46th Chess Olympiad Samarkand 2026 Open

46th Chess Olympiad Samarkand 2026 Women

The Open and the Women’s Olympiad

The Chess Olympiads will take place in the ancient Silk Road city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from 15 till 27 September 2026.

LIVE

The Olympiad will consist of two sections, Open and Women.

Both events will be played over 11 rounds, using the Swiss system, with teams of four players plus one reserve.

Three trophies

There will be three trophies:

The Hamilton-Russell Cup for the winners of the Open section
The Vera Menchik Cup for the winners of the Women section
The Nona Gaprindashvili Trophy for the best combined federation performance across the Open and Women sections

Schedule

The Opening Ceremony will take place on 15 September, while the first round will be played on 16 September.

After round six, there will be a day off on 22 September. Round 11 and Closing Ceremony will take place on 27 September.

Team Registration and further information:

The registration for the FIDE Chess Olympiad starts on 20 April 2026.

Составы команд (Open)

Составы команд (Women)

Regulations

Participating teams in the Open and Women’s sections are invited to register following the credentials they shall receive to their official federation’s e-mail address.

More information about the FIDE Chess Olympiad can be found here: https://chessolympiad2026.fide.com/.

A $6 million commitment to help media communications

I announce the creation of a FIDE Chess Media Fund, with $1.5 million per year, from 2027 to 2030. This is a minimum commitment of $6 million over four years.

The Fund will support projects by national federations to help them build and increase their media capacity to better promote their work and players. This includes support for building digital channels, developing sponsorship materials and receiving practical training and expert support.

The fund is open to all national federations. It is important to note that this would be additional funding. The proposed Development Fund programmes would run separately, with a separate budget allocated for that.

Our goal is practical. We need more chess in public, and to achieve that, we also need to help federations build capacities on how to spread their message, engage audiences and sponsors.

We want to help Member Federations build their own, independent, media voices. This is one of the pillars of capacity building within FIDE which we want to provide.

— 2027–2030
— $1.5m annually
— $6m minimum personal commitment

More info here

Timur Turlov

ASIAN NATIONS CHESS CUP 2026

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

9–18 November 2026

The Asian Nations Chess Cup 2026 will bring together national chess teams from across Asia in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, from 9 to 18 November 2026.

The championship is organized by the UAE Chess Federation under the auspices of the Asian Chess Federation (ACF), in cooperation with Abu Dhabi Chess Club & Mind Games as the Local Organizing Committee. Eligible FIDE-affiliated national chess federations from Asian Zones 3.1 to 3.8 are invited to participate.

Men’s and Women’s Championships

The Asian Nations Chess Cup will feature separate Men’s and Women’s team competitions, providing national teams from across the continent with the opportunity to compete for the prestigious Asian team titles.

Each participating federation may register a team consisting of four players and one reserve in both the Men’s and Women’s competitions. The official delegation may include a maximum of 10 persons.

Each match will be played over four boards, with teams submitting their line-ups before each round. The competitions will be conducted under the applicable ACF and FIDE regulations.

Nine Rounds of Competition

The championship is scheduled to be played over nine rounds under the Swiss System. If ten or fewer teams participate in a competition, a Round Robin format may be used in accordance with the applicable ACF regulations.

The competition will begin with the Opening Ceremony and first round on 10 November, following the arrival of delegations on 9 November. The remaining rounds will be played through 17 November, with the Closing Ceremony scheduled for the evening of 17 November.

The time control will be 90 minutes per player, with a 30-second increment from move one, using FIDE-approved electronic chess clocks.

Teams will score two match points for a win, one for a draw and zero for a loss. The final ranking will be determined according to the applicable match-point and tie-break regulations.

Asian Titles and World Championship Qualification

The winning teams will be awarded the titles of Asian Nations Chess Cup Men’s Champion 2026 and Asian Nations Chess Cup Women’s Champion 2026.

Championship trophies will be presented to the winning teams, while members of the first-, second- and third-placed teams will receive gold, silver and bronze medals respectively. Individual board prizes will also be awarded in accordance with the applicable ACF regulations.

