The 2026 European Senior Team Chess Championship 2026 starts tomorrow in Hersonissos, Crete, Greece! The event will be played from 27 August – 4 September at the ****Hotel Royal Belvedere Hersonissos.
The event gathers 32 teams represented by 150 players competing in two age categories: 50+ and 65+. Each tournament will be played in 9 rounds, swiss system, with the classical time control, and each field includes legendary Grandmasters.
The top seeded teams in the Open 50+ section are: England 1 (average rating of players 2419), Italy (average rating of players 2413), and Slovakia (average rating of players 2313). The Open 65+ section starting list is headlined by Slovenia (average rating of players 2350), England 1 (average rating of players 2345) and Italy (average rating of players 2293).
The top rated players of open 50+ competition are: GM Stuart Conquest (2506, England 1), GM Alberto Davic (2457, Italy), GM Michele Godena (2446, Italy), GM John Emms (2427, England 1), IM Jeroen Bosch (2415, Netherlands), GM Lubomir Ftacnik (2408, Slovakia), GM Daniel Gormally (2397, England 1).
In the Open 65+ section, the top rated players are: GM John Nunn (2512, England 1), GM Alexander Beliavsky (2416, Slovenia), GM Adrian Mikhalchishin (2415, Slovenia), GM Carlos Horacio Garcia Palermo (2396, Italy), GM Anthony Kosten (2378, England 1), and GM Lexy Ortega (2337, Italy).
The complete starting list of players and teams can be found here.
Detailed information about the event, schedule, and tournament regulations can be found here.