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56 nations, one game: World elite and packed halls in Karlsruhe
Rounds 4 and 5 of the grenke Chess Festival 2026 offered a blend of expected outcomes and surprising moments.
Carlsen drops his first half point
Magnus Carlsen conceded his first half point of the tournament, drawing against Amin Tabatabaei in Round 4. In Round 5, however, the Norwegian bounced back immediately, defeating Vokhidov.
One particularly remarkable moment came with the move 25. Qxf7!. At first glance, the pawn on f7 appears poisoned, as Black can respond with 25...Nxd4, launching a series of checks against the white king. But Carlsen had calculated everything precisely.
Keymer knows the position
Vincent Keymer provided one of the most interesting stories even before Round 4 began.
The drawn starting position 534 was already familiar to him: he had analyzed it last year in Weissenhaus. The setup was relatively simple — only the king and queen had been swapped.
His assessment was clear: “After 1. d4, Black is already worse. I was glad my opponent played 1. e4.”
A possible indication that preparation can still play a role, even in the Freestyle format.
Keymer and Niemann lead the field
Keymer won both of his games and now shares the lead with Hans Niemann as the only players with a perfect 5/5 score.
A particularly intriguing storyline is developing: a direct clash between Carlsen and Niemann is becoming increasingly likely — just days before the release of the Netflix documentary “Untold”, which explores the controversy between the two.
Hans Niemann (photo: Ivica Müller)
Classical A Open
In the Classical A Open, two players also remain perfect: China’s Tong Xiao and Bundesliga player Abhijeet Gupta (Deizisau).
They are followed by a group of 26 players on 4.5 points.
56 nations at the board
A key aspect of the festival is the unifying nature of chess. The grenke Chess Festival has long established itself as an international meeting point for the global chess community.
Players from 56 nations are participating. After Germany, the largest delegations come from Switzerland and France. At the same time, the diversity extends much further — from Australia to Madagascar, the Philippines, and Syria.
The organizers were particularly pleased to welcome children from the Lviv Chess School in Ukraine. For them, the tournament became a special experience beyond the board as well: among other things, they had the chance to collect autographs from Ukrainian world champion Mariya Muzychuk.
Venue close to capacity
A look behind the scenes highlights the scale of interest in the event. Hanna Marie Klek, currently ranked No. 3 among German women and a key member of the organizing team, reported:
“Yesterday morning, we had only two unoccupied boards left in the entire congress center.”
Conclusion
Rounds 4 and 5 once again reflect the unique character of the grenke Chess Festival: world-class chess, international participation, and countless meaningful encounters and memories. ♟️
the magic of chess (photo: Darius Gorzinski)
Impressions Day 2
“Together”: World elite holds firm on a dramatic Good Friday
Rounds 2 and 3 of the grenke Chess Festival 2026 on Good Friday had everything that defines this event.
Right from the start, the tone was set: “Zusammen” (Together) by Die Fantastischen Vier played during the opening — a fitting symbol for the spirit of the festival. Thousands of players, spectators and participants — from all age groups, from all over the world — united by their shared passion for chess.
Round 2: First a selfie, then resistance
Michael Rütten, a member of the arbiter team, drew the starting position for the Freestyle competition: 247.
Top favorite Magnus Carlsen faced WGM Alua Nurman from Kasachstan. Before the game, she took the opportunity to snap a selfie with Carlsen, who gladly joined in. Afterwards, she had to hand over her phone to Michael Rütten at Carlsen’s request.
On site, commentator Klaus Bischoff was impressed by the underdog’s performance, as she held her ground for a long time. In the end, however, the world’s best player prevailed as expected.
Round 3: Dramatic finish for Keymer
In Round 3, starting position 53 was drawn. The favorites at the top — Magnus Carlsen, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Hans Niemann — all held their ground and won their games convincingly.
Nepomniachtchi played his game against experienced Dutch grandmaster Loek van Wely at near-blitz speed.
The most spectacular game, however, was between Vincent Keymer and Georg Meier.
For a long time, the game seemed headed for a draw. Meier, a long-time member of the German national team, had the position under control and appeared to be safely steering it towards a draw. Keymer, meanwhile, played the final 30 moves almost entirely on increment, with his clock close to running out.
In the livestream, his coach Peter Leko commented: “I’m very worried.”
Then the game suddenly turned. With 62. Bd8, Keymer penetrated Meier’s position. Shortly after, the old saying proved true: the second-to-last mistake decides the game.
After 70...Kh6??, Keymer found a mate in four and won the dramatic time scramble.
Classical A Open
There were also major surprises in Round 2 of the Classical A Open.
Top seed Pavel Eljanov was held to a draw by his compatriot FM Stepan Mohylnyi (2193 Elo).
Second seed Aleksandar Indjic even lost to Swiss player Fabian Frey (2227 Elo).
After three rounds, 46 players still have a perfect score of 3/3.
Encounters beyond the board
The grenke Chess Festival is not only about the games — but also about the encounters.
At 6 pm, The Big Greek (IM Georgios Souleidis) drew a large crowd at the Chess Tigers stand, engaging with participants and fans.
But it didn’t stop there: many top players also took time for their fans. Whether Hans Niemann, Magnus Carlsen or Ian Nepomniachtchi — they were all present, signing autographs, taking selfies and interacting with the audience.
World-class chess is not only played here — it is made tangible.
Conclusion
Rounds 2 and 3 once again showed what makes the grenke Chess Festival so special:
closeness and world-class chess, excitement and community.
Or, as the opening song puts it:
Together. ♟️
photos: Ivica Müller