Back to all events

2026 Saint Louis Masters

Feb 24, 2026 - Mar 2, 2026

Event Details

Feb 24, 2026 - Mar 2, 2026

Saint Louis Chess Club

The Saint Louis Chess Club is pleased to invite you to participate in the 2026 Saint Louis Masters, February 24-March 2, at the Club’s newly renovated tournament venue. The purpose of this 9-round Swiss System Invitational tournament is to provide internationally titled and up-and-coming titled chess players an opportunity to compete in a prestigious tournament against a high level of competition along with a substantial prize fund of $100,000.

About the Tournament:

Tournament Dates: February 24-March 2, 2026 (Arrival-Departure); Play begins on February 25 and concludes on March 1.
Location: Saint Louis Chess Chess Club, 4663 Maryland Avenue, Saint Louis, Missouri
Prize Fund: $100,000
Time Control: 90 minutes per game with a 30-second increment from move one
Invitation Criteria:
Players must play at least 9 games
Players must meet the required mix of opponents; FIDE titles, Federations, and Rating.
The Field must meet the requirements of 1.4.3 subsection d – Swiss System tournaments in which participants include in every round at least 20 FIDE rated players, not from the host federation, from at least 3 different federations, at least 10 of whom hold GM, IM, WGM or WIM titles. (Players who can be counted must only miss one round (excluding pairing allocated byes).
A maximum of ⅗ of the opponents may come from the applicant’s federation and a maximum of ⅔ of the opponents from one federation.
Titles of opponents must meet the requirements of 1.4.5 subsections a-e.
Rating of opponents must meet the requirements of 1.4.6 subsections a-d.
Rating average of opponents must meet the requirements of 1.4.7 subsections a-b.
Performance Rating must meet the requirements of 1.4.8 for the specific title being sought.
None of these requirements guarantee the awarding of norms for players for this event.