Chess.com announced the opening of registration for DreamHack Atlanta at the Georgia World Congress Center in the United States. The event is a qualification path to the Esports World Cup 2026.

DreamHack Atlanta will consist of 8 qualifiers followed by a Knockout final. Each qualifier will feature a 7-round Swiss system. Top-2 finishers advance to the final — the winner to the upper bracket, and the second-place finisher to the lower bracket. The final features a Double-Elimination format. Top-4 from the Knockout qualify for the Esports World Cup 2026.

The event features 10+0 time control in all stages, and a $50,000 prize fund. Qualifiers will take place from May 15 to May 16, and the final will be held on May 17. The event is open to all chess players.

DreamHack is a series of esports tournaments held at major gaming lifestyle festivals. The first DreamHack took place in Hyderabad, India in November 2022. The previous DreamHack took place in Dallas, USA in 2025 as a qualification for the Esports World Cup 2025. The event was won by Ukrainian GM Oleksandr Bortnyk.

Credit: Jianhua Chen