The brain behind GRND is Felix Schneider, a prominent figure in the German-speaking poker scene, who has long been dedicated to content creation and community building both in live and online poker. On the other side is Jan "HeyHansi" Wagner, whose name is tied to HansiMania and a community-driven approach to the game that prioritizes experience, emotion, and a shared poker narrative over results. When these two brands joined forces, it was clear that this was going to be no ordinary festival in Liechtenstein.
And that's exactly how the Community Festival is shaping up. Scheduled from April 12 to 19, the program combines the main tournament with several side events designed to appeal to a broad spectrum of players. The cornerstone of the entire festival is the Main Event, boasting a 150,000CHF guarantee and a buy-in of 220+30CHF. Players start with 50,000 chips, and the agenda includes multiple starting flights. Day 1A kicked off on Saturday, April 12, followed by Days 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, and 1F, with the grand finale on Sunday, April 19.
However, the festival isn't resting solely on the Main Event. Initially, satellites to the Main Event were launched, giving players a chance to enter for a lower price. The program is complemented by a Mystery Bounty with a 20,000CHF guarantee and smaller community events like Felix Freezeout, Community Clash PKO, Chaos Bounty, Verrückte Ananas, and Hansi Hunt. To cap off the festival, a High Roller and Community Closer are scheduled, ensuring the lineup caters to recreational players, regular grinders, and those seeking to be part of an extraordinary poker event.
The biggest spotlight naturally goes to the Main Event. The tournament with a 150,000CHF guarantee opened the festival in grand style, and the first starting day showed that interest in this format is high. A total of 91 unique players entered Day 1A, alongside 33 re-entries. This flight produced a competitive field, with 15 players advancing to Sunday's final after bagging their stack.
The chipleader following Day 1A was a German player known as Maki, who bagged 788,000 chips. Close behind was Daniele Polverino from Liechtenstein with a stack of 661,000, and Marcel Messora from Switzerland rounded out the top three with 604,000. The field of qualifiers is diverse, featuring players from Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Austria, underscoring the festival's international dimension. Here's the complete list of qualifiers from Day 1A of the Main Event:
| Position | Player | Country | Chips |
| 1 | Maki | Germany | 788,000 |
| 2 | Daniele Polverino | Liechtenstein | 661,000 |
| 3 | Marcel Messora | Switzerland | 604,000 |
| 4 | Christoph Peter Schaufelberger | Switzerland | 581,000 |
| 5 | P2 | Austria | 544,000 |
| 6 | Tom Pot | Germany | 468,000 |
| 7 | Jorge Turienzo Aira | Switzerland | 418,000 |
| 8 | Van Son Nguyen | Liechtenstein | 366,000 |
| 9 | Domenico Bitetto | Switzerland | 357,000 |
| 10 | Yves Robert Thalmann | Switzerland | 344,000 |
| 11 | Bababarassus | Switzerland | 293,000 |
| 12 | Holdem76CH | Switzerland | 243,000 |
| 13 | Kevin Caner Pichet | Switzerland | 208,000 |
| 14 | Ospite | Switzerland | 168,000 |
| 15 | Manuel Andreas Fröhlich | Germany | 152,000 |
The Community Festival at Grand Casino Liechtenstein has enjoyed a successful start, but the best is yet to come. The upcoming starting days of the Main Event could still shake things up significantly, and it will be interesting to follow how the side events, which give the whole festival its unique pace, unfold. For viewers, we have a live stream scheduled over Saturday and Sunday from this event, so the final action can be enjoyed from afar with players' cards revealed. See you in Liechtenstein?
