Prague International Chess Festival
Prague Chess Festival
The 2027 dates, how the Masters and Challengers work, the 2026 standings, every winner since 2019, the Indian players and how to watch.
The Prague Chess Festival, officially the Prague International Chess Festival, is a yearly event in Prague built around the Prague Masters, a 10-player round robin of top grandmasters. The ninth edition runs from 16 to 26 February 2027 at Hotel Don Giovanni, according to the official site. Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan won the 2026 Masters with 6/9, and India's Aravindh Chithambaram, the 2025 winner, finished third.
Prague Chess Festival 2027: dates and players
- Dates
- 16 to 26 February 2027
- Venue
- Hotel Don Giovanni, Prague
- Edition
- Ninth; the first was in 2019
- Main events
- Masters and Challengers, 10 players each
- Already in
- Václav Finěk (Masters), Krishnan Sasikiran (Challengers)
- 2026 winners
- Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Václav Finěk
The official 2027 page gives 16 to 26 February 2027 for the ninth edition, with Hotel Don Giovanni as the host for the ninth year. The organiser's closing report of 7 March 2026 gave 23 February to 5 March 2027, one week later. This page uses the newer date from the festival site. As of 24 September 2026, the organisers had not published the 2027 regulations or the round times.
Two players already have a place through the promotion rule of the festival. Václav Finěk of the Czech Republic won the 2026 Challengers and moves up to the 2027 Masters. Krishnan Sasikiran of India won the 2026 Karel Janeček Open with 8/9 and moves up to the 2027 Challengers. No other 2027 player had been named by 24 September 2026.
The rest of the field usually arrives in stages. For 2026, the organisers published the dates and opened registration for the open events on 23 September 2025. They named the first Challengers players on 17 December 2025 and the first Masters player, D Gukesh, on 8 January 2026. The final Masters line-up came on 21 February 2026, 3 days before the opening ceremony, when Hans Niemann replaced Thai Dai Van Nguyen, the Czech number 1, who withdrew one week before the start.
How the Prague Masters works
The Masters is a single round robin: each of the 10 players meets the other 9 once, over 9 rounds. A win scores 1 point, a draw half a point and a loss 0. The Challengers uses the same format one level below. The time control in both events is 90 minutes for 40 moves, then 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with 30 seconds added per move from move 1.
Players on equal points are ranked by the result of their game against each other, then by the Sonneborn-Berger score, then by the number of wins, as the Chess-Results tables of the 2026 events show. The Sonneborn-Berger score adds up the scores of the opponents a player beat and half the scores of the opponents the player drew. A tie for first has gone to a playoff: Alireza Firouzja beat Vidit Gujrathi 2-0 in the 2020 Masters playoff, and Nodirbek Yakubboev won the 2025 Challengers after a playoff.
The festival has a promotion ladder. The winner of the Karel Janeček Open gets a place in the next Challengers, and the winner of the Challengers gets a place in the next Masters. Yakubboev took that route: he won the 2025 Challengers and scored 4.5/9 in the 2026 Masters. The Tata Steel Chess Tournament in Wijk aan Zee, played each January, has the same rule between its Challengers and Masters.
The Masters counts for the FIDE Circuit, the ranking over 2026 and 2027 that sends 2 players to the 2028 Candidates Tournament. FIDE gave Abdusattorov 23.14 Circuit points for his 2026 win.
In 2026, the opening ceremony was on 24 February. The 9 rounds ran from 25 February to 6 March, with a rest day on 2 March. Rounds 1 to 8 started at 15:00 in Prague, which is 7:30 PM in India, and the last round started at 11:00, which is 3:30 PM in India.
Masters, Challengers, Futures and the open events
| Section | Players | Format | Who can play |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masters | 10 | Round robin, 9 rounds | Invited players and the previous Challengers winner |
| Challengers | 10 | Round robin, 9 rounds | Invited players and the previous Open winner |
| Futures | 10 | Round robin, 9 rounds | In 2026, 10 young European girls |
| Karel Janeček Open | 354 in 2026 | Swiss, 9 rounds | Anyone, with no age or rating limit |
| Rating groups | 10 per group | Round robin, 9 rounds | Players rated under 2000 |
| Rapid, blitz and variants | Open | Rapid 7 rounds, blitz 11 rounds | Anyone; one rapid group is for rapid ratings under 2000 |
The Karel Janeček Open has no age or rating limit, although the organiser can refuse an entry. It drew a record 354 players from 51 countries in 2026. The side events include a problem-solving contest, Fischer random, Basque chess, pair blitz and bughouse.
