The youngest grandmaster in Slovak history, two-time winner of the Skalica festival, and the man who drew with Magnus Carlsen. GM Jerguš Pecháč (ELO 2536) will fly the Slovak flag at the Chess Slovak Masters 2026 as the only home player in the elite field of ten.
He became a grandmaster at 14 and beat Abhimanyu Mishra — today the youngest grandmaster in history — in the final of the World U12 Championship. Ukrainian super-talent GM Ihor Samunenkov (ELO 2616) meets him over the board again after five years, at the Chess Slovak Masters 2026 in Skalica.
The last open seat in the closed Chess Slovak Masters 2026 goes to four-time Brazilian champion GM Alexandr Fier (ELO 2566). The elite field of ten is complete — players from four continents will meet in Skalica for the strongest chess tournament ever held in Slovakia.
An overview of hotels, guesthouses and apartments in Skalica and nearby for participants of the festival, 22–30 August 2026.
From 22 to 30 August 2026, the Art Nouveau House of Culture in Skalica comes alive with the eighth edition of the international chess festival Chess Slovak Open®. The 2026 edition is a jubilee one — it marks 70 years of organised chess in Skalica — and it brings the strongest starting field ever assembled…
He became a grandmaster at 12, breaking Sergey Karjakin’s record that had stood for almost two decades. GM Abhimanyu Mishra (USA, ELO 2638) — the youngest grandmaster in chess history — joins the elite field of the closed Chess Slovak Masters 2026 in Skalica.
A six-time Czech champion, Woman Grandmaster and freshly crowned 50+ team World Champion. WGM Olga Sikorová (rated 2205) is the top seed of the Queen Masters 2026 in Skalica.
A four-time Olympian and a fixture of Croatia’s top women. WFM Tihana Ivekovič (rated 2126) plays the closed women’s Queen Masters 2026 in Skalica.
A multiple Slovak champion and long-time international for the Skalica chess club. WIM Alena Mrvová (rated 2136) plays the closed women’s Queen Masters 2026 on home soil in Skalica.
In 2020 he won the Skalica Chess Festival as a 13-year-old boy. Today he is a grandmaster and a Tata Steel Challengers winner. At Chess Slovak Open® 2026, GM Leon Luke Mendonca returns home as a star of the closed Masters.
