World’s top women’s championship: The Cairns Cup returns in August

One of the world’s strongest women’s super-tournaments returns to Saint Louis this summer as the 2026 Cairns Cup welcomes ten of the world’s top women chess players to compete for a $250,000 prize fund – one of the largest in women’s chess. The tournament will take place 8-21 August at the recently expanded Saint Louis Chess Club (STLCC), where it will run alongside the prestigious Sinquefield Cup, creating one of the world’s premier showcases of elite chess. Press release. | Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club