We got back at dawn from one of the most extraordinary tournaments we've been part of. The WR Women's Chess Tour 2026 — Europe Leg brought eight of the world's strongest women players to a vineyard on the hills above Saint-Tropez — two knockout days of rapid and blitz chess, $40,000 in prize funds, and a spot in November's Grand Final on the line. This is our recap: the venue, the results, the people who made it happen, and the ChessboArt pieces that traveled with us.
WR Chess Saint-Tropez: Elite Chess in a Vineyard
Two knockout days, one extraordinary setting. On August 25–26, 2026, eight GMs and IMs played rapid and blitz chess at Le Vignoble Torpez, above Saint-Tropez, with commentary from GM Alexandra Kosteniuk and WGM Mitra Hejazipour, a full broadcast built by the Polish crew at Nikiel.Photo, and evening games played among the wine barrels once the cameras stopped rolling.
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The Venue: Le Vignoble Torpez, Above Saint-Tropez
Some venues photograph well. This one played well, too. The tournament hall sat inside Le Vignoble Torpez, part of the historic Vignobles de Saint-Tropez estate (est. 1908), a few minutes' walk from the old port and the Bardot statue — elegant, intimate, and unmistakably Saint-Tropez, right down to the evening games played at wine barrels once the official rounds were done.
It's the kind of setting that could easily feel like a gimmick. It didn't. Every detail — from the playing hall to the broadcast studio to the evening games — was clearly built by people who understand both wine country and competitive chess.
The Field
Eight players, six countries, all GM or IM titled — this was a genuinely elite field for an eight-player knockout:
- GM Bibisara Assaubayeva (Kazakhstan)
- GM Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine)
- GM Mariya Muzychuk (Ukraine)
- GM Humpy Koneru (India)
- GM Nino Batsiashvili (Georgia)
- GM Elisabeth Pähtz (Germany)
- IM Eline Roebers (Netherlands)
- IM Deimante Daulyte-Cornette (France)
Results: Two Knockout Champions
Both tournaments were played as straight knockouts, not round-robins — every match a straight elimination, all the way to the final. GM Bibisara Assaubayeva took the rapid title with a clean 2–0 final against Mariya Muzychuk, continuing a run of standout results on fast time controls that have made her one of the most exciting players to watch in women's chess. In the blitz final, GM Anna Muzychuk got her revenge on Assaubayeva, winning 2.5–1.5 to take the blitz title.
Both champions now advance to the WR Women's Chess Tour Grand Final at Rosenstein Palace, Stuttgart, on November 22–23, 2026 — the finale of a knockout circuit that has spanned four continents this year.
See the full bracket, FIDE ratings & move-by-move broadcasts
| Event | Final | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Rapid (25 Aug) | Assaubayeva (2444) vs. M. Muzychuk (2425) | 2–0 |
| Blitz (26 Aug) | A. Muzychuk (2400) vs. Assaubayeva (2440) | 2.5–1.5 |
Ratings per the FIDE rating list of 1 August 2026, as seeded by WR Chess. Full games and move-by-move boards: Lichess — Rapid broadcast · Lichess — Blitz broadcast.
Commentary & Broadcast
The games were followed live by some of the most recognizable voices in chess commentary. GM Alexandra Kosteniuk — the Chess Queen — commentated throughout and coordinated the event as a whole, alongside WGM Mitra Hejazipour. Player interviews were conducted by WIM Fiona Steil-Antoni.
Behind the broadcast itself was Nikiel.Photo, a Polish production crew who built a full television studio inside the vineyard and streamed the event worldwide — the result of 15 years of experience broadcasting chess. Given the setting, that level of production quality was genuinely impressive.
Watch the Full Broadcasts
Both days were streamed in full, with live commentary from GM Alexandra Kosteniuk and WGM Mitra Hejazipour. Relive the games below.
Day 1 — Rapid (August 25)
Day 2 — Blitz (August 26)
Photography Credits
Every photo in this article and its gallery was shot by Diana Kordowina Photography, official event photographer, alongside WFM Maria Emelianova.
ChessboArt on Site: Boards, Trophies & Clocks
We didn't just cover WR Chess Saint-Tropez as spectators — several ChessboArt pieces were part of the event itself, from the playing hall to the trophy table. The boards on site were hand-finished in ash and walnut — a pairing we keep coming back to, since the contrast holds up beautifully both on camera and up close.
Wall-Mounted ChessboArt800
Our signature hanging vertical chessboard was on display through the venue, giving guests a position to return to between rounds — the same reason it works so well in home and club settings.