Prague Masters 2026 final standings
| Place | Player | Rating (Elo) | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzbekistan) | 2751 | 6/9 |
| 2 | Parham Maghsoodloo (Iran) | 2708 | 5/9 |
| 3 | Aravindh Chithambaram (India) | 2700 | 5/9 |
| 4 | Jorden van Foreest (Netherlands) | 2705 | 5/9 |
| 5 | David Navara (Czech Republic) | 2628 | 4.5/9 |
| 6 | Nodirbek Yakubboev (Uzbekistan) | 2691 | 4.5/9 |
| 7 | Vincent Keymer (Germany) | 2776 | 4/9 |
| 8 | Hans Niemann (United States) | 2725 | 4/9 |
| 9 | D Gukesh (India) | 2754 | 3.5/9 |
| 10 | David Anton Guijarro (Spain) | 2666 | 3.5/9 |
Nodirbek Abdusattorov won with 6/9, one point clear, and he was the only player in the Masters who did not lose a game, FIDE reported. He had also won in 2024, and the organisers say that no player had won the Masters twice before. He gained 9 rating points in Prague.
Parham Maghsoodloo, Aravindh Chithambaram and Jorden van Foreest finished on 5/9 and were ranked in that order on tiebreaks. Aravindh, the 2025 champion, gained 6.4 rating points. Vincent Keymer, the highest-rated player in the field, finished seventh with 4/9 and lost 13.9 rating points, according to chess.com.
D Gukesh played as the world champion and finished ninth with 3.5/9. He defends his title against Javokhir Sindarov in Geneva, with game 1 on 24 November 2026. Hans Niemann, the late replacement for Thai Dai Van Nguyen, scored 4/9.
Prague Chess Festival 2026 results: Challengers and open events
| Place | Player | Rating (Elo) | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Václav Finěk (Czech Republic) | 2538 | 6.5/9 |
| 2 | Daniil Yuffa (Spain) | 2604 | 6/9 |
| 3 | Divya Deshmukh (India) | 2497 | 5/9 |
| 4 | Benjamin Gledura (Hungary) | 2652 | 4.5/9 |
| 5 | Jonas Buhl Bjerre (Denmark) | 2629 | 4.5/9 |
| 6 | Jáchym Němec (Czech Republic) | 2466 | 4.5/9 |
| 7 | Thomas Beerdsen (Netherlands) | 2525 | 4/9 |
| 8 | Surya Shekhar Ganguly (India) | 2568 | 4/9 |
| 9 | Štěpán Hrbek (Czech Republic) | 2463 | 3.5/9 |
| 10 | Zhu Jiner (China) | 2578 | 2.5/9 |
Václav Finěk of the Czech Republic won the Challengers with 6.5/9, half a point ahead of Daniil Yuffa, and did not lose a game. The result gave him his final grandmaster norm, according to chess.com, and a place in the 2027 Masters. All 5 games of the last round were decisive. Finěk had played the Futures section in 2020, where he scored 6 points.
India's Divya Deshmukh finished third with 5/9, and Surya Shekhar Ganguly was eighth with 4/9. In the other sections, Kaja Rządkowska of Poland won the Futures with 7/9, and Krishnan Sasikiran of India won the Karel Janeček Open with 8/9. Sarbartho Mani of India won the blitz tournament with 10/11, and Martin Šmajzr won the solving contest, the closing report says.
Prague Masters winners since 2019
| Year | Masters | Challengers |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Nikita Vitiugov, 5.5/9 | David Anton Guijarro, 6/9 |
| 2020 | Alireza Firouzja, 5/9, after a playoff | Jorden van Foreest, 6/9 |
| 2021 | Sam Shankland, 5.5/7 | Not held |
| 2022 | Pentala Harikrishna, 6.5/9 | Vincent Keymer, 6.5/9 |
| 2023 | Ray Robson, 5.5/9 | Mateusz Bartel, 6.5/9 |
| 2024 | Nodirbek Abdusattorov, 6.5/9 | Ediz Gurel, 6.5/9 |
| 2025 | Aravindh Chithambaram, 6/9 | Nodirbek Yakubboev, 7/9, after a playoff |
| 2026 | Nodirbek Abdusattorov, 6/9 | Václav Finěk, 6.5/9 |
Nodirbek Abdusattorov is the only player with 2 Masters titles. The highest winning score in the Masters is 6.5/9, by Pentala Harikrishna in 2022 and Abdusattorov in 2024. Alireza Firouzja won in 2020 at 16, after he tied with Vidit Gujrathi on 5/9 and won the playoff.
The 2021 Masters had 8 players and 7 rounds, and no Challengers was played that year. Several Challengers winners have moved up since: Jorden van Foreest played the 2021 Masters, Vincent Keymer the 2023 Masters and Nodirbek Yakubboev the 2026 Masters.
