Opens and the city championship 5

The tournaments on this page are open to outside players and rated by FIDE. The Open Cologne City Championship, run by the Cologne Chess Association, reached its sixty-sixth edition in 2026 and is played over five days in May; a player from a club outside Cologne can take the title. In August two summer opens follow each other: the Leverkusen Summer Open, formerly the Bayer Summer Open, and the three-day Hennef Elo Summer Open.

In February the International Brühl Open is played in several sections, and in December Bonn hosts a qualifier of the German Amateur Chess Championship at the Maritim Hotel, with sections by rating group and a blitz alongside. Many clubs also hold opens of their own, from the Ford Open to the Horrem rapid tournament and the Müngersdorf citizens’ tournament; those are listed with their clubs.