Craiova's 303-Player Rapid Tops Europe's September Fields

Of the 770 tournaments tracked across Europe in September, the largest was the Craiova Grand Prix Rapid 2026, with 303 players registered. It ran September 12 and 13 at the Hotel Ramada in Craiova, Romania, and was organized by the Romanian Chess Federation.

Second place went to Serbia. The Trofej Subotice 2026 rapid drew 281 players to the Narodno pozorište in Subotica on September 12. A second Trofej Subotice listing, a separate tournament page with 177 players, ranks eighth.

Third was the rapid event DSSAM 2026 in Würzburg, with 260 players over September 26 and 27 at the Kürnachtalhalle. The Deutscher Schachbund is the organizer.

Serbia returned in fourth place. The Trofej Novog Sada 2026 rapid on September 30 had 231 players at the small hall of SPENS in Novi Sad.

The biggest classical event came fifth. The 41st Open Ezkerraldea Basque Country in Spain, run by Sestao Xake Taldea from September 8 to 13, registered 219 players.

Lithuania’s open rapid championship took sixth with 212 players at the Jonava sports arena on September 5. Seventh was the Schweizer Rapidmeisterschaft 2026, a one-day event in Sursee with 193 players.

North Macedonia’s V Memorial Venci Popov in Gevgelija ranked ninth with 171 players on September 13. Seville’s Jornada de Ajedrez Los Bermejales followed with 167 on September 19.

Spanish events, several of them in Catalonia, filled much of the rest of the top 20. The IX Open de Puigpelat had 162 players, the XXXII Torneo Ciudad del Vino in Montilla 158, and the II Open Internacional Ciudad de Santurtzi 142. Sabadell’s XXII Diada Internacional d’Escacs Actius drew 123.

Germany’s 8. Bamberg Open A had 147 players over September 2 to 6. Naples hosted the 1st Festival Internazionale di Scacchi with 135 from September 18 to 20.

Two events tied at 130 players: Lithuania’s XIV rapid tournament in Pajūris and the Zagreb Open 2026, a classical event at the Globus congress hall that ran September 20 to 27.

The list closes with the Republika Srpska pensioners’ championship in Banja Vrućica, a rapid event with 125 players from September 14 to 16, and Slovakia’s 12th TZOB Bytča tournament with 122 on September 6.

Rapid dominated the ranking: 16 of the 20 entries were rapid events, and only four, Ezkerraldea, Bamberg, Naples and Zagreb, were classical.