Dear Players,

following the success of the FIDE World Senior Individual Chess Championships 2025 (www.worldseniorchampionship2025.com) which saw the participation of 440 players from all over the world, chess returns to the forefront in Italy, in Salento in Gallipoli (Lecce).

We are pleased to announce that the 15th Salento International Chess Open 2026 will take place from 23rd to 29th May, with a prize money of € 10.000.

The international event will be divided into three distinct tournaments:

1. the Master tournament for players with FIDE rating > 1800, with a prize money of € 4.000;
2. the Main tournament for players with FIDE rating between 0 and 1800, with a prize money of € 3.000;
3. the Senior tournament, for players over 50 (born in 1976 or earlier), with a prize money of € 3.000.

The winning team will not change, so the event is once again organized by Chess Projects, in collaboration with ArcoWorldChess, and the hotel facilities involved in supporting the event are the Ecoresort Le Sirenè, the Joli Park Hotel by Caroli Hotels and the Grand Hotel Costa Brada.

The venue for the event will be the Ecoresort Le Sirenè in Gallipoli (Lecce).

Airport transfers are the responsibility of individual participants and companions, but all participating hotels are ready to assist you with their own logistical solutions.

We look forward to seeing you again in Gallipoli, in the heart of the wonderful Salento, at the end of May 2026.

Best wishes,

Chess Projects