Traditional International Open Chess Tournament International Chessopen Graz 2026, which took place from 14 to 20 February 2026 in Graz (Austria), 275 chess players from all over the world took part. The tournament once again confirmed its reputation as one of the strongest open competitions in the region, bringing together a number of grandmasters, international masters and promising young players.
One of the most promising Slovenian juniors stood out among the performers, Jernej Kozlovič, who achieved an excellent result in a strong international competition. He scored six points in nine games and was ranked 19th overall, which is a remarkable achievement considering the quality and quantity of the participation.
Even more important than the ranking itself is the fact that with this result he has earned his first International Master (IM) qualification, which is a big step on his way to one of the most prestigious chess titles. In the process, he gained approximately 50 rating points, which significantly improved his international ranking and further confirmed the progress in his game.
Kozlovič continues his successful career after winning a silver medal at the last European Junior Championships. His performances show maturity, fight and stability in his game, which gives Slovenian chess fans a lot of reasons for optimism in the future.
