17-year-old Uzbek chess prodigy Mukhammadzokhid Suyarov crowned champion of Grenke Chess Open 2026

The Grenke Chess Open, held traditionally in the German city of Karlsruhe, is renowned for its unique format that brings together elite grandmasters and thousands of amateur players on a single platform. Competing in the "A" section under a classical time control – 90 minutes for the entire game plus a 30-second increment per move – Suyarov demonstrated remarkable composure and skill.

Ranked 2514 by FIDE at the start of the tournament, the young Uzbek representative finished the grueling nine-round event without a single defeat. He amassed a total of 8 points out of a possible 9, ultimately clinching first place on tiebreak indicators. In doing so, he outpaced several higher-rated Grandmasters to take home the winner’s trophy and a grand prize of 20,000 euros.

While Suyarov dominated the classical open, other prominent Uzbek Grandmasters tested their skills in the Grenke Freestyle Chess tournament, a competition based on the Chess 910 or "Fischer Random" format. In this category, Nodirbek Abdusattorov finished in 7th place with 7 points, followed by Nodirbek Yakubboev in 11th place and Shamsiddin Vokhidov in 18th place, both scoring 6.5 points. Afruza Khamdamova finished 80th in the standings. The freestyle event was won by Vincent Keymer, with Maxime Vachier–Lagrave and Magnus Carlsen taking second and third places, respectively.