David Navara wins the Czech Chess Championship for a 14th time!

by Stefan Liebig
5/19/2026 – David Navara and Joanna Worek won the 2026 Czech Chess Championships. Navara, aged 41, thereby secured his fourteenth title, as the rising star Václav Finek, 25 years his junior, finished in second place. For Worek, it was her second national title, after having won her maiden title in 2016. | Photos: Czech Chess Federation
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The 2026 Czech Championships took place from 7 to 16 May 2026 in Brno and attracted most of the country's best players. In the open tournament, ten players competed in a round-robin event. The women’s competition began with a preliminary stage and then determined the winner through knockout rounds in the quarterfinals, semifinals and final.

Open

The open tournament developed into a closely fought duel between the two top seeds: David Navara and the greatest Czech chess talent, Václav Finek. In the end, serial winner Navara once again came out on top, while silver went to the only 16-year-old Finek. The bronze medal was secured by Stepán Zilka.

David Navara and Vaclav Finek drew their direct encounter | Photo: Czech Chess Federation

Navara took an early lead, but Finek caught him after the fifth round. Their direct encounter in round seven ended in a draw, leaving both players level at the top. Since both also won their final two games, the tiebreak criteria had to decide matters, and Navara had the higher score. Both players remained unbeaten, with six wins and three draws each, and finished well clear of the rest of the field. The bronze medal went to the experienced grandmaster Stepán Zilka.

It is noteworthy that only 16 of the 45 games ended in draws:

Final standings

Navara's convincing win in the final round secured him his fourteenth title:

All games

Women's

The women's competition was even more dramatic due to the knockout system. The closely contested medal matches were all decided in Armageddon. In the final match, Joanna Worek emerged as the winner. She secured the gold medal after beating Kristyna Petrova.

In the third-place match, Tereza Rodshtein secured the bronze medal after getting the better of Olga Sikorova.

Joanna Worek (left) on her way to the gold medal | Photo: Czech Chess Federation

Final (15.05.2026 - 16.05.2026)
1 WGM Worek Joanna CZE ½ ½ 1 0 1 0 1 4
2 WGM Petrová Kristýna CZE ½ ½ 0 1 0 1 0 3
Third-place match
4 WGM Rodshtein Tereza CZE 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 4
6 WGM Sikorová Olga CZE 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 3
Semifinals - (13.05.2026 - 14.05.2026)
2 WGM Petrová Kristýna CZE ½ ½ 1 1 3
6 WGM Sikorová Olga CZE ½ ½ 0 0 1
1 WGM Worek Joanna CZE ½ 1 1½
4 WGM Rodshtein Tereza CZE ½ 0 ½

Josef Bednarik, PR manager of the Czech Chess Federation and tournament director, commented on the Czech Championship at the closing ceremony:

I am delighted with the course of this year's Czech Championship. I would like to thank all the players for their fighting spirit and fair play. The spectators clearly enjoyed the exciting games and the course of the tournament, and so did I.

All games

Links

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Topics: Czech Republic, David Navara
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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