Founded in 1973 as a small German national event, the Dortmund Sparkassen tournament grew through the 1980s and 1990s into one of the strongest annual super-tournaments in Europe. Vladimir Kramnik holds the record for most titles (10) and used Dortmund as his primary home-circuit event for two decades. The tournament has run continuously since 1973 with one pandemic-year exception.
The 2026 Edition
Eight players, single round-robin, classical 90+30. The 53rd edition’s field, announced in April, includes Vincent Keymer (the locally-supported German number one) plus seven international invitees in the 2680–2750 range. Prize fund €150,000, with €40,000 to the winner. Side events: rapid open, blitz open, and the traditional simultaneous exhibition on rest day.