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Editor: Dr Tim Harding |
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Editor: Dr Tim Harding |
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© Dr Tim Harding
Last modified:
17 September 2026
For more information about chess for over-50s, please see our Seniors news and Seniors introduction pages.
The details of the Cracovia 2027 festival (which starts just after Christmas) have been released at last - but unfortunately the English-language information has only been partially updated from the previous version. We hope they fix that soon. See below for dates and links.
Other recent additions to this calendar include the Franconian seniors (55+) at Bischofsgrün in June, for which there is a web page with details in English. We also now have an English-language version of the information about the Chess Classics Bad Neuenahr (which includes a 75+ tournament) in late May next year.
The dates of some other tournaments in Germany in the summer of 2027 have also reached us, but in many cases details are lacking as yet. A couple of these are not even in the German federation's own calendar yet.
There is still time to enter Kilkenny (in November), an Irish weekend congress that is always popular with overseas (especially French) visitors. It usually has several GMs and other titled players in its Open section. This is the second time they have included a seniors event in their programme, which this year will be 60+ (for players born in 1966 or earlier).
Players from abroad who are new to senior chess should note that it is usually necessary to have a FIDE registration from your home country before entering events listed on this page. If you don't have one, contact your local federation.
We concentrate here on European tournaments, but may sometimes mention major events on other continents. As always, we check the German Federation Senior tournaments calendar regularly. Wolfgang Cleve-Prinz is now named as the editor of that. We also regularly search on chess-results.com and we sometimes find a few events (mostly in Austria) which we add below if relevant.
There is another German senior calendar and news page at the Schach50plus website that you may find useful.
Newly announced events are added to this page when we find out about them. We know that these pages are widely read but we rely on readers and friends to notify us of many events. Tournament organisers rarely send us announcements in good time.
Please inform us if you know of an international senior tournament that is not mentioned. In our calendar we include only those tournaments which are described as Open and FIDE-rated. In most cases we omit events restricted to players from one country or which are played over an extended period so are unsuitable for overseas visitors.
The qualifying birth years for the two FIDE age groups in 2026 are 1976 for 50+ tournaments, 1961 (for 65+ events) and also 1951 for "Nestor" (75+) events and prizes. Our Seniors introduction page explains in more detail.
German senior tournament age limits vary a lot, so always check your eligibility if you are thinking of going. For tournaments run on FIDE Senior rules, you do not have to wait for your birthday; you are qualified from 1 January in the year in which you reach the qualifying age.
Note that German tournaments usually start with an afternoon round (to allow for personal registration of players arriving on the day or the previous evening), after which the remaining rounds start after breakfast. Also some events have limited numbers because of venue capacity and can book out early, so don't book travel until your entry is confirmed.
14-20 September: The German senior team championships (50+ and 65+) for the states (Lands) in Bad Soden/Salmünster. It can doubtless be followed on chess-results and the DSB website but we shall not be reporting.
24 September-2 October: The 20th Open Senior Championship of Schleswig-Holstein at Büsum. No further details as yet.
1-10 October: The ACO Seniors "World Championship" (50+) at the 5* Fodele Beach Resort in Crete. Separate sections according to rating. Strictly holiday events; not FIDE rated and not genuine "world championships". Details on the organisers' website.
3-11 October: The 48th Città di Arco chess festival in north Italy includes the Arco Seniors (B section, 65+) alongside an Open (A section). Nine rounds with afternoon play except on the last day. Details in multingual PDF. There is now a chess-results page but it seems some 65+ entries prefer to play the Open tournament.
5-8 and 12-14 October: There is an unusual schedule for the 14th Willi Knebel Memorial at Gelsenkirchen (men 60+, women 55+) which probably won't suit overseas visitors unless they want to do some touring or other activities during the weekend break following round 4. Details (PDF in German).
