Bundesliga atmosphere at the 2026 European Chess Championship in Katowice
The 2026 European Individual Chess Championship has come to an end. As defending champion Matthias Bluebaum was unable to take part due to the Candidates Tournament, it was clear that there would be a new European champion.
In a hard-fought event, 17-year-old Ukrainian IM Roman Dehtiarov prevailed - to the surprise of many experts. Dehtiaryov is thus the youngest player to ever win the tournament and the first International Master to claim the title.
Alongside numerous professionals and young talents, a number of amateurs also took part, including myself. Despite an unsatisfactory sporting result, I take a very positive overall view of the tournament.
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
This year's venue was Katowice, in Upper Silesia. The games were played in the Arena Katowice, a hall inside the local football stadium that normally hosts volleyball and basketball matches. The playing hall was spacious, with all boards located in a single room, allowing spectators to stroll past the top boards at any time. A separate spectator area also ensured that parents, in particular, could comfortably watch their children.
In the previous edition, the boards had been spread across three separate playing halls, so amateurs had no opportunity to visit the top boards.
View of the playing hall shortly before the start of a round
Geographically, the arena was located somewhat outside the city centre, meaning that the official players' hotel was at some distance. However, the organisers provided a well-organised shuttle service - many top players used the bus and, with a bit of luck, one could even overhear Vasyl Ivanchuk analysing his games during the journey.
For those wishing to explore the city centre before their games, this was not a problem: the arena is well-connected by public transport, with tickets costing just €1 and easily purchased via a very user-friendly app.
Katowice was formerly a centre of mining and heavy industry in Upper Silesia. This tradition is also reflected in the local Silesian Museum (muzeumslaskie.pl) - complemented by modern industrial and cultural districts that give the city a distinctive character.
View of the Silesian Museum
The venue inside a football stadium meant that, on this occasion, there were two rest days instead of one. The additional rest day was necessary because the football team needed the stadium for one of their own matches. This provided the opportunity to experience a genuine Bundesliga-like atmosphere - at the thrilling encounter between GKS Katowice and Motor Lublin in the Polish Ekstraklasa (the country's top division). Tickets were still available at the box office on the day of the match.
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
Home match of GKS Katowice against Motor Lublin
The fans in the stadium were excellent and kept up full support for the entire 90 minutes. I could not even use my seat, as standing and cheering was the order of the day throughout. The effort paid off, as GKS Katowice won 3–2 and thus gained some breathing space in the relegation battle. Highlights of the match can be viewed on YouTube.
The field at a European Chess Championship ensures that players rated above 2100 are paired against very strong opponents (at least an IM) in the first round. Accordingly, I faced Slovak grandmaster Juraj Druska in round one. I was able to hold my own until move 79 - by then we had already been playing for more than six hours. However, in the following position, with only 38 seconds remaining on my clock, I failed to find the drawing continuation.
I played 79...Rg1+ (intending to cut the king off from the passed pawn) 80.Kxh2 Rg4 81.Rf5 Kd4 82.Kh3 Rg8. However, this allowed my opponent to break through with 83.Rg5 and bring his king into play. He could then cut off my king, and the game was easily won.
I could have drawn with 79...Ra1. After 80.Kxh2 (80.Rxh2 Ra2+ leads to a straightforward draw, as after the rook exchange my king reaches the pawn) I can initially cut off the king with 80...Ra3. At first glance, 81.Rh3 appears to break the blockade immediately, but after 81...Ra1 (diagram below) my rook is ideally placed, as it can always attack the king and rook from behind, while the white pieces obstruct each other.
One possible continuation is 82.Kg3 Kd5 83.Rh6 (otherwise 83...Ke6 follows) Ke4.
Unfortunately, my remaining games were not particularly impressive, either in terms of quality or results. As a consequence, I finished significantly below my seeding, which is something I will need to improve upon next time.
The 2026 European Chess Championship in Katowice set new standards with its excellent atmosphere and organisation. The next edition will take place in Batumi, Georgia, in 2027 - which promises to be very exciting.
Let us learn together how to find the best spot for the queen in the early middlegame, how to navigate this piece around the board, how to time the queen attack, how to decide whether to exchange it or not, and much more!
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