The Sparkassen Chess Trophy 2026 kicks off on Saturday with the open tournaments and promises to be an event full of exciting stories. Whilst established grandmasters battle it out for the title in the A-Open, up-and-coming talents and in-form dark horses are keen to seize their chance. The field of participants combines experience, youthful ambition and a number of players whose current form is hard to predict. Here’s a look at six prominent players whose performances in Dortmund are particularly worth watching and who, given their different starting positions, could have a significant impact on the course of the tournament.

The Dortmund International Chess Days are delighted to have found a fitting partner: chessemy – The Big Greek Academy is sponsoring the ‘Game of the Day’ award every day during the tournament, in both the A Open and the B Open. This means that one game per day from each Open will be given special recognition.

The B-Open at the International Dortmund Chess Days has now also reached its capacity limit of 200 participants, and a waiting list is already in place.

As part of the International Dortmund Chess Days, the German Football Museum will once again host the blitz chess festival “Women Playmakers on the Chessboard” on Tuesday, 4 August 2026. Four international top players from the women’s tournament will face each other live in an exciting event at the heart of German football. Former German international footballer and chess enthusiast Marco Bode (photo "Schach macht Schlau!" Bremen) will be attending as a special guest.