The 2026 European Youth Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship concluded yesterday in Rzeszow, Poland!
The event gathered nearly 1000 players who competed over six age categories: U8, U10, U12, U14, U16 and U18, open and girls sections separately in both Rapid and Blitz competitions.
The first event on the schedule was European Youth Rapid Chess Championship 2026, which took place from 7-8 July.
After nine played rounds in Rapid Open U8 competition, Nikolas Bausys (LTU, 2058) emerged as the sole winner of the event with impressive score of 8.5/9 points. Demyan Voznyy (UKR, 1654) won silver with 7 points, while four players tied for third place score 6.5 points each, but Kyrylo Nerubatskyi (UKR, 1634) had the best tiebreaks to clinch the bronze medal.
Ukraine conquered the podium of the Girls U8 Rapid chess championship as Marta Kryvutska (UKR, 1501) triumphed in the event with outstanding 8.5/9 points, while Karolina Briukhovych (UKR, 1654) won silver medal with the score of 8 points. Ameliia Malakhova (UKR, 1444) completed the podium with the score of 6 points.
Oleksandr Savchuk (UKR, 2101) was victorious in Rapid Open U10 event with 7.5/9 points, and he finished a half-point ahead of group of six players who tied for second place scoring 7/9 points. Having best tie-break criteria, Matei-Andrei Badescu (ROU, 2118) won silver medal, and Tymofii Petrenko (UKR, 2125) came third.
Eliza-Ioana Badescu (ROU, 1780) won gold in the Rapid Girls U10 championship with 8.5/9 points, finishing a full point ahead of Sofia Baghramyan (ARM, 1479) who came second. Two players tied for bronze medal scoring 6.5 points each, but Nina Bos (POL, 1881) had better tiebreaks to clinch the medal.
FM Oleksii Nakonechnyi (POL, 2278) was victorious in the Open U12 Rapid event, with the score of 8/9 points. Chicheng Leon Chen (AUT, 1953) won silver with 7.5 points, while three players scored 7/9 points (each), tying for third place. Tomas Andre (SVK, 2172) had the best additional criteria and finished the event in the third place.
Ema Jaksa (SLO, 1879) emerged as the sole winner of the Girls U12 rapid championship with the final score of 8/9 points. She finished the event half a point ahead of Bao Anh Angelina Nguyen Doan (POL, 1911) and Maria Kinash (UKR, 1872) who tied for second place with 7/9 points each. Nguyen Doan won silver medal thanks to slightly better tiebreaks than Maria Kinash who clinched bronze.
Three Polish players climbed the podium in the Open U14 Rapid competition as FM Wiktor Golis (POL, 2322) clinched the trophy, while six players scored 7/9 points (each) to tie for second place. FM Oskar Chiszko (POL, 2214) came second thanks to the best tiebreak criteria, and FM Andrii Diachek (POL, 2181) won bronze.
Solomiia Svitenko (UKR, 1944) was victorious in the Girls U14 Rapid championship with the final score of 7.5 points, as two players trailed by half a point and tied for silver medal. Sara Maria Sunea (ROU, 1911) was second thanks to better tiebreaks, and Michalina Popczynska (POL, 1911) came third.
FM Maksym Pankiv (UKR, 2410) emerged as the Winner of the Open U16 Rapid championship with the score of 8/9 points, and a full-point edge over four players who tied for second place with 7/9 points (each). FM Peter Balint (AUT, 2308) won silver medal with the highest tiebreaks, and CM Filip Ochedzan (POL, 2122) followed, winning the bronze medal.
The medals in the Girls U16 Rapid competition were determined by tiebreaks, as three players finished the tournament on 7/9 points (each). According to the direct encounter tiebreak, Kira Izafatava (POL, 1874) won gold medal, Arya Aydogan (TUR, 2056) was second, and Gabriela Tokarz (POL, 2015) clinched bronze.
Similarly, in the Open U18 rapid championship, four players tied for the first place scoring 7/9 points, and the tiebreaks determined the winners. IM Krzysztof Raczek (POL, 2428) won gold thanks to the best tiebreak criteria, FM Maksym Dubnevych (UKR, 2446) clinched silver, Hubert Ratajczak (POL, 2243) came third, while FM Vache Hovakimyan (ARM, 2327) finished the event in the fourth place.
WFM Klara Szczotka (POL, 2009) was victorious in the Girls U18 rapid event with the score of 7.5 points. WFM Yevheniia Toroptseva (UKR, 2042) won silver with 7 points, and WIM Bozhena Piddubna (UKR, 2239) won bronze medal with the score of 6.5 points and better tiebreaks than WFM Anastasiya Obukhava (POL, 1985) who had the same score.
