Estonian Team Championships 2026: Diagonaal wins again, Kaksikodad takes overall title
The 2026 Estonian Chess Team Championships ended successfully in Tallinn. The tournament took place from February 6 to 8 at the historic Paul Keres Chess House. Fourteen teams competed in the Open section, while four teams played in the Women’s section.
MK Kaksikodad performed strongly throughout the event. They won the overall combined title for the first time in their history. This victory allowed them to lift the famous traveling trophy, which has existed since 1991. In the Women’s section, Kaksikodad shared first place, and in the Open section, they finished in third place. The defending champions, SK Reval-Sport, did not take part this year.
In the Open tournament, SK Diagonaal continued their dominance. They won the title for the second year in a row by scoring nine match points out of ten. Their team featured Estonia’s top player, Grandmaster Aleksandr Volodin, along with Dmitri Petrov, Valeri Golubenko, Vyacheslav Koop, and Andrei Skladtshikov.
The second place went to Tonu Truusi MKK. They also scored nine match points but lost on game points, finishing just half a point behind Diagonaal. Their team included International Masters Sergei Zjukin and Andrei Shishkov, FIDE Master Ilja Haitin, Marti Medar, and Georg Abozenko.
Third place in the Open went to MK Kaksikodad’s first team. Their players were FIDE Master Oliver Wartiovaara, Georg Aleksander Pedoson, Candidate Masters Tormi Kull and Daniil Shnurov, Aaron Rajandu, Markus Hansson, and Karl Kristofer Orgse.
In the Women’s tournament, the competition was very close. Three teams finished tied for first place with four match points each. Since all tie-break scores were equal, all three teams were declared champions.
The winners were MK Vektor, MK Kaksikodad, and Tallinna MK. Tallinna MK had also won the Women’s title in the previous two years, showing their consistency in Estonian women’s chess.
Overall, the 2026 Estonian Team Championships showcased strong teamwork, exciting matches, and rising talent in Estonian chess.
Photos: Karl Erik Olde, Markus Hansson, FIDE_Chess
Source: FIDE CHESS NEWS
