Apple Wins Israeli High-Tech Chess Championship for Second Consecutive Year

Apple secured first place among 92 participating tech companies in the 2026 Israeli High-Tech Chess Championship, marking its second consecutive victory. The tournament, held for the fifth year running, featured a record 350 employees from various technology firms competing in an event hosted by fintech giant Intuit and cybersecurity company Zscaler at Intuit's offices in Petah Tikva. Apple scored 11.5 out of 15 points, ahead of Matrix and Nvidia, which tied for second and third with 9.5 points each.

The championship saw significant growth since its inception, with the number of participating companies increasing by over 217% from 29 in the first edition to 92 this year. The competition included four preliminary rounds, from which 30 companies advanced to the finals. Notable participants included Google, Amazon, Applied Materials, SimilarWeb, SentinelOne, Salesforce, and other leading Israeli tech firms. Over 900 games were played during the tournament.

Founded by international chess master Alon Mindlin, who recently gained attention for defeating former world champion Magnus Carlsen, the event is part of TechMate, a community initiative connecting thousands of individuals and hundreds of organizations through chess. TechMate organizes meetups, competitions, courses, and lectures that blend chess with technology.

The championship is considered the first of its kind globally, linking employees, managers, entrepreneurs, and investors from hundreds of tech companies in a large-scale organizational chess competition. Apple received a special prize from Uri Greenbaum, CEO of TipRanks, the official sponsor of Hikaru Nakamura, the world’s third-ranked chess player. The award included a chessboard signed by Magnus Carlsen and Nakamura, who also sent a congratulatory message to participants and the Israeli tech community.

Alon Mindlin expressed pride in the community built around the championship, emphasizing chess as a platform for networking, strategic thinking, and connection among people. He highlighted the rapid growth and expressed optimism for continued expansion and new milestones in the future.