Alexander Donchenko prevails at German Rapid Championship

Donchenko and Babiy are the 2026 German rapid chess champions

The Heinz Nixdorf Museum in Paderborn hosted the German Rapid Championships last weekend. The museum preserves the memory of German computer pioneer Heinz Nixdorf (1925-1986), who was born in Paderborn, and caused a stir a little over 20 years ago with a detailed reconstruction of the Chess Turk. Built in 1770 by the Austrian engineer Wolfgang von Kempelen, the Chess Turk was a machine that made opponents and spectators believe it could play chess independently, like today’s computers. In reality, a chess master was hidden inside the construction.

The connection to chess at the Heinz Nixdorf Museum in Paderborn is therefore close and goes back a long way. The Chess Turk Cup is held regularly at the Heinz Nixdorf Museums Forum (HNF). Now the local club SK Blauer Springer Paderborn 1926, on the occasion of its 100^th anniversary, organised the still relatively young German Championships at the Heinz Nixdorf Museums Forum (HNF).

The open German Rapid Championships have been held since 1990, and the women’s championship since 1993. In the German Democratic Republic, championships in this discipline had already been held before then.

The 2026 German Rapid Championships were played over two days, with 9 Swiss-system rounds. The total prize fund was €4,000.

The open German Rapid Championship, with a prize fund of €1,600 (first prize €600), had 32 participants, mostly titleholders, although only one grandmaster.

With his rapid Elo rating of 2586, German national team player Alexander Donchenko topped the starting list and ultimately lived up to his role as favourite. Donchenko, however, began somewhat cautiously with three draws. He then found his rhythm and won all six of his remaining games.

On his way to the title, Donchenko defeated Zaur Hasanov and Oliver Stork, both of whom had a better start than him and who finished half a point behind him in second and third place, respectively.

Alexander Donchenko, left | Photo: Wolfgang Vullhorst / German Chess Federation

Final standings

Games

In the women’s competition, national team player Lara Schulze was the top seed, but Olga Babiy, Kateryna Dozhykova and Carmen Voicu-Jagodzinsky were close behind in terms of rapid ratings. A total of 26 players competed for the title.

In a total of 6 chapters, we look at the following aspects: the right decision based on tactical factors, decisions in exchanges and moves, complex and psychological decisions in longer games and in defence.

Olga Babiy emerged as the winner from the close race. After four wins, she lost to Lara Schulze in round five, but then conceded only one further draw, in the final round. Schulze had dropped half a point each against Elisa Staerk and Dolzhykova in the first half of the tournament, and then also lost to Voicu-Jagodzinsky in round seven.

Olga Babiy, left | Photo: Wolfgang Vullhorst / German Chess Federation

Final standings

All games

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