GM Evgenios Ioannidis and IM Stavroula Tsolakidou are the new Greek chess champions. Ioannidis claimed his maiden national crown, while Tsolakidou won her second title.
The 75th edition of the Greek Championship (open section) took place from October 3 to 11, 2026 on the island of Psara.
Organized by the Greek Chess Federation (ESO) in cooperation with the Korydallos Chess Club and with the support of the Municipality of Psara, the competition brought together ten of the country’s top players in a single round-robin tournament with classical time control.
The competition turned into an exciting race between two-time champion GM Ioannis Nikolaidis (pictured above, center) and Evgenios Ioannidis (pictured below), who entered the final round sharing the lead on 6/8. As fate would have it, they faced each other there, making it an ultimate battle for gold.
Ioannidis won what was arguably the most important game of his career to capture the title. Nikolaidis and FM Michail Vassis finished on 6/9, with Nikolaidis taking silver on tiebreak.
Top seed Tsolakidou dominated the 48th Greek Women’s Chess Championship, held from October 4 to 12 in Porto Cheli. The only IM in the field, she scored an impressive 8/9, dropping just two draws.
Second-rated FM Anastasia Avramidou also had a strong tournament (6.5/9), claiming silver and, like the champion, completing the event undefeated. FM Maria Tsakona finished third with 5.5/9 to take the bronze medal.
Women’s section final standings
Photos: official website
Official website: https://chessfed.gr/grchamps2026/