59th Biel Chess Festival 2026 Day 4: Le Quang Liem Catches Aronian; 16-Year-Old Finek Dominates

by Devansh Singh - 16/07/2026

It was an action-packed fourth day at the Biel International Chess Festival, highlighted by a shifting leaderboard in the Masters Triathlon, an absolute masterclass by a 16-year-old rising star, Finek Vaclav, and fierce competition across the open tournaments. In the Masters, Le Quang Liem scored his 2nd consecutive win to get into the joint lead with Levon Aronian in the leaderboards. The 3rd classical game will start on 16th July at 2 PM Local Time. Photo: Biel Chess Festival

Masters Triathlon: Le Catches Aronian at the Top

Le Quang Liem proved once again that classical chess in Biel is his perfect element. Following a victory the previous day, the three-time Biel champion secured his second consecutive win on Wednesday, playing virtually flawlessly against Matthias Bluebaum. Le forced a resignation after 60 moves, completing an impressive comeback to wipe out the 5-point deficit he held after the rapid games.

Le Quang Liem defeated Matthias Bluebaum

Meanwhile, tournament leader Levon Aronian was slowed down by Turkey’s young prodigy, Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus. Although Erdogmus fell into serious time trouble, Aronian was unable to capitalize on a slight advantage, and the two ultimately agreed to a draw.

Levon Aronian vs. Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus (0.5-0.5)

Aydin Suleymanli vs. Jose Martinez (0.5-0.5)

Standings

Replay Masters Game

Generations Challenge: 16-Year-Old Vaclav Finek Extends Lead

The 16-year-old Czech player, Vaclav Finek, who does not yet hold the Grandmaster title, showed incredible composure to defeat Alexandra Kosteniuk. Finek captures a second pawn in the endgame, forcing the former Women's World Champion to concede. With this victory, Finek extended his lead at the top of the table to an impressive 3½ points.

Finek Vaclav is leading the field

Finek Vaclav vs. Alexandra Kosteniuk (4-0)

Vaishali suffered a loss against Carissa Yip

Carissa Yip Breaks Down Her Win Against Vaishali

Marco Materia drew against GM Xiao Tong

Standings

Replay Generations Challenge Games

Open & Side Tournaments Update

Amateur Open Tournament (ATO): Round 2 saw 53 games played. Several favorites dropped points on the top boards, resulting in a high number of draws. Out of 109 participants, only 16 players still maintain a perfect 2/2 score.
Free Style Chess Tournament (FSC): In Round 3, a highly anticipated clash between FM Jonas Wyss and GM Alexander Cherniaev ended in a draw. This played directly into the hands of Nicolas Perréard, who defeated IM David Gluckman and now stands alone at the top of the table with a perfect 3/3 score.

Looking Ahead: Day 5 Outlook (Thursday)

Thursday brings another critical round of classical chess. Key matchups to watch include:

Masters Triathlon: Le Quang Liem takes the black pieces against young prodigy Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, while Aronian looks to bounce back against Jose Martinez.
Generations Challenge: Tournament leader Finek faces a tough test against Xiao Tong, while chess fans will get a heavyweight clash between former Women's World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk and recent Candidates winner Vaishali Rameshbabu.

Photo Gallery: Here

Video Gallery: Here

Day 4 Impressions from Biel Chess

Biel Classical Round 2 2026 Recap

Live Stream

2nd Round of Classical at Biel Chess Festival 2026 live from Biel/Bienne, Switzerland

The Main Event: Masters Triathlon

The flagship Grandmasters Triathlon features a 6-player field balancing legendary experience with fearless youth.

Lineup

The Generations Challenge

The Challengers group also boasts a very interesting field - they will follow the same format as the Masters triathlon. The only Indian in the GMT this year is none other than the reigning FIDE Women's Candidates Winner and World Championship Challenger, R. Vaishali!

Lineup

Format

The Scoring System

Survival in the Triathlon requires mastering every speed. The points are weighted heavily to reward classical chess fightbacks:

Classical: Win = 4 points | Draw = 1½ points | Loss = 0 points
Rapid: Win = 2 points | Draw = 1 point | Loss = 0 points
Blitz: Win = 1 point | Draw = ½ point | Loss = 0 points

Schedule

Check out the schedule

Venue: Biel Congress Center (Kongresshaus)

Photo: Official Site

A Festival for the Masses

Biel isn't just for the world elite. It remains one of the premier chess holiday destinations because amateurs share the playing hall with Grandmasters.

Masters Open (MTO): A high-stakes, 10-round Swiss event for players rated 1900+ looking for international norms and title norms.
Amateur Open (ATO): A highly competitive 9-round Swiss for players under 2000 Elo, featuring a generous 5,000 CHF total prize fund.
One-Day Tournaments: For visitors looking for quick action, the schedule features the standalone Swiss Rapid Fischer Random (Chess960) Championship, a full-day Rapid Open, an intense Blitz Open, and a Chess Solving Competition.