Taking My Shot at the 2026 Chess.com Open

On March 14, 2026, I decided to test myself in one of the biggest online chess events in the world: the Chess.com Open.

Formerly known as the Chess.com Global Championship, the event returned this year with a massive $250,000 prize fund and a direct path to the Esports World Cup. The format is simple but brutal: anyone can enter the open qualifiers, and only the very best progress through several stages before facing the world’s elite.

For non-titled players like me, the journey begins in the Preliminaries, where thousands of players compete in a 9-round Swiss at 10+0. Only the top three players advance to the next stage.

Let’s be honest—I wasn’t entering with the expectation of qualifying.

I’m competitive, but I’m not delusional. My goal was much simpler: play good chess, enjoy the experience, and see how I stack up.

The Tournament Experience

The event attracted over 1,000 players, creating a massive and chaotic battlefield where anything could happen.

To make things even more interesting, I streamed the entire tournament live on YouTube while being proctored, which meant I had to set up cameras and verification beforehand. Let’s just say the start was a little dramatic—I only managed to join the tournament with 16 seconds to spare.

Not the calmest way to begin a nine-round marathon.

Despite the rushed start, I settled into the event and managed a +1 score with 5/9:

4 Wins – 2 Draws – 3 Losses

I finished 67th out of 1051 players, which is a result I’m fairly happy with considering the strength and unpredictability of the field.

My Opponents

Here’s how the tournament went round by round:

• Round 1 – Win vs 1281

• Round 2 – Draw vs 1778

• Round 3 – Loss vs 1808

• Round 4 – Win vs 1535

• Round 5 – Loss vs 1763

• Round 6 – Draw vs 1646

• Round 7 – Win vs 1668

• Round 8 – Loss vs 1904

• Round 9 – Win vs 1728

Overall, it was a mixed bag of games. Some were solid, some were chaotic, and a few slipped away.

That’s the nature of rapid chess at this level.

The Rating Reality

One interesting—and slightly painful—side effect of the tournament was the rating change.

Despite scoring 5/9 (+1), my Chess.com Rapid rating dropped from 2109 to 2061. The reason was simple: many of my opponents were rated lower than me, so anything less than a strong performance leads to rating loss.

It’s one of those moments where the result feels decent, but the rating graph disagrees.

Still, ratings fluctuate. The important thing is the quality of play and the lessons learned.

Why I Played

For me, the appeal of events like the Chess.com Open isn’t just about qualification.

It’s about participation in something massive.

The same event pathway that begins with thousands of everyday players eventually leads to superstars.

In a strange way, it’s one giant ecosystem of chess where club players, streamers, titled players, and world-class grandmasters all exist in the same competitive structure.

That’s pretty special.

Streaming the Event

One of the best parts of the day was sharing the experience live.

Streaming the games made the event more interactive and fun. Even when the positions were tense or the clock was ticking down, having viewers along for the ride added a whole new dimension.

So if you watched the stream or supported the broadcast, thank you. It genuinely makes events like this more enjoyable. Livestream Link

Looking Ahead: Preliminary 2

The good news is that this was only the first preliminary.

There’s another opportunity coming in Preliminary 2 next week, and I’m planning to give it another shot.

Between now and then, the goal is simple:

• Get my rapid rating back above 2100

• Tighten up my play

• Show up better prepared

Whether or not qualification is realistic, the aim is always the same: play better than last time.

And in chess, that’s the real journey. ♟️