Vahap Şanal and Team Türkiye Win NATO Chess Championship

GM Vahap Şanal and Team Türkiye secured victory at the 2026 NATO Chess Championship, which took place from October 11 to 17 at the Baltic Beach Hotel & SPA in Jūrmala, Latvia.

The tournament featured 148 military chess players from 18 NATO member nations competing in a seven-round Swiss format. Şanal, the top seed and the only grandmaster in the event, won all seven of his matches, confirming his status as the favorite. IM Laura Unuk from Slovenia finished second with a score of 6/7, while a group of six players tied for third place, with FM Robert Stein of Germany taking bronze based on tiebreak scores.

In the team standings, Türkiye topped the competition with a total of 23½ points, followed by Germany with 20 points. Sweden and Latvia shared third place, each with 19 points, but Sweden advanced on tiebreaks. Additionally, a nine-round blitz tournament was held, where IM Mark Timmermans of the Netherlands emerged victorious with 7½/9 points.