Shop wall-mounted chessboards →Engraved Frames
Personalized, laser-engraved frames — the same technique we use for names, dedications and club logos — added a bespoke touch to the boards on site.
Shop engraved chess frames →Wooden Chessboards
Solid wooden playing sets from our ChessClub and ChessboINK lines were used for games throughout the venue, including the evening games among the vines.
Shop solid wooden chessboards →Trophy Trays
The rapid and blitz champions were awarded ChessboArt wooden trophy trays — handcrafted awards designed specifically for chess events like this one.
Shop custom chess trophies →Gardé Chess Clocks
Classic wooden Gardé mechanical clocks kept time for the more relaxed evening games — a nod to chess tradition amid the modern rapid and blitz format of the main event.
Shop wooden chess clocks →Planning a tournament, club event or exhibition and want boards, trophies or personalized pieces on site?
Organizers
The Saint-Tropez leg of the tour was organized by WR Chess and coordinated by GM Alexandra Kosteniuk, with the on-the-ground hosting handled by Andrzej Kordowina-Tkacz and the team at Club d'Échecs Saint-Tropez ("Les Fous de la Vieille Tour") — a genuinely remarkable group of people, with a clear idea behind every single detail, from the choice of venue to the atmosphere of the evening games, backed by a local federation and two art institutions among the event's partners.
Saint-Tropez turned out to be exactly what we imagined it would be: elegant, intimate, played at a very high level, with intention behind every part of it. Being able to play a game in the evening, by the wine and among the barrels, was the perfect way to close each day.
Andrzej — thank you for the invitation and the hospitality. We hope to one day read the stories you told us in your book, and we're already looking forward to the next one.
Case Study: How to Build a Small, Prestigious Chess Event Like This One
WR Chess Saint-Tropez worked because almost nothing about it was standard tournament-hall logic. Having watched it come together on site, here's what we think other organizers — federations, clubs, hotels, private collectors — can actually take from it.
1. Pick a venue that isn't a conference hall
A vineyard, a gallery, a historic building, a private estate — the venue should say something about the region and the people hosting it, not just have enough floor space. It also gives photographers and broadcasters something worth pointing a camera at, which matters more than most organizers assume.
2. Widen the guest list — and the partner list — past just the players
This is where WR Chess Saint-Tropez is a genuinely good template, not just a nice idea: the official partner list included a regional chess federation (La Ligue PACA Échecs) and two art institutions (JD Art Gallery, Szczesny Art Foundation) alongside the players, arbiters and hotel. The strongest small-scale chess events pull together several different worlds at once — federation officials, the local club, and people from the art and civic world. Chess gives all of them a shared reason to be in the same room, which is rarer than it sounds.
3. Budget for broadcast and photography like they're part of the event, not an afterthought
Nikiel.Photo building a full TV studio inside a vineyard, and a dedicated event photographer shooting the whole weekend, is exactly why this event traveled beyond the people who were physically there. A prestigious room that nobody sees is a wasted room.
4. Give the event one signature moment that has nothing to do with the games themselves
Here, it was the evening games played among the wine barrels once the official rounds ended. Every memorable small-scale event has something like this — a detail that has nothing to do with the standings and everything to do with why people remember the weekend.
5. Personalize what people take home
Engraved trophies, personalized boards, a memento tied specifically to that event and that place — these turn attendance into something people keep, display, and talk about long after the result is forgotten. It's also, unsurprisingly, where we come in.
6. Keep it small on purpose
Eight players. Two days. One venue. The intimacy was a feature, not a limitation — it's what made the commentary, the interviews and the evening games feel personal rather than produced.
Thinking about organizing something similar — a club event, a sponsor showcase, a private tournament? We work with organizers on custom boards, engraved personalization and trophy sets built specifically for the event.
Gallery
A closer look at WR Chess Saint-Tropez, shot by Diana Kordowina Photography. Swipe, click the arrows, or use a thumbnail to jump ahead — same scrolling gallery pattern as our main Gallery page.
The broadcast studio Nikiel.Photo built inside the vineyard.
Following the blitz final live, boardside — Pähtz vs. Assaubayeva on screen.
A quiet board and clock on the terrace, overlooking the vines.
Evening games among the wine barrels, once the official rounds were done.
The welcome board at the vineyard entrance.
A small detail with a big view: Saint-Tropez from the venue.
A street chess game on the Saint-Tropez waterfront, before the tournament.
A ChessboArt engraved board on display, dedicated to Les Fous de la Vieille Tour.
Our wall-mounted ChessboArt800, custom-branded for the event.
Want more events like this one? Read about our trophies at the Pia Cramling Cup in Stockholm and ChessboArt at the Global Chess Festival 2025 in Budapest.
