Hans Moke Niemann and Wesley So have confirmed they will compete at the Jerusalem Masters 2026. The tournament will take place from November 23 to 26 in Jerusalem, Israel.

The event will take place in two stages. In the first stage, 12 participants play a single Round-Robin. The top 4 players from the Round-Robin advance to the semifinals. The losers of the semifinals play in the third-place match. The time control for the event is Rapid 15+10 with increment from the first move.

The tournament prize fund is $250,000, with $101,000 for first place. This is the largest first-place prize ever awarded at a chess tournament in Israel. This amount is $1,000 more than the prize at the FIDE World Blitz Championship 2025.

The Jerusalem Masters is an annual invitational tournament held in Jerusalem, Israel since 2024. The event is organized by the Israel Chess Federation, and funded by Israel’s Ministry of Culture and Sport and the Jerusalem Municipality. The 2025 edition of the event was won by Arjun Erigaisi.

Credit: Michal Walusza / FIDE