GRENKE Chess Classic

The GRENKE Chess Classic is an elite chess tournament held in the twin cities of Karlsruhe and Baden-Baden, Germany, sponsored by GRENKE AG. Launched in 2013 with Viswanathan Anand winning the inaugural edition, the Classic quickly became one of the strongest round-robin events on the European chess calendar.

The tournament has attracted the absolute top of world chess. Magnus Carlsen won three editions (2015, 2019, and 2024), while Fabiano Caruana (2018) and Levon Aronian (2017) also claimed titles. The 2015 edition set the record for the strongest field in the tournament's history with an average rating of 2752.

The GRENKE Chess Festival expanded in 2016 when a companion Open tournament was added, allowing strong club players to compete alongside the elite invitational. Winners of the Open earned qualification spots for the Classic, creating a direct pathway from amateur to professional competition. After a five-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic (2020 to 2023), the festival returned in 2024 with the Classic switching to rapid time control.

In 2025, the event evolved again, replacing the classical round-robin with a Freestyle Chess (Chess960) Open that qualifies winners for the FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship. The GRENKE Chess Festival remains one of Germany's most prestigious chess events and a key stop for top players in the European circuit.