The Asian Nations Chess Cup also carries an important qualification pathway: the winning teams will represent Asia in the relevant FIDE World Team Championship where such qualification is provided under the applicable FIDE and ACF regulations.

Abu Dhabi Ready to Welcome Asian Teams

The host organizers will provide accommodation and full-board services for eligible official participating teams during the official event period, from arrival on 9 November until departure on 18 November 2026, in accordance with the championship regulations.

Participating federations are required to submit their final team lists and the documents necessary for visa processing no later than 20 October 2026, unless an earlier deadline is required by the UAE authorities or otherwise approved by the Asian Chess Federation.

With national teams from across the Asian continent expected to compete in both sections, the Asian Nations Chess Cup 2026 promises to be an important gathering of Asian chess and a major highlight of the continental chess calendar.

The Asian Chess Federation and the UAE Chess Federation look forward to welcoming the participating national teams to Abu Dhabi in November 2026 for a championship celebrating competitive excellence, national representation and the spirit of Asian chess.

Regulations

asianchess.com

FIDE World Junior U20 Rapid and Blitz Championships: Registration now open

FIDE, in cooperation with the United Arab Emirates Chess Federation and Al Ain Chess & Mind Games Club, invites all FIDE member federations to participate in the World Junior U20 Rapid and Blitz Championships 2026. Each federation can register an unlimited number of players. The championships will be held in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, from November 1 (arrival) to November 7 (departure), 2026.

The winners of the World Junior Rapid & Blitz Championships 2025 and the top 10 players on the starting list (5 Rapid + 5 Blitz for the open section and 5 Rapid + 5 Blitz for the girls’ section) are entitled to free full-board accommodation in a double room.

FIDE member Federations should proceed with the registration of their participants. Please note that eligible players must be born on or after January 1, 2006.

The official registration link: https://juniorrapidandblitz2026.fide.com

Email: juniorrapidblitz@fide.com

Invitation, regulations, schedule (PDF)
The deadline for registration, hotel reservations and receipt of all applicable payments is October 20, 2026.

fide.com

Atyrau Open 2026 (Masters)

Atyrau Open 2026 (Open)

Atyrau Open 2026 International Chess Tournament

(Stage 3 of the Kazakhstan Chess Cup 2026)

Location: Abulkhair Khan Avenue, 79

The overall management and organization of the Tournament shall be carried out by the Kazakhstan
Chess Federation (KCF) with the support of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of
Kazakhstan as well as the Department of Physical Education and Sport of Atyrau region

Atyrau Open 2026 Masters (LIVE)

Atyrau Open 2026 (LIVE)

Dates: October 11 (arrival day) – October 21 (departure day), 2026;

Playing venue: to be published on the KCF website.

Masters Tournament

Main Prizes KZT 37 750 000 ≈ USD 75 500

The Stage consists of two tournaments (hereinafter the Tournaments):

• Masters tournament;
• Open tournament.

The Tournaments shall be FIDE rated.
The Tournaments shall be held as 9-round Swiss system events in accordance with FIDE Laws of
Chess.
Pairings shall be made using the Swiss Manager software.

Time control: classical 90+30 (90 minutes for the entire game with an increment of 30 seconds per
move starting from move one).
Any player arriving at the chessboard more than 30 minutes after the start of the session shall lose
the game by default.
Draw offers are prohibited before move 30.

Fair play (anti-cheating) measures shall be implemented in accordance with the FIDE Anti-Cheating
Regulations under the standard protection level. A 15-minute broadcast delay shall be applied.

All players must adhere to the dress code (Business Casual, Smart Casual; shorts and slippers are not
allowed).
Smoking in the playing hall is prohibited.
A player who has finished their game is considered a spectator and must leave the tournament hall.

Registration opens on July 29, 2026.

Registration for the tournaments is accepted at the following link: https://opencups.kazchess.kz until
September 11, 2026;

ЕРЕЖЕ

Regulations

РЕГЛАМЕНТ

Contact Information

Tournament Director: Vice President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, Marat Yesenov
Tournament Technical Director: Anuar Ismagambetov, tournaments@kazchess.kz.
Chief Arbiter: To be appointed by the ACC (Arbiter’s Council of Kazakhstan)
Tournament Secretary: To be appointed by the ACC
Tournament Manager: To be appointed, tournaments@kazchess.kz

kazchess.kz

DUSHANBE TO HOST THE 2ND TAJIKISTAN PRESIDENT’S CUP

WITH A $60,000 PRIZE FUND

From 9 to 17 November 2026, Dushanbe will host the 2nd Tajikistan President’s Cup, one of the major international chess events in Central Asia.

