Ukrainian WFM Anastasiia Hnatyshyn produced one of the most remarkable upsets of European championship history, winning the European Women’s Championship outright in Batumi, Georgia.
The 15-year-old entered the tournament as the 76th seed in a field of 165 players. She finished in clear first place with an outstanding 9/11 score and a 2580 performance, gaining 214 rating points. She cashed in the €10,000 first prize, achieved the WGM title, and earned her first IM norm.
Hnatyshyn scored eight wins, two draws, and suffered only one loss to claim the biggest title of her career. Spain’s IM Sabrina Vega, Austria’s IM Olga Badelka, and Bulgaria’s IM Nurgyul Salimova finished half a point behind on 8.5/11.
Final Standings European Women’s Championship 2026
| Rk. | Title | Name | FED | Rtg | Pts. | Rp. |
| 1 | WFM | Anastasiia Hnatyshyn | 2207 | 9 | 2580 | |
| 2 | IM | Sabrina Vega Gutierrez | 2375 | 8.5 | 2522 | |
| 3 | IM | Olga Badelka | 2392 | 8.5 | 2490 | |
| 4 | IM | Nurgyul Salimova | 2404 | 8.5 | 2488 | |
| 5 | GM | Anna Ushenina | 2420 | 8 | 2452 | |
| 6 | IM | Klaudia Kulon | 2377 | 8 | 2420 | |
| 7 | IM | Olga Zimina | 2290 | 7.5 | 2399 | |
| 8 | IM | Eline Roebers | 2389 | 7.5 | 2363 | |
| 9 | IM | Meri Arabidze | 2409 | 7.5 | 2402 | |
| 10 | IM | Mai Narva | 2426 | 7.5 | 2430 | |
| 11 | WGM | Nadya Toncheva | 2320 | 7.5 | 2405 | |
| 12 | IM | Dinara Wagner | 2408 | 7.5 | 2373 | |
| 13 | WGM | Govhar Beydullayeva | 2368 | 7.5 | 2368 | |
| 14 | IM | Alina Bivol | 2361 | 7.5 | 2365 | |
| 15 | WIM | Margareth Olde | 2194 | 7.5 | 2343 |
The rating jump takes her to clear first on the Girls under-20 live rating list with a 2465 rating, more than 20 points ahead of WGM Anna Shukhman. She’s also climbed to 17th on the Women’s list.
Few could have predicted that Hnatyshyn, with her 2207 rating, would be able to fight for tournament victory ahead of the tournament. Not even herself, as she admitted in an interview on with commentator WIM Sandra Djukic on the official broadcast.
“It feels really insane. I couldn’t even dream about this title. I don’t know what to say,” the 15-year-old said.
It feels really insane! I couldn’t even dream about this title. I don’t know what to say.
—Anastasiia Hnatyshyn
Asked about her plans for the future, she said: “I don’t know my chess plans. Actually, I am turning 16 next week, so my future plan is to celebrate my birthday and just rest a bit!”
By winning the first six games, some of them against pre-tournament favorites, she immediately put herself into contention.
Among her victims was silver medal winner Vega in round three.
In the next round, she gradually outplayed the fifth seed, IM Mai Narva.
The Ukrainian suffered her only defeat against IM Meri Arabidze from Georgia in round seven. However, Hnatyshyn responded excellently by finishing with 3/4 against opponents seeded among the top 20.
Her round-nine game against IM Ulviyya Fataliyeva was a thriller.
In the following round, she also beat IM Eline Roebers, which meant a draw with IM Klaudia Kulon with White in the last round was enough to secure the title.
Meanwhile, Salimova defeated Narva to join Vega and Badelka in a three-way tie for second. Vega claimed silver on tiebreaks, while Badelka took bronze.
While the teenager’s result surprised many, the Ukrainian chess community has already been well aware of the rising star for years. Born in Lviv, Anastasiia comes from a family with six siblings and learned the game from her father at the age of five. She has previously been European champion u10, world champion in rapid and blitz u12, and finished third in the Ukrainian Women’s Championship in 2024.
In 2026, she helped her country win the Mitropa Cup by scoring 6/7 on board three, before she secured a spot on the Ukrainian team competing at the Chess Olympiad in Uzbekistan.
In the last five years, Hnatyshyn has been a part of the Kasparov Chess Foundation’s program for talented children, receiving regular coaching. Recently, she attended a session with the 13th world champion GM Garry Kasparov in Zagreb.
Congratulations to our student Anastasiia Hnatyshyn on winning the 2026 European Women’s Chess Championship!🏆🇺🇦
With an outstanding score of 9/11 in a field of 131 players, Anastasiia claimed the European title. Congratulations also to her coaches, Mikhalchishin and Grabinsky! pic.twitter.com/GjjCLczNEB— Kasparov Chess (@Kasparov_Chess) June 5, 2026
She is now coached by the Ukrainian legend GM Adrian Mikhalchishin, along with IM Volodymyr Grabinsky.
“Her performance is unbelievable and really unexpected,” Mikhalchishin told Chess.com. “Recently she showed great improvement and I would expect a top-20 finish as she is a tremendous fighter,” he said, noting how she comes from a family with five brothers and a five-year-old sister.
Her performance is unbelievable and really unexpected!
—Adrian Mikhalchishin
Mikhalchishin said Hnatyshyn first convinced him of her competitive spirit during the Ukrainian Women’s Championship two years ago.
“She was leading with 7 out of 7,” he recalled. “She did not want to accept draws in the last games and ended up losing the title. But that showed her mentality.”
The Ukrainian coach has worked closely with Hnatyshyn since then. Together with Grabinsky, he has helped guide her development. “I train her twice per week, three hours each session,” said Mikhalchishin. “Grabinsky is working on improving her calculation. I analyze the games and work on the openings.”
In an interview with Ukrainian newspaper Sport.ua, Grabinsky noted Hnatyshyn’s appetite for learning and said the opening preparation played a key role in the success.
“It’s incredibly nice that even at this victorious European Championship we surprised our rivals with new opening ideas—this strategy worked 100%,” he said. “That would have been impossible without Anastasiia’s openness to new knowledge and her correct psychological attitude.”
Her breakthrough follows a remarkable year for Ukrainian chess. Just two months ago, IM Roman Dehtiarov sensationally won the European Championship after entering as the 126th seed among 501 players. Hnatyshyn has now followed up with an equally stunning performance, delivering another European trophy titles to the rising generation in the war-torn country.
“This is a really proud moment for Ukraine,” the newly crowned European Women’s Champion said.
This is a really proud moment for Ukraine.
—Anastasiaa Hnatyshyn
The result has been celebrated back home in Ukraine, with the national federation’s vice-president Artem Sachuk describing the victory as evidence that the investment in young players is paying off:
Hnatyshyn’s performance had already caught the attention of former Women’s world number-two, Ukraine’s GM Anna Muzychuk, who told Chess.com:
“I know that our Ukrainian girl won. We are from the same city!” the grandmaster said. “It’s quite impressive. She had a good run and a good tournament, so congratulations to Anastasia. It’s a great result.”
It’s quite impressive. She had a good run and a good tournament, so congratulations to Anastasia.
—Anna Muzychuk