Bled Chess Festival: Chess tradition in idyllic surroundings

by Stefan Liebig
3/12/2026 – For almost a century, the Slovenian spa town of Bled has held a special place in international chess history. With the chess festival currently running until the weekend, this traditional venue continues the legacy of great tournaments – combining its historical prestige with an event for ambitious title holders, amateurs and young players. | Photos: Chess Festival Bled / Luka Rifelj
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Chess idyll at Lake Bled

Nestled in the Alpine landscape of northwestern Slovenia, Bled is one of the country’s best-known spa and holiday resorts. The town lies picturesquely on the shores of Lake Bled, overlooked by a medieval castle, and has for decades attracted tourists, culture enthusiasts – and chess lovers. Alongside major sporting events such as international rowing championships and the World Senior Chess Championship, Bled has also established itself as a venue for a number of other significant chess tournaments.

The best Amateur Chess Tournament in the World

Where you will be treated like a Grandmaster.

(Slogan on the official website)

The combination of Alpine scenery, historic architecture and well-developed tourist infrastructure makes the town an attractive venue for international events. This appealing mix of atmosphere and tradition also shapes today’s chess festival, which attracts players from many countries.

Historical roots: Tournaments since 1931

The history of international chess tournaments in Bled dates back to 1931. That year a strong tournament was held here, initiated by the Slovenian grandmaster Milan Vidmar. Fourteen of the leading masters of the time took part. The winner was the reigning World Champion Alexander Alekhine, who dominated the event and won it without a single loss, ahead of Salo Flohr and Efim Bogoljubov.

On this DVD GMs Rogozenco, Marin, Müller, and IM Reeh present outstanding games, stunning combinations and exemplary endgames by Alekhine. And they invite you to improve your knowledge with the help of video lectures, annotated games and interactive tests

No other World Champion was more infamous both inside and outside the chess world than Bobby Fischer. On this DVD, a team of experts shows you the winning techniques and strategies employed by the 11th World Champion.

Grandmaster Dorian Rogozenco delves into Fischer’s openings, and retraces the development of his repertoire. What variations did Fischer play, and what sources did he use to arm himself against the best Soviet players? Mihail Marin explains Fischer’s particular style and his special strategic talent in annotated games against Spassky, Taimanov and other greats. Karsten Müller is not just a leading international endgame expert, but also a true Fischer connoisseur.

In the decades that followed, Bled repeatedly became the stage for major chess events, attracting many world-class players and world champions. The 1961 tournament in particular is considered legendary: the Latvian grandmaster Mikhail Tal won the event, facing among others the young Bobby Fischer (photo left, Chess Festival Bled).

No other World Champion was more infamous both inside and outside the chess world than Bobby Fischer. On this DVD, a team of experts shows you the winning techniques and strategies employed by the 11th World Champion.

Grandmaster Dorian Rogozenco delves into Fischer’s openings, and retraces the development of his repertoire. What variations did Fischer play, and what sources did he use to arm himself against the best Soviet players? Mihail Marin explains Fischer’s particular style and his special strategic talent in annotated games against Spassky, Taimanov and other greats. Karsten Müller is not just a leading international endgame expert, but also a true Fischer connoisseur.

The highlight of the modern era came with the 2002 Chess Olympiad (photo right, Chess Festival Bled). More than 1,600 players from over 130 nations gathered in the Slovenian town to compete in the world’s largest team chess competition. These events cemented Bled’s reputation as one of Europe’s most traditional tournament venues.

The current chess festival

This tradition is now being consciously revived with the current chess festival. The tournament takes place in the conference area of the Rikli Balance Hotel and combines chess with an extensive accompanying programme.

The festival is organized by the Ljubljana Chess Club together with local partners and an organizing team of experienced officials and players, including several internationally known chess personalities and organizers such as Markus Ragger (photo left, Chess Festival Bled), Laura Unuk (photo right, Luka Rifelj), Darja Kaps, Ana Srebrnic and Luka Lenic.

At the heart of the festival is an open nine round Swiss tournament, with a time control of 75 minutes plus 15 minutes after move 40 and a 30-second increment from move one. Players may take up to three byes, each counting as a half point. Participation is open to players with a rating of up to 2300 Elo. The total prize fund is around €6,000. The winner of the open tournament receives €1,000, and additional prizes are awarded in various categories, including women, seniors, junior players and different rating groups.

In addition to the main event, the festival features further activities, including blitz and rapid tournaments, simultaneous exhibitions with grandmasters, and cultural events connected to the Bled region.

The tournament

After four rounds, IM Leon Mazi of Slovenia has taken the lead with 3.5/4. The only player currently keeping pace is Petar Gazic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. His 3.5/4 already counts as a sensation given his starting rank of 41. In rounds 2 to 4 he scored 2.5 points against three significantly higher-rated opponents.

Nine players follow the leaders with three points each. Nevertheless, the two front-runners will not face each other yet in round five. Both will have the black pieces against opponents on three points.

Here is Mazi’s miniature from round four:

Standings after 4 rounds

Games

Links

<< Wesley So wins fifth edition of American Cup
Topics: Bled Chess Festival
Stefan Liebig, born in 1974, is a journalist and co-owner of a marketing agency. He now lives in Barterode near Göttingen. At the age of five, strange pieces on his neighbour’s shelf aroused his curiosity. Since then, the game of chess has cast a spell over him. Flying high in the NRW youth league with his home club SV Bad Laasphe and several appearances in the second division team of Tempo Göttingen were highlights for the former youth South Westphalia champion.
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