Sel Hótel Mývatn/Mývatn Öl and Godinn chess club are teaming up for an open international chess tournament 19-22 November 2026, which will take place in Skjólbrekka in the Mývatn region. The tournament is set up in the same way as Goðinn 20th anniversary tournament that took place in March 2025, which was considered a great success and is now being repeated. Sel Hótel Mývatn/Mývatn Öl is the main sponsor of the tournament and is therefore named after it. Registration for the tournament opened today, March 1.
Information about the tournament.
A 6-round open international chess tournament FIDE rated, played over four days, in one open category. NOTE. If more than 64 chess players register for the tournament, it will be divided into two rating categories, 2000+ elo and -2000 elo. The FIDE ranking list on November 1, 2026 will be used. Title chess players with 1900-1999 elo ratings can choose either category.
Time control
90 minutes for the game with 30 second increment from move 1. An automatic loss will be awarded to a player who arrives at the chess venue more than 30 minutes after the start of the round.
Schedule.
1st Round 19.11.2026 at 19:00
2nd Round 20.11.2026 at 10:00
3rd Round 20.11.2026 at 16:00
4th Round 21.11.2026 at 10:00
5th Round 21.11.2026 at 16:00
6th Round 22.11.2026 at 10:00
Tiebreaks: 1. More games played 2. Buchholz (-1) 3. Buchholz 4. Head-to-head results 5. Sonneborn-Berger 6. More black.
Bye rules. Players will be allowed to take two half-a point byes in rounds 1-5, provided they give sufficient notice. Sufficient notice is considered to have been given before all games have been completed in the round preceding the intended bye round.
Live games broadcasts
All games in the tournament will be broadcast live on lichess.org (+30 boards)
Prize
1st place 150,000 kr (+/- 915 GBP 1056 EUR)
2nd place 100,000 kr (+/- 610 GBP 696 EUR)
3rd place 50,000 kr (+/- 305 GBP 348 EUR)
Prize will be divided if the players are equal in winnings
Top 65+ 25,000 kr (+/- 152 GBP 174 EUR)
Top U-18 years 25,000 kr
Top U-1800 elo 25,000 kr
Top unranked 25,000 kr
Total prize: 400,000 kr ( +/- 2442 GBP 2787 EUR)
If there is a special U-2000 elo category, the prize for 1st place is 50,000 kr (+/- 305 GBP 348 EUR)
Entry fees
ISK 10,000 (+/- 61 GBP 69 EUR)
ISK 7,000 for 18 years and younger and unrated. (+/- 42 GBP 48 EUR)
Venue: Skjólbrekka Community Center in Mývatn
Skjólbrekka Community Center is located on the shores of Lake Mývatn and is right next to Sel Hotel Mývatn, which is located about 700 meters away. It is about a 60-minute drive from Akureyri to Skjólbrekka. It is a 6-hour drive from Reykjavík to Skjólbrekka.
Accommodation options.
The organizers have agreed with Sel Hotel Mývatn to ensure sufficient accommodation for players. A special booking code has been prepared for players to book a room at Sel Hotel for three nights, see here: “myvatnchess”
Other accommodation options in Mývatn can be viewed at visitmyvatn.is
Book accommodation at Sel Hotel Mývatn (then enter the code myvatnchess in the Promocode column)
Payment Full fee 10,000 ISK
Payment for 18 years and under. 7000 ISK.
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