5th International Chess Festival “Cēsis” to Begin
On Tuesday, June 16, the largest chess event in Latvia in 2026 – the 5th International Chess Festival “Cēsis” – will get underway in Cēsis. Over six days, nine tournaments will take place across various locations in the city, bringing together beginners, young talents, Latvia’s leading chess players, and international masters.
The festival opens on June 16 with the girls’ tournament “Go Girl!”. From June 17 to 19, the newly opened Konrāds Quarter will host the classical chess tournament “Draugiem Group Open”, featuring some of Latvia’s strongest players alongside international competitors.
At the same time, beginner tournaments will take place in the event tents at Rose Square, while on June 20 and 21 Maija Park will become the festival’s central venue. It will host the traditional “Signet Bank Challenge” in rapid and blitz chess. Also on June 20, spectators and players can enjoy the entertaining Dice Chess tournament, which combines classical chess with dice rolls, creating unexpected twists and turns throughout the games.
The festival will conclude on the evening of June 21 with one of its most popular traditions – the Swedish Chess Team Tournament, an informal and exciting event that annually attracts both experienced players and enthusiastic amateurs.
This year’s festival will welcome grandmasters from India, Serbia, Sweden, and Lithuania, as well as many of Latvia’s leading players, including grandmasters Edvīns Ķeņģis, Normunds Miezis, Zigurds Lanka, and Ilmārs Starostīts, together with women’s grandmasters Ilze Bērziņa and Anda Šafranska. The participant list will also include prize-winners of Latvia’s youth championships.
In addition to the competitive programme, the festival will offer a special event for the wider public – a simultaneous exhibition by FIDE Master Miķelis Vingris. Visitors will have the opportunity to test their skills against the young yet experienced player, who will take on 20 opponents at the same time. The exhibition will be held on June 16 at 6:00 PM in Rose Square and is open to both local residents and visitors.
Over the past five years, the International Chess Festival “Cēsis” has established itself as one of the most important chess events in the Baltic region, combining sporting excellence, youth development, and public engagement with intellectual sport.
Festival Director Jānis Vingris believes the event has earned widespread recognition across the Baltics:
“We are delighted that Cēsis attracts not only regular members of the chess community but also enthusiasts who have played chess only at home or online and have never taken part in an over-the-board tournament. Every year, the number of such players continues to grow.”
Jānis Palkavnieks, spokesperson for Draugiem Group, adds:
“Chess is both an elite sport and a game for everyone. Almost all of us have played it at least once in our lives or have tried to, and we admire grandmasters for their ability to think, make decisions, and act. Draugiem Group has supported this international festival from the very beginning because we, too, looked forward to the moment when children, amateurs, and professionals would gather around chessboards in the heart of the renewed city centre of Cēsis – Konrāds Quarter – and when world-class grandmasters would come to visit. Chess will not end when the festival week is over. Chess tables will remain available at Konrāda Kafe throughout the year, and we look forward to seeing the people of Cēsis making chess part of their everyday lives.”
Published15/06/2026
Jānis Palkavnieks