The European Youth Blitz Chess Championship 2026 then followed and took place on July 9 in the same venue. The event was played over six age categories: U8, U10, U12, U14, U16, and U18, open and girls sections separately, with nine double rounds in each section.
Nikolaos Bausys (LTU, 1885) stunned in the Open U8 Blitz championship, winning the gold medal with astonishing 18/18 points! Kyrylo Nerubatskyi (UKR, 1600) was second with 13.5 points, and Murat Bardakci (UKR, 1642) won bronze with 12.5 points.
Three Ukrainian medalists from Rapid U8 Championship again climbed the podium after the Blitz Championship, but this time, Karolina Briukhovych (UKR, 1601) won gold in the Girls U8 Blitz championship with the score of 16.5 points, Marta Kryvutska (UKR, 1539) clinched silver with 14 points, and Ameliia Malakhova (UKR, 1535) finished the event in the third place with 13.5 points.
Four players tied for gold medal in the Blitz Open U10 event scoring 14 points (each) and tiebreaks determined the winners. Myron Netrebka (UKR, 2043) won gold, Manvel Vardanyan (ARM, 1676) came second, Tymofii Petrenko (UKR, 2145) clinched bronze, while Jakub Lewczuk (POL, 1803) ended fourth.
Eliza-Ioana Badescu (ROU, 1682) emerged victorious in the Girls U10 Blitz competition with the score of 15 points. Nina Bos (POL, 1794) clinched silver with 13.5 points, and Sofia Bghramyan (ARM, 1576) won bronze with the score of 13 points.
FM Oleksii Nakonechnyi (POL, 2400) triumphed in the Open U12 Blitz tournament with the score of 16.5 points, finishing ahead of CM Andras Ilko-Toth (HUN, 2069) who won silver with 15 points. Daniil Shyhin (UKR, 2085) came third and won bronze with the score of 13.5 points.
Bao Anh Angelina Nguyen Doan (POL, 1768) emerged as the sole winner of the Girls U12 Blitz Chess Championship, scoring 15.5/18 points. She was two points ahead of Daria Kravchuk (UKR, 1950) who won silver medal with 13.5 points, while four players scored 12.5 points (each) to tie for the bronze. Having the best tiebreak criteria, Anna Horodna (UKR, 1871) came third.
Polish players won the medals in the Open U14 Blitz Championship. FM Wiktor Golis (POL, 2291) clinched gold with 14 points, and FM Antoni Radzimski (POL, 2213) won silver with 13.5 points and better tiebreaks than FM Oskar Chiszko (POL, 2304) who had the same score and claimed bronze.
WFM Hanna Owczarek (POL, 1792) won the Girls U14 Blitz Championship with 15 points, while six players scored 12.5 points tying for second place. WFM Sara Maria Sunea (ROU, 1826) finished second thanks to the best tiebreak criteria, and Solomiia Svitenko (UKR, 1838) won bronze medal.
FM Maksym Pankiv (UKR, 2315) and IM Pawel Sowinski (POL, 2355) tied for the first place in the Open U16 Blitz competition scoring 14.5 points each, but following the direct encounter tiebreak, FM Maksym Pankiv won gold medal and IM Pawel Sowinski clinched silver. Matvii Sobol (UKR, 2431) finished the event in the third place scoring 14 points.
Kira Izafatava (POL, 1935) and Gabriela Tokarz (POL, 1869) tied for gold in the Girls U16 Blitz Championship, scoring 14 points each, but according to direct encounter criteria, Kira Izafatava won gold and Gabriela Tokarz came second. Arya Aydogan (TUR, 2047) was third with the score of 13 points.
Kamil Warchol (POL, 2277) and FM Maksym Dubnevych (UKR, 2464) scored 13 points each to tie for the top of the Open U18 Blitz category. FM Kamil Warchol emerged as the winner of the event according to the direct encounter tiebreak, and FM Maksym Dubnevych finished second. Three players tied for bronze scoring 12.5 points each, but FM Cyprian Mulawa (POL, 2324) had the best tiebreaks to finish third.
WIM Bozhena Piddubna (UKR, 2193) triumphed in the Girls U18 Blitz Championship with the score of 15 points, finishing a full point ahead of WFM Emilia Sprzeczka (POL, 2011) who won silver with 14 points. Three players scored 11.5 points (each) to tie for the third place, but WFM Yevheniia Toroptseva (UKR, 2092) won bronze medal thanks to the best tiebreak criteria.
The Closing ceremony of the event took place yesterday evening, with the attendance of the President of the Polish Chess Federation Mr. Pawel Zaskalski, ECU Tournament Director Mr. Petr Pisk, Chief Arbiter of the event Mr. Aleksander Sokolski, players, winners, delegations, and distinguished guests.
All results and final rankings can be found through the official webpage of the event.
Photo gallery is available on the official website.