12-18 October: The increasingly popular Lower Austrian Seniors at the Gasthof Goldenes Schiff in scenic Spitz an der Donau, right by the Danube river in the wine-growing Wachau region of Austria, organised by schach50plus. This is a 60+ tournament with one prize for the best Nestor (born 1951 or earlier). Details (PDF in German). This will be played over seven rounds starting at 9am (ouch!), except in round one, to leave the rest of the day free for hiking and drinking. A chess-results page shows who has entered so far. We are told the transfer from Vienna airport is easy by train and bus.
20-28 October: The 34th annual Saxon Seniors at Gasthof Coschütz, Dresden, is finally announced. There will be separate 50+ and 65+ sections so long as the entries for each reach 20 players. Over 9 rounds with morning play except in round one. Details (PDF in german). Dresden is, of course, a marvellous place to visit with plenty to see and do. The venue is not central but the city has an extensive tram network. Details (PDF in German).
24 October-1 November: The English Seniors Championships (50+ and 65+) will be held on these dates, alongside the main English Championships, at the Holiday Inn Peterborough West. For details see the ECF website. Unlike the British Championships in August, these tournaments are only for ENG-registered players.
24 October-1 November: The Hamburg Seniors Championships is mentioned on the German calendar but with no further information.
2-10 November: The 2nd Senioren im Spessartfestival (50+, 65+ and 75) at the Spessart Forum at Bad Soden-Salmünster, organised again by the Förderkreis der Senioren im DSB. Nine rounds instead of the seven played in 2025, with half-point byes allowed in rounds 2-5. We do not have a PDF for this event yet but we have scanned the leaflet we brought home, page 1 and page 2 (JPEG format in German).
2-15 November: The World Senior (individual) Championships (50+ and 65+) at Vrnjacka Banja, Serbia. This spa town was the venue for many international chess tournaments played in the old Yugoslavia in the 20th century. The details are available (PDF in English). Round 1 is on 3 November and the 8th is a rest day with a side event for those who want more chess. There are three prizes for the best players 75+ in the Open and one for the best woman 75+.
7-14 November: The 2026 Open Cap Negret (50+ and 65+) at the Hotel Cap Negret, Altea, Spain, over nine rounds. Most games start at 4.30pm but rounds 1, 2 and 9 start at 10am. Revised Tournament Rules (PDF in English). There is a large entry of widely varying strength. Here are links to the tournament website and entry lists on chess-results.
We have received many recommendations about this event from previous participants and have entered. Rounds 1,2 and 9 are in the morning while most start at 4.30pm. There are two rounds on November 8th but half-point byes may be requested in advance for up to three rounds. Accommodation must be booked separately with the hotel. The nearest airport is Alicante and express shuttle transfers with Beniconnect can be booked online.
20-22 November: Senior (60+) tournament at the ever-popular Kilkenny Chess Congress in Ireland's oldest inland town. Said to be a very sociable event where the play tends to be secondary for many competitors. Five rounds, FIDE-rated. Byes possible. Details including an entry form (in MS Word format) are available on the Irish Chess Union website.
25 November-3 December: 26th Open Senior Championship of Mecklenburg-Vorpommen at the Hotel Kaiserhof in Heringsdorf. This annual event was held there for the first time in 2025. Details (PDF in German). For women born in 1971 or earlier, men born 1966 or earlier. Nestoren, women's and rating prizes also.
26 November-4 December: The First Binz Senior Winter on the Baltic island of Rügen, organised by Wolfgang Fiedler. This is a 9-round 50+ tournament. Full details (PDF in German) and link to the Congress website.
** 6-12 December: Open Senior Championship of North Rhine-Westphalia (50+ and 65+, 7 rounds) at Oer-Erkenschwick. You can now download a more complete details document (PDF in German) which shows that rounds 1-6 will start at 1330h and the final round 7 at 10am. There will also be a blitz tournament on 5th December.
**6-13 December: We have been sent details of a senior (50+) tournament as part of a chess festival in Rome but the information PDF is only in Italian. See also their website.
