59th Biel Chess Festival 2026 Day 2: Levon Aronian Goes On a Rampage
After the 1st day of Chess960, the real action began at Biel. On the 2nd day, the action kicks off with the highly anticipated Triathlon. It featured Rapid games in both the Masters and the Generations Challenge. Levon Aronian dominated the field with 9 points. Levon drew his 1st game against Suleymanli and won 4 consecutive games to gain a clear 3-point lead. In the Generations Challenge, Finek Vaclav ended the day on top with 8 points. Photo: Biel Chess Festival
The Master-Class
Aronian started his campaign with a solid draw against Azerbaijan’s Aydin Suleymanli, who entered the field as a late replacement for Nodirbek Yakubboev. Once that warm-up was done, Aronian switched gears entirely. He went on an absolute rampage, scoring four consecutive victories to finish the rapid with an unbeaten 9/10.
Masters
Levon Aronian dominated the Masters. He was unstoppable and won 4 in a row to finish his day after drawing against Aydin Suleymanli. Suleymanli finished in 2nd place with 6/10 points. Matthias Bluebaum, Jose Martinez, and Liem Le Quang are on 4/10 points, and Yagiz Kaan is at the bottom after a tough day at Rapid.
Replay Masters Game
Generations Challenge: 16-Year-Old Václav Finek Leads
The tournament is living up to its name perfectly as 16-year-old Czech talent Václav Finek has taken the sole lead! Along with China’s Xiao, Finek remained completely unbeaten throughout the day to score 8 points. Xiao and Materia Marco are on 7/10 points. For R Vaishali, it was a terrible day as he drew 1 game and lost the remaining 4.
Replay Generations Challenge Games
Adam Kozak takes the Biel Rapid Open; Lu Miaoyi Shines
Simultaneously, the Congress Centre was buzzing with the Biel Rapid Open, which saw a massive turnout of 168 players playing over 9 grueling rounds. At the end of the day, three players were tied at the top with an impressive 7.5/9. Thanks to a superior tie-break score, Hungarian Grandmaster Adam Kozak was crowned the champion, followed by China’s veteran GM Bu Xiangzhi and Greece’s GM Dimitris Alexakis.
Final Ranking after 9 Rounds
Rk. | SNo | Name | Typ | Gr | FED | RtgI | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | TB4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | GM | HUN | 2592 | 7,5 | 1 | 9 | 50,5 | 44,75 | |||
2 | 3 | GM | CHN | 2583 | 7,5 | 2 | 9 | 51,5 | 44,75 | |||
3 | 6 | GM | GRE | 2518 | 7,5 | 3 | 9 | 50,5 | 44,25 | |||
4 | 10 | GM | IND | 2471 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 49,5 | 40,5 | |||
5 | 12 | IM | U16 | GER | 2332 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 48,5 | 39 | ||
6 | 38 | U16 | CHN | 2082 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 48 | 38,25 | |||
7 | 9 | GM | HUN | 2474 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 47 | 37,5 | |||
8 | 7 | IM | IND | 2482 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 46,5 | 37,25 | |||
9 | 15 | IM | U16 | CHN | 2309 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 46 | 38,5 | ||
10 | 11 | GM | IND | 2390 | 6,5 | 0 | 9 | 50 | 35,5 |
What’s Next? Watches, Classical War, and Free Style Chess!
The players in the Masters and Generations Challenge now get a well-deserved rest day on Monday. But it’s not just about sitting in hotel rooms—they are going on a very cool excursion to visit the iconic Omega production facility and museum in Biel! A perfect way to unwind before the intense, high-stakes classical matches begin on Tuesday.
But the chess action at the Congress Centre doesn’t stop. Monday marks the start of two massive open events:
The Masters Open Tournament (MTO): The premier open event for players rated above 1900 Elo, featuring over a hundred hungry players and two dozen titled masters across 10 rounds.
The Free Style Chess Tournament (FSC): A brand new addition to Biel! This is a 7-round Chess960 (Fischer Random) tournament with a 60+30 time control. It's going to be wild, creative, and highly unpredictable!
Photo Gallery: Here
Video Gallery: Here
Live Stream
The Main Event: Masters Triathlon
The flagship Grandmasters Triathlon features a 6-player field balancing legendary experience with fearless youth.
The Generations Challenge
The Challengers group also boasts a very interesting field - they will follow the same format as the Masters triathlon. The only Indian in the GMT this year is none other than the reigning FIDE Women's Candidates Winner and World Championship Challenger, R. Vaishali!
Format
The Scoring System
Survival in the Triathlon requires mastering every speed. The points are weighted heavily to reward classical chess fightbacks:
Classical: Win = 4 points | Draw = 1½ points | Loss = 0 points
Rapid: Win = 2 points | Draw = 1 point | Loss = 0 points
Blitz: Win = 1 point | Draw = ½ point | Loss = 0 points
Schedule
Venue: Biel Congress Center (Kongresshaus)
A Festival for the Masses
Biel isn't just for the world elite. It remains one of the premier chess holiday destinations because amateurs share the playing hall with Grandmasters.
Masters Open (MTO): A high-stakes, 10-round Swiss event for players rated 1900+ looking for international norms and title norms.
Amateur Open (ATO): A highly competitive 9-round Swiss for players under 2000 Elo, featuring a generous 5,000 CHF total prize fund.
One-Day Tournaments: For visitors looking for quick action, the schedule features the standalone Swiss Rapid Fischer Random (Chess960) Championship, a full-day Rapid Open, an intense Blitz Open, and a Chess Solving Competition.
Important Links
Biel Chess Festival: Official Site, Playing Schedule, Regulations
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