Following the men’s Chess Slovak Masters, its women’s counterpart now has a complete field too. Ten players from six countries will line up in the closed Queen Masters 2026 — three Woman Grandmasters (WGM), two Woman International Masters (WIM) and five Woman FIDE Masters (WFM). The average rating of the field is 2173 and the tournament category allows players to score a WIM norm. Play runs from 22 to 30 August 2026 at the House of Culture in Skalica.
Ukrainian strength at the top
The top seed is WGM Anastasiya Rakhmangulova (Ukraine, ELO 2321) — the only player in the field above 2300, who earned her WGM title in 2023 and her WIM title back in 2012. Ukraine is also represented by the experienced WGM Evgeniya Doluhanova (2210), a WGM since 2006. These two names raise the bar for the whole event.
The Czech trio
Czechia sends the largest contingent. WGM Olga Sikorová (2205), a six-time Czech champion, is among the most experienced players in the field. She is joined by WIM Nataša Richterová (2204) and WFM Anna Lhotská (2149) — a trio that promises a lively neighbourly derby with the Slovak players.
From India, Greece and Croatia
The international flavour comes from WFM Sunyuktha C M N of India (2148), who earned her WFM title in 2025, Greek international WFM Haritomeni Markantonaki (2113) and Croatia’s WFM Tihana Ivekovic (2139), who already played in Skalica at last year’s festival.
Home colours: Mrvová and Walter
Slovakia will have two representatives. WIM Alena Mrvová (2136) is the home star of the event — a player of ŠK Skalica, a multiple Slovak champion and eight-time Olympiad player who will literally play in front of her home crowd. The second Slovak is young WFM Ema Walter (2105, born 2003), a WFM since 2023, for whom the Queen Masters is a chance to fight for a first WIM norm.
The complete Queen Masters 2026 field
ELO per the August FIDE rating list:
| # | Player | Country | ELO |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WGM Anastasiya Rakhmangulova | Ukraine | 2321 |
| 2 | WGM Evgeniya Doluhanova | Ukraine | 2210 |
| 3 | WGM Olga Sikorová | Czechia | 2205 |
| 4 | WIM Nataša Richterová | Czechia | 2204 |
| 5 | WFM Anna Lhotská | Czechia | 2149 |
| 6 | WFM Sunyuktha C M N | India | 2148 |
| 7 | WFM Tihana Ivekovic | Croatia | 2139 |
| 8 | WIM Alena Mrvová | Slovakia | 2136 |
| 9 | WFM Haritomeni Markantonaki | Greece | 2113 |
| 10 | WFM Ema Walter | Slovakia | 2105 |
Format, norms and broadcast
The Queen Masters is a nine-round round-robin — everyone plays everyone — with a classical time control of 90 minutes for 40 moves + 30 minutes, with a 30-second increment per move. The prize fund is €1,500. All games will be broadcast live with commentary by festival ambassador GM Sergei Movsesian. Pairings and results are on chess-results.com, player profiles on the Queen Masters page.
Chess Slovak Open® 2026 — information and registration
The international chess festival Chess Slovak Open® 2026 takes place 22–30 August 2026 at the House of Culture in Skalica. The festival’s total prize fund is €15,000. Alongside the closed Chess Slovak Masters (ten grandmasters, average ELO 2603) and the Queen Masters, the programme includes the open tournaments Open A (FIDE 2000+) and Open B for everyone — in the same hall, a few metres from the elite. The last spots are still available.
Registration for Chess Slovak Open® 2026 is open at chessslovakopen.sk/registration-2026.