Indian players at the Prague Chess Festival
| Year | Masters | Challengers |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Vidit Gujrathi 5/9, Pentala Harikrishna 4/9 | R Praggnanandhaa 4/9 |
| 2020 | Vidit Gujrathi 5/9, lost the playoff for first; Pentala Harikrishna 4.5/9 | None |
| 2021 | None | Not held |
| 2022 | Pentala Harikrishna 6.5/9, winner; Vidit Gujrathi 4/9 | Krishnan Sasikiran 5/9 |
| 2023 | Pentala Harikrishna 5/9 | Akash G 2.5/9 |
| 2024 | R Praggnanandhaa 5/9, D Gukesh 4.5/9, Vidit Gujrathi 3/9 | Vaishali Rameshbabu 3/9 |
| 2025 | Aravindh Chithambaram 6/9, winner; R Praggnanandhaa 5/9 | Divya Deshmukh 3/9 |
| 2026 | Aravindh Chithambaram 5/9, third; D Gukesh 3.5/9, ninth | Divya Deshmukh 5/9, third; Surya Shekhar Ganguly 4/9, eighth |
India has 2 Masters champions. Pentala Harikrishna won in 2022 with 6.5/9, and Aravindh Chithambaram won in 2025 with 6/9. Vidit Gujrathi came close in 2020, when he tied for first and lost the playoff to Firouzja.
D Gukesh has played the Masters twice, in 2024 and 2026, and R Praggnanandhaa scored 5/9 in both 2024 and 2025. In the Challengers, Divya Deshmukh went from 3/9 in 2025 to third place with 5/9 in 2026. Krishnan Sasikiran, who played the 2022 Challengers, returns to it in 2027 as the winner of the 2026 Open.
How to watch the Prague Masters
In 2026, the official site had a live games page that linked to Lichess and chess.com. Lichess showed the Masters, the Challengers, the Futures and the Karel Janeček Open move by move. A video broadcast with commentary, hosted by GM Alojzije Jankovic and WGM Keti Tsatsalashvili, ran on YouTube, according to chess.com.
Prague is 4 hours 30 minutes behind India in February, so the 2026 rounds that started at 15:00 in Prague began at 7:30 PM in India. The 2027 round times are not out yet.
Visitors can also watch in person. In 2026, entry to the playing hall and the commentary studios was free. The venue, Hotel Don Giovanni, is at Vinohradská 2733/157a in Prague 3, near Želivského.
Prague Chess Festival FAQ
When is the Prague Chess Festival 2027?
The official site gives 16 to 26 February 2027 for the ninth edition, again at Hotel Don Giovanni in Prague. The organiser's closing report of 7 March 2026 had named 23 February to 5 March, and this page uses the newer date from the site.
Who won the Prague Masters 2026?
Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan won with 6/9, a point ahead of Parham Maghsoodloo, Aravindh Chithambaram and Jorden van Foreest. He was the only player in the Masters who did not lose a game, and he became the first player to win it twice.
Who won the Prague Masters 2025?
Aravindh Chithambaram of India won the 2025 Masters with 6/9, and R Praggnanandhaa scored 5/9 in the same field. Aravindh came back as the defending champion in 2026 and finished third with 5/9.
Who won the Prague Masters in 2024?
Nodirbek Abdusattorov won in 2024 with 6.5/9, the same score as Pentala Harikrishna in 2022 and the highest winning score in the Masters. Three Indian players were in that field: R Praggnanandhaa scored 5/9, D Gukesh 4.5/9 and Vidit Gujrathi 3/9.
Did Gukesh play the Prague Masters?
Yes, twice. D Gukesh scored 4.5/9 in 2024. He came back in 2026 as the world champion and finished ninth with 3.5/9. The organisers named him as their first Masters player for 2026 on 8 January 2026.
Where is the Prague Chess Festival held?
At Hotel Don Giovanni, Vinohradská 2733/157a, in Prague 3, near Želivského. The official site says that 2027 is the ninth year at the hotel. In 2026, visitors could enter the playing hall and the commentary studios free of charge.
How do players qualify for the Prague Masters?
The organisers invite most of the field. The Challengers winner moves up to the next Masters, and the winner of the Karel Janeček Open moves up to the next Challengers. For 2027, this puts Václav Finěk in the Masters and Krishnan Sasikiran in the Challengers.
Can amateurs play at the Prague Chess Festival?
Yes. The Karel Janeček Open has no age or rating limit, although the organiser can refuse an entry, and 354 players from 51 countries played it in 2026. There are also 10-player groups for players rated under 2000, plus rapid, blitz and variant events.
How can I watch the Prague Masters live?
In 2026, Lichess and chess.com showed the games move by move, and the official site linked to both. A video broadcast with commentary ran on YouTube. Rounds 1 to 8 started at 3 PM in Prague, which is 7:30 PM in India.
Which Indian players have won in Prague?
Pentala Harikrishna won the Masters in 2022 with 6.5/9, and Aravindh Chithambaram won it in 2025 with 6/9. In 2026, Krishnan Sasikiran won the Karel Janeček Open with 8/9, and Sarbartho Mani won the blitz tournament with 10/11.
Does the Prague Masters count for the FIDE Circuit?
Yes. The 2026 Masters counted for the FIDE Circuit 2026-27, and FIDE gave Abdusattorov 23.14 Circuit points for his win. The Circuit is one of the 4 paths to the 2028 Candidates Tournament and sends 2 players there.
Facts on this page were checked on 24 September 2026 against the official festival site, the Chess-Results tables of the 2026 Masters and Challengers, FIDE reports and news from chess.com and ChessBase.
