Tyrnhaw 2026 opens registration for Slovakia's marquee HEMA tournament

Tyrnhaw 2026 is giving fighters something rare on the HEMA calendar: a trip to Trnava that should pay off in bouts, not just bracket luck. The 12th edition is set for October 17-18, and the format now guarantees every registered fencer at least six fights because all entrants move from pools into the elimination bracket.

Registration has already opened in waves, and that matters for anyone planning travel around the Slovak stop. Priority access for the top 300 fighters in HEMA Ratings began on June 7, while standard registration opens on June 14 at 17:00 CET. That system is designed to seed a strong field early without locking out the broader roster that makes Tyrnhaw worth the trip.

The 2026 slate is also cleaner and more focused. Organizers have announced four divisions: Longsword Men, Longsword Women, Sabre Men and Sabre Women. Sabre Women is planned as a standalone category, though the field can be merged into Sabre Open if numbers run thin, a practical safeguard that could reshape the bracket depending on how deep the entry list gets. For competitors, that is not a small detail. It affects planning, travel, and the kind of matchups the tournament can actually deliver.

Tyrnhaw is run by Trnavský šermiarsky cech under the supervision of the Slovak HEMA Federation, FEBUS, and it uses OnlyFence for registration, scoring and live results. The event also ties its trophies to the Tyrnhaw Steel Wheel of Fame, with a laurel wreath on the line, and the registration package includes Sunday sparring and an afterparty. That mix of serious competition and built-in floor time is why the event has become a reliable autumn destination rather than just another one-day bracket.

The tournament’s track record backs up the hype. Tyrnhaw started as a HEMA weekend in 2011 and has been held annually since 2015. In 2025, Slovak media said more than 160 fencers from 20 countries across Europe and North America were expected in Trnava, while HEMA Ratings listed 140 fighters in the event database and showed huge fields in Men’s Steel Longsword, Mixed Steel Rapier & Dagger and Women’s Steel Longsword. That scale is exactly why the six-bout floor matters: fighters are not flying to Trnava for a single direct elimination and a plane ticket home. They are going for a bracket built to test them.