The 2026 Austrian National Championships concluded with GM Dominik Horvath successfully defending his title. In a thrilling battle for the national crown, the Burgenland native edged out Laurenz Borrmann on tiebreaks. Olga Badelka won the women’s title convincingly, ahead of Veronika Exler and Upper Austria’s rising star, Alina Donets.
The lowest-rated participant, Borrmann, caused a real stir in the event by seizing the lead early on and maintaining his top position throughout. In Round 8, however, Horvath (pictured below) caught up to Borrmann by defeating Lukas Dotzer, as the leader failed to convert a winning position against Kindermann and had to settle for a draw.
Tension culminated in the final round. In the battle for the title, Borrmann reached a slightly superior position against Dotzer and chose a forced sequence that led to a repetition of moves, securing a GM norm. Horvath fought hard for a win against Schwabeneder but had to settle for a draw.
His superior tiebreak score, however, allowed him to retain his title. Borrmann was delighted with the silver medal, and IM Valentin Baidetskyi took bronze. Following them in the standings were Blohberger (5 points) and Dotzer (4.5), ahead of Ernst (4), Kindermann and Balint (3.5 each), Leisch (3), and Schwabeneder (2.5).
Olga Badelka finished sixth overall in the Oberbank Open, claiming the Women’s National Championship title. Veronika Exler took the silver medal with six points, while bronze went to local favorite Alina Donets (5 points). Donets surpassed the 2100 Elo rating mark during the championship and, at 12 years old, became Austria’s youngest Woman FIDE Master (WFM). Emilia Deak-Sala and Chiara Polterauer (5 points each) followed, along with Réka Horvath (4.5 points), and Nino Urbanec, Katharina Pötscher, Lea Stadlinger, and Parinitha Hemanth Gowda (all 4 points).
The event was excellently organized with the support of the Austrian Chess Federation (ÖSB), under President Michael Stöttinger, and the Upper Austrian Chess Federation, led by President Günter Mitterhuemer. The awards ceremony was conducted by Dominik Mayr (Freedom24) and President Stöttinger. Many thanks go to the sponsors, especially Oberbank, Freedom24, the Austrian Chess Promotion Association, and the Brucknerhaus Linz, without whose support an event of this kind would not be possible.
Photos: Johanna Seiser and Chris Holzinger
Official website: https://www.chess.at/