The opening ceremony of the "Baku Open - 2026" International Chess Festival has taken place.

Offsideplus.az reports that the event is jointly organized by the Azerbaijan Chess Federation (ACF) and the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

The ceremony began with the performance of the National Anthem. Following this, Mahir Mammadov, President of the ACF and Vice-President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), addressed the audience, noting that a record-breaking 980 participants are competing in the festival. He stated that Azerbaijan is recognized globally as one of the leading chess nations and emphasized the high level of support and care shown toward chess by President Ilham Aliyev.

A video reflecting the most highlights from the "Baku Open" tournaments held in 2023, 2024, and 2025 was then showcased.

The Minister of Youth and Sports, Farid Gayibov, spoke about the strong chess traditions in Azerbaijan, highlighting the successful results achieved by Azerbaijani chess players in international competitions in recent years. He further noted that President Ilham Aliyev provides exceptional care and attention to all sports disciplines.

The ceremony concluded with the presentation of a new promotional video for the Azerbaijan Chess Tour. Farid Gayibov and Chingiz Huseynzade, Vice-President of the National Olympic Committee, performed the ceremonial first move of the third round.

It should be noted that "Baku Open" is the first event of the Azerbaijan Chess Tour in 2026. Following the Baku leg, an international chess competition is scheduled to be held in Sheki.

As a reminder, the total prize fund of the "Baku Open" International Chess Festival is 50,000 USD. The competition will conclude on May 6.