The 21st International Chess Festival “Aeroflot Open 2026” officially commenced Friday in Moscow with an opening ceremony at the Central Chess Club named after Mikhail Botvinnik, marking a significant milestone for the annual tournament.
The event began with a performance by pianist Ivan Bessonov, recognized as the first Russian winner of the Eurovision Musicians competition and a laureate of the Sergei Rachmaninov International Competition. Following the musical performance, attendees heard remarks from Andrey Chikhanchin, First Deputy CEO for Commerce and Finance of Aeroflot. Anatoly Karpov, many-time world champion and State Duma deputy, who also serves as Honorary President of the Chess Federation of Russia; Andrey Filatov, President of the Chess Federation of Russia; and Alexander Tkachev, Executive Director of the Chess Federation of Russia.
A commemorative photo album, “Aeroflot Open — 20 Years. A runway into the sky of world chess,” was presented during the ceremony. The album was created by the Chess Federation of Russia with support from Aeroflot, documenting two decades of the tournament’s history.
The drawing of lots for the tournament pairings was conducted by Chief Arbiter IA Vladimir Staratorzhskiy, employing a unique method mirroring an Armageddon chess game between Grandmasters Andrey Esipenko and Evgeniy Najer. Esipenko emerged victorious, and, in accordance with the established procedure, designated black as the color for the tournament’s rating favorite. This means players with odd numbers will play as Black in the first round.
The national anthem of the Russian Federation followed the drawing of lots. Round one of the “Aeroflot Open 2026” is scheduled to begin Saturday, February 28, at 5 PM Moscow time. The competition will be held at The Carlton, Moscow.
The Aeroflot Open International Chess Tournament is organized jointly by the Chess Federation of Russia and the Ministry of Sport of the Russian Federation, with sponsorship from Aeroflot. Odnoklassniki is serving as the tournament’s media partner. The tournament is part of the 2026-2027 FIDE Circuit, and offers a total prize pool of 18,150,000₽ (approximately $236,090 USD).