Summary of PJAIT 2026

On February 26, 2026, the PJAIT 2026 tournament, organized by the PJAIT Data Science Club, took place in Auditorium A1 and Hall A at the Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology in Warsaw. The event combined sporting competition with the integration of the academic community—students, graduates, university staff, and guests from outside PJAIT gathered around the chessboards.

The tournament was played in an open format, using the Swiss system over 8 rounds. The tempo was rapid, with 10 minutes per player without added time, and the entire event was recreational and integrative in nature. A team of referees ensured the smooth running of the competition, and professional equipment—chessboards and clocks—was provided in cooperation with the "Talent" Chess School.

The day began with registration and technical briefing. Rounds 1-4 were played before noon, followed by an integration break, which included additional attractions: a lecture on chess bots, a lecture by a judge on chess rankings and categories, as well as competitions and quizzes, including Kahoot on chess knowledge and chess characters. After the break, rounds 5-8 took place, and the event culminated in an awards ceremony. Although the schedule was delayed by a total of about 30 minutes, the sporting part went smoothly and in a very good atmosphere.

There was a lot of interest in the event – 66 people signed up for the tournament. Over 40% of the participants were playing in their first live chess tournament.

Tournament results

The best result in the main classification was achieved by Maksym Rubtsov, a student PJAIT member of the Data Science Club, who won all his games and finished the tournament with a total of 8 points. Jan Sztwiertnia took second place with 7 points, and Tobiasz Radomski took third with 6 points. It is worth noting that high school students from Wiśniowa made a strong showing at the top of the rankings.

The Tournament Rookie of the Year award went toPaweł Brejnak, a student PJAIT, who took fourth place with 6 points in his first live tournament appearance. The title of "Chess Diplomat, " awarded for the highest number of draws, went to Daria Zapyshna.

Accompanying contests

There was also plenty of excitement outside the main classification. Paweł Podżorski won the chess knowledge competition, Franciszek Wiśniewski won the chess character knowledge competition, and Mateusz Luba won the Polish grandmaster knowledge competition. Oleksandr Lahoda achieved the best result in the chess position arrangement competition. Michał Połosak triumphed in the "Impossible Chess" category and also won the "Jar" competition .

Participants' impressions

After the event, participants rated both the tournament itself and its atmosphere very highly. The feedback collected shows that the friendly atmosphere, efficient organization of the games, additional attractions, and the integration break were particularly appreciated. It is also worth noting that82.4% of respondents rated the entire event 5/5, and88.2% declared their willingness to participate in future chessevents organized atPJAIT.

Summary

PJAIT 2026 confirmed that chess has great potential for integration and sport in our community. The tournament brought together people with different levels of experience, created a space for competition and conversation, and at the same time showed that it is worth developing regular chess initiatives at the university.

We would like to thank everyone involved in organizing the event – the Data Science Club PJAIT Research Club, the "Talent" Chess School, the main referee Mateusz Bronowicki, volunteers, photographers, and PJAIT employees and departments PJAIT the tournament. We would also like to thank all participants for their presence, sportsmanship, and the great atmosphere at the chessboards.