The capital of Tajikistan will once again bring together some of the strongest players at the chessboard, including Grandmasters, International Masters, and promising young talents from around the world, all competing for the tournament’s prestigious title.

Total prize fund: US$60,000!

The tournament will be held in two sections:

Group A — for players rated 2200 and above
Group B — for players rated 2199 and below

Dates: 9–17 November 2026
Venue: Istiqlol Hotel, Dushanbe, Republic of Tajikistan

tajikistanchess

International Chessopen Graz 2027 A

Welcome to the 34th international chessopen Graz

The International Graz Open 2027 will take place at the beuatiful Hotel Novapark from 14th to 20th of February.

You are also invited to play at the blitztournament on 13th of February.

​

We’re really looking forward to welcome you in Graz at the Chess Open!

​

:: Registration via email at registration@chessgraz.com

​

:: Here you can download the tournament invitation

chessopengraz.com

Jerusalem Rapid Open 2026 — PRIZE FUND 45,000 euro

JERUSALEM RAPID OPEN 2026

17-18 NOVEMBER 2026

TOTAL PRIZE FUND €45,000

RAMADA HOTEL • JERUSALEM, ISRAEL

The Israeli Chess Federation warmly invites all players to participate in the Jerusalem Rapid Open, to be held on 17-18 November 2026 in Jerusalem, Israel

The venue for the event is the Ramada Hotel Jerusalem, 6 Ze’ev Vilnay Street, Jerusalem

Registration and payment deadline: 1 November 2026

Regulations

For more information:

elitechess.israel@gmail.com
WhatsApp: +972 54 685 0024

https://jerusalem.chess.org.il/

SixDays Budapest September 2026 Open norm edition

SixDays Budapest September 2026

Open tournament in 2 groups between 14-19 September 2026:

Norm Swiss group – for players above 2200. Some u2200 exceptions can be made to satisfy
the Norm Swiss status.

LIVE

FIDE now requires a 40+ player Swiss norm for GM, IM, WGM, WIM titles. Therefore at least
8 GMs will be guaranteed.

Event will satisfy 1.43d foreigner requirement, making it more accommodating for players to
earn norms

U2250 group – for players between 1800-2250.

Both groups will be 9 round Swiss System tournaments. (In case of 10 or less players, u2250
group will be a round robin tournament)

Playing hall capacity: 80 players. In the u2250 group the first 16 applications can be
confirmed. Further places might open depending on the number of the players in the Norm
Swiss group.

Participant lists will be updated regularly on chess-results.com.

Venue: 1055 Budapest, Falk Miksa utca 10., tournament hall of the Hungarian Chess
Federation

Regulations

https://sixdayschess.hu/

FIDE World U7-U17 Rapid and Blitz Championships 2026 Egypt: Registration now open

The International Chess Federation (FIDE) and the Egyptian Chess Federation are pleased to announce the 2026 FIDE World U7-U17 Rapid and Blitz Championships. The event will take place in Cairo, Egypt, from December 8 (arrival) to December 15 (departure), 2026.

The participants will compete across six age categories: Under 7, Under 9, Under 11, Under 13, Under 15, and Under 17, with separate Open and Girls sections.

Players who secured first place in the previous edition of the FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Cadets & Youth Championships (U9–U17 age groups) are granted the personal right to participate in the corresponding (or higher) age category, provided they meet the age requirement as of January 1, 2026.

FIDE Member Federations may register any number of players and accompanying officials/persons.

The registration deadline is November 1, 2026.

Invitation, regulations, schedule (PDF)

Registration details

Registration form: https://forms.gle/sJW3H1QfS5FZ3kqE8

Email: youthrapidblitz@fide.com

Official website: https://youthrapidblitz2026.fide.com