The 36th NATO Chess Championship took place in Jūrmala, Latvia, bringing together 148 military players from 18 NATO member nations for a seven-round Swiss competition. Held at the Baltic Beach Hotel & SPA from mid-October, the tournament featured the strongest field available to the participating countries.

GM Vahap Şanal dominated the event as the top seed and sole grandmaster participant, posting a perfect record to capture first place. IM Laura Unuk of Slovenia finished second with one loss, securing best woman honors despite avoiding the champion in pairings. A six-way tie developed for third position, resolved by Buchholz tiebreaks in favor of FM Robert Stein of Germany.

Türkiye's strength extended beyond the individual competition, as the team claimed the overall title by combining the four best scores from its representatives. Germany placed second in the team standings, while Sweden and Latvia tied for third, with Sweden prevailing on tiebreaks over the host nation.

The championship also included a nine-round blitz tournament won by IM Mark Timmermans of the Netherlands. Three players finished with identical scores, but Timmermans claimed first place through superior tiebreak calculation, with Stein and FM Efe Mert Kılıç of Türkiye completing the podium.