Closing Night, in Black and White
Once the official rounds were over, the cameras kept rolling — just in a different register. These black-and-white frames from the closing night, shot by Diana Kordowina Photography, capture the part of WR Chess Saint-Tropez that never made the broadcast: live saxophone by the boards, wine-barrel games running well past sunset, and the kind of quiet concentration that only shows up once the scoreboard stops mattering.
A quiet close-up on the clock, closing night. Photo: Diana Kordowina Photography.
Studying the position, closing night. Photo: Diana Kordowina Photography.
Live saxophone by the boards. Photo: Diana Kordowina Photography.
An evening game, wine in hand. Photo: Diana Kordowina Photography.
A backlit blitz game on the barrels. Photo: Diana Kordowina Photography.
Deep concentration by the doorway. Photo: Diana Kordowina Photography.
Gathered around the barrel table. Photo: Diana Kordowina Photography.
Event Data, Format & Regulations
The full technical detail behind this recap, for anyone who wants it — collapsed by default so it doesn't get in the way of the story above.
📋 Event data: dates, venue, hotel, prize fund
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Dates | August 25–26, 2026 |
| Playing venue | Le Vignoble Torpez — 111 Route des Plages, 83990 Saint-Tropez, France |
| Official hotel | Hôtel Riviera Ventura — Chemin des Amoureux, 83990 Saint-Tropez |
| Players | 8 — GMs and IMs from 6 countries |
| Prize fund | $40,000 total ($20,000 rapid + $20,000 blitz) |
| Tour | 4th leg of the WR Women's Chess Tour 2026, a global knockout circuit across four continents |
| Organiser | WR Chess & Club d'Échecs Saint-Tropez |
| Next stop | Grand Final — Rosenstein Palace, Stuttgart, November 22–23, 2026 |
⚙️ Format, officials & prize fund breakdown
Both tournaments were played as straight 8-player knockouts: quarterfinals, semifinals, then a final — with an Armageddon decider whenever a match ended tied.
| Detail | Rapid (25 Aug) | Blitz (26 Aug) |
|---|---|---|
| Time control | 15 min + 10 sec/move | 3 min + 2 sec/move |
| Match length | 2 games | 4 games |
| Tie-break | Armageddon after 1–1 | Armageddon after 2–2 |
Prize money was identical for each event: $7,000 for 1st place, $4,000 for 2nd, $2,500 for each semifinalist, and $1,000 for each quarterfinalist — $20,000 per event, $40,000 across the two days.
Behind the boards: Andrzej Kordowina-Tkacz (Tournament Director), GM Alexandra Kosteniuk (Coordinator), IA Stéphane Escafre (Chief Arbiter), IA Ema Romanova (Deputy Arbiter) and FA Marianne Yotis (Fair Play), with an Appeals Committee chaired by Kosteniuk alongside Steil-Antoni and Hejazipour. Fair play checks — visible and invisible — were run before every round.
Full official info sheet (PDF): WR Women's Chess Tour 2026 — Saint-Tropez, Info Pack →
Upload the PDF under Shopify Admin → Content → Files, then paste the generated file URL above.
FAQ
What was the total prize fund at the WR Women's Chess Tour Saint-Tropez leg?
$40,000 total — $20,000 for the rapid tournament and $20,000 for the blitz tournament — contested by 8 GMs and IMs, organized by WR Chess.
Who won the rapid and blitz tournaments?
GM Bibisara Assaubayeva won the rapid knockout, beating Mariya Muzychuk 2–0 in the final. GM Anna Muzychuk won the blitz knockout, beating Assaubayeva 2.5–1.5 in the final.
Where and when was the tournament held?
At Le Vignoble Torpez, 111 Route des Plages, 83990 Saint-Tropez, France, on August 25–26, 2026. It was organized by WR Chess and Club d'Échecs Saint-Tropez ("Les Fous de la Vieille Tour"), with Andrzej Kordowina-Tkacz as Tournament Director.
What happens next for the champions?
Both Bibisara Assaubayeva and Anna Muzychuk qualified for the WR Women's Chess Tour Grand Final at Rosenstein Palace, Stuttgart, November 22–23, 2026 — this Saint-Tropez leg was the fourth stop of a global knockout circuit spanning four continents.
Was ChessboArt involved in the event?
Yes — ChessboArt wall-mounted boards, engraved frames, wooden playing sets, trophy trays and Gardé chess clocks were used on site throughout the event.
Can I bring ChessboArt pieces to my own chess event?
Absolutely. We regularly supply boards, trophies and personalized pieces for tournaments, clubs and exhibitions — see the Case Study above for how to start planning one.