Xtracon Chess Open

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Xtracon Chess Open, formerly the Politiken Cup, is a major international chess tournament and the main event of the Copenhagen Chess Festival. Run by the Copenhagen Chess Federation, it began in 1979 with just 22 players and has grown into one of the world’s largest open tournaments, now drawing well over 400 players. It attracts top grandmasters and promising young players. Notable winners include Vassily Smyslov (1980 and 1986), Viktor Korchnoi (1996) and Nigel Short (2006). In 2003, Magnus Carlsen earned his third IM norm here.

Originally held in Copenhagen, the event later moved to Helsingør. It is an open tournament for players of all levels, except for 1983 when there was an invite-only Grandmaster event. The tournament runs in July or August over 10 rounds at Konventum, a conference center in Helsingør. Politiken was the main sponsor from 1979 to 2015; from 2016 to 2018 the sponsor was Xtracon A/S, and the tournament was renamed accordingly, with the format staying largely the same.