The European Women's Chess Championship 2026 delivered one of the biggest upsets of the season: Anastasiia Hnatyshyn, a 15-year-old from Ukraine seeded 76th, won the title outright with 9/11 in Batumi, Georgia.
The 11-round Swiss brought together 165 players from 32 European federations, running May 25 – June 5. Hnatyshyn finished half a point clear of a three-way tie for second between Vega Gutiérrez, Badelka and IM Nurgyul Salimova, each on 8.5/11.
The result rewrote Hnatyshyn's career trajectory overnight. The win earns her a direct WGM title and an IM norm, gains her 214 rating points, makes her the top-rated U20 girl in the live rankings, and qualifies her for the next FIDE Women's World Cup.
For a player entering the event as a fringe seed, the run through a 165-player field to an outright continental title stands as one of the standout individual performances of the year.