** 20-24 December: The festival (including a small senior tournament) previously held just after Christmas in Groningen in the north-east of the Netherlands, is being held earlier this year. Details on the official website. Playing hours are from 16.00-21.00h except for the last day which are10.00-15.00h. Evidently this event will only be of interest to locals or other players intending to spend Christmas in the area.
** 26 December-4 January 2027: The Cravovia 2027 festival (including a seniors tournament) at the Hotel Galaxy, Krakow, Poland, where the 2024 World Senior Team Championships were held. We recommend this hotel but alternative accommodation is also available nearby. There is currently a problem with the organisers' website. The English-language PDF available there has only been partially updated from last time so for the time being we post the Polish PDF where you can see the correct information in the panel top right.
10-14 January: The European Senior Rapid and Blitz Championships in Monaco. Official website and regulations document (PDF in English). See also our news page.
16-23 January: The Marienbad Congress at the Continental Hotel, Marianske Lazne, Czech Republic, includes a 50+ Seniors event as usual; see the regulations (web page in English).
15-19 February: The Brandenburg State Open Senior Championship at Trebbin. For men 60+ (i.e., born 1967 or earlier) and women 55+. No further details as yet.
21-27 February: The 4th Thuringian Senior Open (50+ and 65+) in historic Weimar. Details (PDF in German).
5-13 March: The Bad Wörishofen congress in Bavaria including a Seniors event (60+?); details are available as a PDF in German or the organisers' web page in English.
16-24 March: The 5th Nestorenturnier (for players aged 75+) at Undeloh, south of Hamburg on the Luneburger Heide, north Germany. No further details as yet.
** 31 March-11 April: The World Senior Team Championships (50+ and 65+) at Magdeburg, Germany. STILL NOT CONFIRMED BY FIDE. See our news page. That spread of dates looks long for a 9-round tournament with one rest day, so we expect there will eventually be a slight adjustment.
** 23 April-3 May: The ECU originally announced 14-24 May as the dates for the European Senior Team Championships (50+ and 65+) at Acqui Terme, Italy. The new dates are even closer to the World event above and surely must be changed eventually, as happened in 2026.
The E.C.U. also announced that its Individual Senior Championships will be held in Chotowa, Poland, during July but there are still no precise dates stated.
** 19-27 May: The Chess Classics Bad Neuenahr 2027 will again be played in three sections (50+, 65+ and 75+) over nine rounds, organised by the Förderkreis der Senioren im DSB at the Steigenberger Kurhaus, restored after the terrible floods of a few years ago. Full details (PDF) can be downloaded here either in English or in German. Bad Neuenahr is near the Rhine south of Bonn; the closest railway station is Remagen.
** 5-13 June: The Bavarian Open Senior Championship: the dates just notified to us but we have no further details. Maybe this is the 2027 edition of the Am Tegernsee event usually held in the Spring at Rottach-Egern, but we are not sure about that.
** 18-26 June: The 44th Senior Open Chess Championship of Franconia, a 55+ event organised by ChessOrg at Bishofsgrün, Bavaria. Details and registration on their website (page in English).
** 25 June-3 July: The 12th Senior Open Chess Championship of Baden-Württemberg at Bad Herrenalb. The German calendar shows these dates but no further details as yet.
** 12-18 July: The 35th Senior Open Chess Championship of Sachsen-Anhalt at Magdeburg. The German calendar shows these dates but no further details as yet.
The German calendar also shows the dates for the German individual senior championships (23 July-1 August) but no decision on venue yet.
** 10-18 August: The German calendar shows these dates for the 24th Rhineland-Pfalz Senior Open but no further details as yet. The 2026 edition was held at Altenkirchen.
** 30 August-7 September: 33rd Bad Bertricher Schachtage (50+) at Bad Bertrich in the Rheinland-Palatinate region of Germany. These dates were just announced this week at the end of the 2026 edition. Thanks to Tim Spanton for the info.
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