Sharjah Masters 9th edition starts from 20th April 2026
One of the strongest classical tournaments in the chess calendar is back with its 9th edition! The Sharjah Masters 2026 is set to take place from 20th April to 30th April 2026. The last edition was won by Anish Giri (Category A), Mayank Chakraborty (Category B) and Shubham Shukla (Category C). Once again, the event will feature the same exciting categories. While the players' list is yet to be announced, we can expect some of the world’s best players fighting for the title. The total prize fund for the event is $100,000 (around Rs. 90 Lakh). It will be a nine-round Classical Swiss tournament with a time control of 90 minutes+30 seconds increment per move for the whole game. The tournament will be held at the Sharjah Cultural and Chess Club. Check out all the tournament details below. Photo: Sharjah Masters
Sharjah Masters is back with its 9th edition
The Sharjah Cultural and Chess Club will host the 9th edition of Sharjah Masters this year from 20th to 30th of April.
It will be a nine-round Classical Swiss tournament with a time control of 90 minutes + 30 seconds increment per move for the whole game. To ensure fair play, the broadcast will have a 30-minute delay as part of the anti-cheating measures.
The first round for all the sections will start on 21st April at 4 p.m. local time.
This year, the total Prize fund has been increased to US $ 100,000 (around Rs. 90 Lakh) for all three sections. The Champion of the A section will receive US $ 15,000. For the B section, it is US $ 3,000 and for the C section, it is US $ 1,800. The top winners will also receive a gold medal and beautiful trophies.
This year’s edition also brings a special collaboration with Chessify. For the first time at the Sharjah Masters, a total of one million Chessify coins will be distributed among prize-winners across different categories. Players can use these coins to access powerful cloud-engine analysis and premium tools on the Chessify platform.
Important links