Alexander Donchenko lived up to his status as top seed in Paderborn, winning the German Rapid Chess Championship after mounting a strong comeback with six consecutive victories in the final stretch of the tournament. In the women’s event, Olga Babiy emerged from a closely contested title race to finish ahead of top seed Lara Schulze.
Donchenko Lives Up to Top-Seed Status After a Cautious Start
Alexander Donchenko was the central figure of the 2026 German Rapid Chess Championship. A member of the German national team and the top seed in the open event with a rapid rating of 2586, he entered the tournament as the clear favorite. His path to the title, however, was not straightforward from the outset, but rather built on a sustained surge in the second half of the competition.
Donchenko began with three draws, a cautious start that left the tournament wide open and allowed other players to gain early momentum. From that point on, the German grandmaster found the competitive rhythm he needed and reeled off six straight wins, a decisive run that carried him to the top of the standings.
The champion finished on 7.5 points from 9 rounds, half a point ahead of Zaur Hasanov and Oliver Stork, who completed the podium with 7 points. Both had started the tournament more strongly than Donchenko, but the favorite ultimately prevailed after defeating both of them on his way to the title.
An Open Event Dominated by Titled Players, With Only One Grandmaster
The open section of the German Rapid Chess Championship brought together 32 participants, most of them titled players, although Donchenko was the only grandmaster in the field. That context reinforced his role as the main contender, while also increasing the pressure on a player expected to deliver.
The tournament was played over two days as a 9-round Swiss event, with a total prize fund of €4,000. In the open section, the prize fund amounted to €1,600, with €600 reserved for the winner.
The final standings placed Donchenko first on 7.5 points, followed by Hasanov and Stork on 7. Martin Heider finished fourth with 6.5 points, while Florian Grafl rounded out the top five on 5.5.
Olga Babiy Wins a Closely Fought Women’s Tournament
In the women’s championship, Olga Babiy claimed first place after a tight battle for the title. Lara Schulze started as the top seed, but Babiy, Kateryna Dolzhykova and Carmen Voicu-Jagodzinsky were all close in rapid rating, setting up a balanced competition from the opening rounds.
Babiy began with four straight wins before losing to Schulze in round five. The defeat did not knock her out of contention, as she only conceded one further draw in the closing stage, in the final round. That consistency was enough for her to finish first with 7.5 points.
Schulze, meanwhile, lost ground during the tournament after giving up half-points against Elisa Staerk and Dolzhykova in the first half of the event, before suffering a defeat to Voicu-Jagodzinsky in round seven. The top seed finished second with 7 points, half a point behind Babiy.
Voicu-Jagodzinsky and Dolzhykova Complete the Leading Group
The women’s standings reflected the expected balance among the main contenders. Babiy finished on top with 7.5 points, followed by Schulze on 7. Carmen Voicu-Jagodzinsky took third place with 6.5 points, while Kateryna Dolzhykova finished fourth on 6.
Marine Zschischang, Mariya Anissimova and Constanze Wulf all ended on 5.5 points, within a tightly packed upper-middle section of the table. In total, 26 players took part in the women’s national rapid championship.
Babiy’s victory carried particular weight because of the way she responded after her direct loss to Schulze. In a short tournament, with little room for error, the champion managed to hold her score in the final rounds and take advantage of the setbacks suffered by her main rival.
Paderborn Hosts an Edition With Strong Chess Connections
The German Rapid Chess Championship was held at the Heinz Nixdorf MuseumsForum in Paderborn, a venue with a notable connection to chess history. The museum preserves the legacy of German computer pioneer Heinz Nixdorf (1925-1986), who was born in the city, and is also known for its link to the Turk, the famous machine built in 1770 by Austrian engineer Wolfgang von Kempelen.
The Turk led opponents and spectators for decades to believe that it could play chess autonomously, although in reality it concealed a master inside its structure. That connection between technological history and chess made the venue an especially recognizable setting for the championship.
The event was organized by the local club SK Blauer Springer Paderborn 1926, coinciding with the club’s centenary. The open German Rapid Championships have been held since 1990, while the women’s competition has been contested since 1993. Championships in this discipline had already been held earlier in the former German Democratic Republic.
