| Saturday 25 July | 19:30 EGC Opening Ceremony & EC Drawing |
| Sunday 26 July | 10:00 Round 1 |
| Monday 27 - Thursday 30 July | 10:00 Rounds 2-5 (Wednesday round 4 is only for the loser bracket) |
| Friday 31 July | 10:00 Quarterfinals |
| Saturday 1 August | 10:00 Semifinals |
| Sunday 2 August | 10:00 Final & Small Final |
| Top boards shall be broadcast live on OGS, gogameslive.eu, IZIS and IGS with live commentaries on Twitch. |
5th-8th place: 500€
Format
The European Championship is a top European event, gathering best 32 of Europe. It is played as a double knock-out tournament phase followed by a direct knock-out final phase, with a Final and a Small Final (3rd place). Places 5-8 are not disputed.
Players with two losses in the first stage are eliminated from the Championship but can continue in the main EGC Open tournament.
Time Control
• 80 minutes basic time + 40 seconds increment per move (Fischer time).
Rules
• EGF general tournament rules apply, using territory scoring (Japanese/European rules) with a komi of 6.5 points.
• Colours are decided by nigiri.
• The seeding is made according to the EGD rating (GoR)available on July 24th, for details please refer to the rule set document.
Referee and Tournament lead
• Referee: Mehmet Emin Barsbey (Türkiye)
• The EC organization is led by the EGF, with the help of the Commission for European Tournaments and the EGC team. Responsible for the preparation of the event ahead of the EGC - Milena Boclé (EGF), Michael Marz (Commission for European Tournaments), during the EGC: Manja Marz (EGF).
Eligibility
• The championship is open to nationals of an EGF member country.
• Last year top 8 are directly qualified, as well as additional players based on the results of the Grand Prix Finale 2025.
• Best ranked players (peak of GoR since June 2025 and up to June 2026) having played at least 1 ranked game since June 2025 can participate.
• European Champions from EYGC three categories are also invited, provided they have reached a rank of 2400 GoR on the EGD by June unless the field opens to lower ranked players.
Additional Information
• The European Championship brings bonus points to the Top 8 final players for the Grand Prix Circuit 2026.
• Players must register to the European Go Congress 2026 and pay a discounted fee (early-bird fee equivalent)
• It is asked to confirm your presence at the EGC site on the 25th and be there at the opening ceremony. In case of an issue, please let the EGF (Manja Marz) know as soon as possible.
• It is very strongly appreciated that players follow a minimal good standing dresscode (it's subjective, yes, but please avoid flip-flops etc).
The tournament takes place at the European Go Congress 2026, in Ankara, Türkiye. For all questions regarding accommodation, food and so on, please refer to the EGC website.
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First of all, you need to be a national of an EGF member country, meaning that you have a passport from this country. Players who are citizens from suspended members cannot participate. You can be already qualified (then you just check the players list) or can qualify by ranking, if you are among the best interested players. The selection will be over in June, so you need to have a decent enough peak GoR to qualify, usually 4d+ at the very least.
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Long story short - no..., but it would be hi(iii)ghly appreciated if you could keep some good standing for such an important event. Nevertheless, we understand it might be very hot and long and you don't travel with a wardrobe. But, in general, it is very wishable and appreciated if you wear a bit better clothing than hoodies, almost-naked-shirts and flip-flops, especially for the opening and final stage.
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Usually the games are all broadcast online, so you can follow there, which is better to keep the room quiet and avoid any kind of incidents with the players. In other words, please refrain from going back and forth into the room and respect the organizer's decisions regarding the access.
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Top boards will be shown on OGS, gogameslive.eu, IGS and IZIS go servers, most likely. They will be commentated on by strong players on the European Go Federation Twitch channel.