General Information

Warsaw Chess Festival 2026

under the honorary auspices of

Rafał Trzaskowski – the President of the city of Warsaw

Tournaments:

VI Jan Macieja Memorial - blitz

(June, 26, 2026)

XXV Miguel Najdorf Memorial - classical chess

(June 27 – July 5, 2026)

General Information

1. Organizer: gen. Kazimierz Sosnkowski Chess Foundation.

2. Partners: Polish Chess Federation, Mazovian Chess Federation, LXII gen. Władysław Anders Sports Mastery Secondary School in Warsaw.

3. Financial support: Bureau of Sports and Recreation of the Municipality of Warsaw, Marshal's Office of the Mazovian Voivodeship, donators.

4. Festival Director: Maria Macieja

5. Chief Arbiters: contact:

- Jan Macieja Memorial – Tomasz Delega (IA)

- Miguel Najdorf Memorial – Paweł Suwarski (IA)

6. Website: https://www.poloniachess.pl/warsaw_chess_festival/turniej_2026/

7. Dates and venue:Sports hall at Konwiktorska 5/7, Warsaw, June 26 – July 5, 2026.

8. Schedule:

9. Prizes:Jan Macieja Memorial (prize fund 20.000 PLN)

Miguel Najdorf Memorial (prize fund 50.000 PLN)

Remarks regarding the prizes (Jan Macieja Memorial and Miguel Najdorf Memorial):

a) Prizes will be paid out in PLN

b) All prizes are shown before taxes, the income tax of 10% will be deducted, with the exception of prizes up to 2000 PLN, which are free of taxation, according to the Polish law.

c) Prizes are not shared.

d) Not more than 2 prizes can be given to a player. If he/she wins more prizes, he/she will receive two highest of them; if the values of the alternative prizes are equal, the player receives, if applicable, prizes in the following order:

I) for the overall place;

II) for the best junior (in the youngest of applicable age categories);

III) for the best senior born in 1965 or earlier;

IV) for the best woman;

V) in rating groups (the lowest applicable)

e) Special prizes will be awarded only if at least 3 players participate in the particular age or rating group.

f) Prizes not received personally at the closing ceremony of the Jan Macieja Memorial and Miguel Najdorf Memorial are forfeited.

10. Conditions of participation in the Festival (Jan Macieja Memorial and Miguel Najdorf Memorial):

a) Self-registration on the website https://www.poloniachess.pl/warsaw_chess_festival/turniej_2026/ or submitting an application to the e-mail address: not later than 12.06.2026.

b) Payment of the entry fee not later than 12.06.2026by transfer to the bank account:

Fundacja Szachowa im. gen. Kazimierza Sosnkowskiego,ul. Konwiktorska 6, 00-206 Warszawa,bank: PEKAO S.A. XV O/Warszawa

Account number: 95 1240 2887 1111 0010 0485 3355 (payments in PLN)
IBAN code: PL 95124028871111001004853355 (for foreign payments)

SWIFT code: PKO PPL PW

1. Entry fees are non-refundable.

2.  

3. Free entry to Jan Macieja Memorial and Miguel Najdorf Memorial for:

• - grandmasters

• - woman grandmasters

50% of the above entry fee is paid by:

• seniors born in 1961 and earlier;

• children younger than 18 y.o. from families, from which more than one child takes part in the festival

4.  

5. Entry fees include FIDE rating charges. All the tournaments will be presented to FIDE for rating.

6.  

c) Registration of players after the deadline, i.e. between 13.06 and 25.06.2026 and on 26.06.2026 before 15:00, will only be possible if free spots are available in the Festival, by submitting applications to the e-mail address . Entry fees for players registered after the 12.06.2026 deadline are increased by 100 PLN.

d) payments on the first day of the festival, i.e. on 26.06.2026, are only possible from 14:00 till 15:00. That is the last moment for submitting remarks regarding starting lists.

e) Players who don’t have FIN (FIDE Identification Namber.

• Foreign players must obtain a FIN from their national chess federation. The lack of a FIDE number or data enabling its assignment makes it impossible to participate in the Festival.

• The chess players from Poland must obtain a FIN from the Polish Chess Federation.

11. System and rules of play

Tie-break criteria calculated by arbiter programs: a) Buchholz cut-1, b) Buchholz, c) number of wins, d) progressive score, e) drawing of lots

Late arrival to the game - forfeit time: Blitz – all the time possessed by the player before its expiration; Open – 30 minutes.

Forfeit:A player who loses by forfeit will be excluded from the tournament unless he/she presents a satisfactory excuse before the end of the round.

Electronic devices: Blitz – can be possessed but switched off, Open – a player can have it switched off in a bag placed at the game table.

Open – random checks of players’ electronic devices are planned.

Blitz is played in accordance with Article B.3 of the Rules of Chess.

12. Hotel information.

1. Organizers' official hotel is Hotel IBIS Stare Miasto in Warsaw**** (ul. Muranowska 2, 300m from the playing venue).

Players invited by the organizers will be accommodated in Hotel IBIS Stare Miasto.

Regarding accommodation, please contact the Festival Director directly: Maria Macieja

b) Participants are free to choose any other accommodation.

13. Special conditions: (please contact the Festival Director: Maria Macieja ).

14. Visas:

a) A visa-purpose invitation can only be issued after the player pays his entry fee.

b) Requests regarding visa-purpose invitations should be sent to the Festival Director Maria Macieja

15. Insurance

Players take out their own insurance for the duration of the competition.

16. Privacy policy

a) The principles of the privacy policy in chess events organized by Gen. Kazimierz Sosnkowski Chess Foundation are posted on the Foundation website at: http://www.poloniachess.pl/fundacja_szachowa/polityka_prywatnosci/.

b) Each participant of the Warsaw Chess Festival is obliged to read the above-mentioned principles, which in practice means:
- consent to the processing of the player's personal data for the purposes of organizing and conducting the Warsaw Chess Festival;
- free use of the participant's image (including that of a competitor, accompanying person, fan) in promotional and informational materials related to the organization and conduct of the Warsaw Chess Festival.

17. Final statements

a) A player entering the Festival thereby accepts the provisions stated in this General Information.

b) In cases not covered by the present regulations, the final decision belongs to the Chief Arbiter (in competition-related matters) and the Festival Director (in organizational matters).

c) The final interpretation of this General Information belongs to the Chief Arbiter (in competition-related matters) and the Festival Director (in organizational matters).

Festival Director

/-/ Maria Macieja

Chief Arbiter of Jan Macieja Memorial

/-/ Tomasz Delega (IA)

Chief Arbiter of Miguel Najdorf Memorial

/-/ Paweł Suwarski (IA)