The fourth Tunnet Taimla Memorial opens its first round in Tallinn, Estonia, at 2 p.m. on Dec. 18, 2026. The open tournament reaches its seventh round on Dec. 20. Across those three days, the program also includes online blitz for players who cannot travel and an in-person blitz event on the final afternoon. New this year is a B division for less experienced players. The open tournament again uses Taraguchi-10 rules.
Three Days, Several Ways to Play
The online program includes Renju blitz, with seven minutes per player plus three seconds per move, and a separate Gomoku blitz event. Both give players who cannot get to Tallinn a way to take part. The open tournament remains in person.
An in-person blitz event follows on the afternoon of Dec. 20, the day of the open tournament’s final round. It is separate from both online events. The open runs from Dec. 18 through Dec. 20 and ends after seven rounds.
The fourth tournament’s announcement on renju.net names three organizers: the Renju International Federation (RIF), vint.ee and the Estonian Renju Union. Ando Meritee is the tournament director. Together, the three organizations have put together a schedule that extends beyond the boards in Tallinn.
The Open Tournament and Its Clock
The Tallinn open is an RIF-rated event, classified as an International Competition and paired by the Swiss system. Each player has 60 minutes, with 30 seconds added after every move. The clock gives the seven rounds their rhythm.
Chief arbiter Ants Soosõrv also handles the pairings. His name appears in Taimla’s own story: Soosõrv coached him as he learned Renju. Years later, the coach will officiate at a tournament named for his former student.
Entry to the in-person event costs 15 euros, including snacks and drinks. The announcement sets the opening ceremony for 1:45 p.m. on Dec. 18, just 15 minutes before the open’s first round.
Last Year’s Seven Rounds
The third tournament took place Dec. 26–28, 2025, at Kivimäe School, Leegi 14, in Tallinn, according to the event record on renju.net. Eight players competed: seven from Estonia and one representing the Russian Renju Association. As this year, the open used Taraguchi-10.
The Estonian players were Aivo Oll, Renee Pajuste, Johann Lents, Villem Mesila, Kuno Kolk, Tauri Purk and Georg-Romet Topkin. Ilya Katsev represented the Russian Renju Association. Oll won six of seven games to take first place with 6/7; Pajuste finished second with 4.5 points. Both tournaments fall in a Tallinn December, under the same opening rules.
Taimla and His Coach
According to his Wikipedia entry, Tunnet Taimla was born on June 21, 1988, in Viljandi, Estonia. He began learning Renju in 1995, at age seven. An eighth-dan player, he was coached by Soosõrv, now the memorial’s chief arbiter. Taimla died on Feb. 9, 2023, at 34.
In 2003, Taimla won the Renju World Championship at 15, becoming its youngest-ever champion.
Taimla won the Renju World Championship again in 2013, becoming the third player to claim the individual title twice. Ten years separated those victories. The memorial honors a career with its own distinct dates and results.
His team record spans three more years: Taimla won the World Team Championship with Estonia in 2008, 2014 and 2016. In 2022, he was elected vice president of the Renju International Federation. Those titles, alongside his work in the federation, form the record he left behind.
The First Four Moves
The Taraguchi-10 rules on renju.net begin at tengen: Black places the first stone at the center of the board, after which the opponent may choose to swap colors. White’s second move must be within the central 3×3 square. Another optional swap follows.
Black’s third move may be placed within the central 5×5 square, again followed by an optional swap. White’s fourth move must be within the central 7×7 square; a swap is possible after that move, too. The permitted area widens with each move. For the fifth, the player holding Black chooses between two routes.
The Fifth Move, Two Ways
On the first route, Black places the fifth stone within the central 9×9 square. An optional swap follows, and White then plays the sixth move anywhere on the board. This route continues the gradual expansion from tengen.
On the second route, Black proposes ten candidate fifth moves on the board. None may be symmetrical to another. White selects one as the actual fifth move, then places the sixth anywhere. The “10” in Taraguchi-10 refers to those ten choices offered to White.
Black chooses the route, but the decision about the fifth move changes hands. A directly placed stone can be followed by a swap; when Black proposes ten points, White picks one. The latter route divides the work of proposing and choosing a position between the players, addressing a central question of fairness in Renju openings.
A New Division, and When to Arrive
This year introduces a B division for less experienced players. The announcement does not yet give its schedule. For now, the confirmed program consists of the open tournament, two online blitz events and the in-person blitz event on the final afternoon. The organizers have yet to announce the B division’s dates.
The opening ceremony in Tallinn is set for 1:45 p.m. on Dec. 18; the open’s first round starts at 2 p.m. The seventh round takes place on Dec. 20, with closing expected around 5:45 p.m. If you are playing in person, those are the times to plan your arrival and departure around.