The 2026 Harry Camilleri Memorial Chess Tournament was held between 6 and 20 May at the Malta Chess Federation premises, marking the ninth edition of the event and continuing its place as an established fixture on the local chess calendar.

Played over seven rounds using the Swiss System format, the tournament featured a classical time control of 90 minutes plus a 30-second increment per move. This year’s edition once again brought together a strong mix of experienced players, rising juniors and competitive local talent.

CM Matthew Portelli delivered a commanding performance throughout the tournament, securing clear first place with an excellent score of 6 points from 7 games. Remarkably, Portelli had already mathematically secured tournament victory with one round still to play, confirming first place after Round 6. His impressive display also resulted in a gain of 28 rating points.

FM Patrick Zerafa finished in second place following a consistent tournament performance, while Alexander Greve completed the podium in third position after tie-breaks separated four players tied on 5/7.

One of the standout performances of the tournament came from John Refalo, who significantly outperformed his starting ranking. Entering the event seeded tenth, Refalo finished in fifth place overall while gaining an impressive 52 rating points — one of the largest rating increases of the tournament.

Category winners were:

• Best Under-19 – Onurcan Pala
• Best Under-18 – John Refalo
• Best Under-16 – Nikol Borg
• Best Under-14 – Keshav Reyansh

The tournament once again highlighted the competitive spirit and growing strength of the Maltese chess community, while continuing to honour the legacy of Harry Camilleri, one of Malta’s most respected chess figures.

The Malta Chess Federation thanked all players who participated in this year’s edition and looks forward to continuing to celebrate Harry Camilleri’s legacy through future editions of the tournament.