tournament champion.

Fritz 21

YOUR PERSONAL CHESS COACH - Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before.
FRITZ is more than just a chess engine – it’s a training revolution! Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before.

Marco Materia finishes the tournament in third place. The young Frenchman, who had previously competed three times in the Biel Masters Open - the first time in 2022 when he was 13 - has thus concluded his first appearance on the big stage in Biel with a good result.

Xiao Tong and Marco Materia drew their game on Wednesday | Photo: Biel Chess Festival

Current standings

All games - Final stage

All games - Final stage

Triathlons: Masters and Generations Challenge

Understanding Material Imbalances

This DVD focuses on several types of material imbalances, such as Rook vs 2 Pieces, Queen vs 2 Rooks, and Queen vs Pieces.

Schedule