#FIDEPDC – International Chess Federation

Building the future of chess far from the spotlight: How FIDE’s Development Fund is shaping chess around the world

editor_d — Fri, 01 May 2026 14:02:09 +0000

By Milan Dinic

While the global chess spotlight is usually fixed on elite competitions and players, a quieter transformation has been taking place behind the scenes. Over the past six years, FIDE has channelled nearly €9.4 million into grassroots chess development. Through its Development Fund, it has supported projects across continents and helped build chess in places rarely featured in the headlines.

In July 2023, the Bahamas was celebrating the 50th anniversary of its independence. Across the islands, tourists mixed with locals at festivals showcasing Bahamian heritage, music and cuisine. Against the backdrop of the celebrations, a long-held dream was transforming into reality: the Bahamas Chess Federation brought together 16 talented junior players, including members of youth national chess teams from Central America and the Caribbean, for a summer chess camp to increase the number of rated players from the region. The programme was led by National Trainer CM Elton Joseph, and supported by two junior trainers, a female trainer as well as an experienced arbiter. It was seen as a firm step in building a grassroots youth chess initiative that has continued

The project in the Bahamas is one of many supported by FIDE’s Planning & Development Commission over the years. This is all part of a global effort funded by FIDE to institutionally strengthen member federations through the provision of financial and technical assistance.

The FIDE Development Fund

Since 2019, the FIDE Planning & Development Commission (PDC) – which runs the Development Fund – has built a robust support mechanism to strengthen national federations, continental bodies and affiliated organisations.

While PDC focuses on projects initiated by member federations and associations, the Development Fund also includes projects run directly by FIDE – such as in the Kakuma refugee camp, or Chess in Prisons or Chess in Slums.

The Development Fund has enabled 801 projects totalling €5.65 million between 2019 and 2025. The vast majority of this funding has gone to continental associations and national federations, with smaller but meaningful support to FIDE commissions, zonal and affiliated organisations. In addition, continental associations receive €100,000 each year to support continental championships, zonal events, training and educational projects.

FIDE has also provided more than €3 million in travel subsidies for the 2022 and 2024 Chess Olympiads, bringing the total amount of support to just under €9.4 million in the 2019-2025 period.

The value of travel subsidies is expected to reach €2 million for the 2026 Olympiad. The travel subsidies were all directed to Level 3 to Level 5 federations, which would otherwise struggle to fund their participation in the Olympiads.

The funding net is wide. Projects span from basic chess education, to coaching, cognitive development and inclusion. FIDE has supported federations through capacity building, arbiter training, event organisation, the purchase of boards, pieces and clocks, and travel and accommodation for players.

“FIDE’s mission is to spread chess and use it as a tool to bring people and communities together. As with the Year of Social Chess or the ongoing Year of Chess in Education, we want to promote chess as a tool for cognitive development, social inclusion and a useful instrument in education systems and for that we need strong federations and grassroots initiatives,” says Dana Reizniece, Deputy Chair of the FIDE Management Board.

“For FIDE, development is not a side project – it is the mission which we have been working on persistently, including through the Development Commission,” Reizniece added.

How FIDE’s Development Fund works

While support for federations existed before, since 2019, FIDE’s Planning & Development Commission has focused on promoting a more robust and consistent application and funding system.

The Development Fund operates as a grant mechanism, with FIDE working directly with federations that need support.

Beneficiaries have to apply for support through the PDC application process which publicly outlines criteria, guidelines and KPI frameworks that must be met for grants to be eligible for consideration.

The funding cycle for 2026 opened in January. FIDE is also providing an incentive for early applications – an extra 10% in funding for applications submitted before July.

“While FIDE has always worked hard on providing support to our member federations, since 2019 our goal was to make this process more formal and structured, providing clear guidance and equal opportunities to all federations to apply for grants,” says Laurent Freyd, International Arbiter and Chair of the FIDE Planning & Development Commission.

This includes what PDC calls “soft support” for federations. PDC provides consultancy and capacity building through pitch meetings, helping federations improve project proposals, budgeting, and strategic planning. Pitch meetings also involve relevant commissions for cross-functional project evaluation, enabling real-time feedback and alignment.

Institutional, not ad hoc support

The Development Fund is financed from FIDE’s overall budget, which includes income from events and sponsorships linked to major FIDE competitions.

The General Assembly’s 2026 budget shows that total income is projected to rise from €13.17 million in the 2025 budget to €18.85 million in 2026. The biggest driver of this growth is income from FIDE events, which jumps from €9.6 million in 2025 to €16.1 million in 2026. The increase in event-driven income means FIDE has greater resources for development programmes. For 2026 the organisation allocated €400,000 for national-federation support and €400,000 for continent funding, with additional support for zones, commissions and social/educational projects.

As the funding is approved by the General Assembly and is independently audited, it is part of a structured financial system.

For fairness and transparency, FIDE has introduced the Development Index to rank national federations based on their current capacity and capabilities. The index uses six parameters, grouped into three broad areas – chess population, activity and performance – to determine which level a federation will belong to.

Level 1 includes the most developed federations, while Level 5 includes the least developed. A newly registered federation starts at Level 5.

FIDE publishes the current list annually on the PDC website. The live page says the list is current as of 20 January 2026.

“We want to be fully clear and transparent in everything we do. Sometimes, federations may find our requirements or assessment criteria too rigid or may think they don’t go far enough, but they apply to everyone with the aim of securing the most balanced and fair outcome,” Freyd notes.

Data shows that federations in Africa and South America receive most of the funding because those regions face the biggest development challenges.

The main priority areas PDC receives requests for include hosting chess competitions, chess training and support for players to participate in international competitions.

“Hosting events funding correlates with lower development levels – smaller federations usually need help organising first national championships,” says Freyd.

Building where the spotlight doesn’t reach

While FIDE’s Development Fund support has reached the most remote parts of the world, its focus on lower-capacity federations has meant its work is not given the prominence and coverage of major global chess events and spectacles.

“Our work is constant and far-reaching, but it’s rarely in the spotlight. We focus on providing federations with support to build a solid chess infrastructure which is a prerequisite for hosting major events and chess stars,” Freyd points out.

“While FIDE has provided millions in grants over the years, there is much more we plan to do”.

Money is always limited and although FIDE has managed to find sponsors and increase the overall funding over the years, the global growth in interest and popularity of chess has also meant more requests for support.

“It is a welcome challenge for us to help fund events which will pay dividends to the chess community in many years to come,” says Freyd.

From buying digital clocks and boards for chess clubs in Liberia and Japan, to supporting the development of chess projects for women and girls in St Lucia and Albania, to teaching chess to students in Oman and Senegal, FIDE’s Planning & Development Commission is not just funding projects; it is building a global chess infrastructure to support the future growth of the game.

In places where chess is struggling to survive or only beginning to take root, a network of targeted, structured support is helping reshape how the game grows worldwide.

FIDE announces Enhanced Development Funding for 2025

editor_d — Sat, 01 Mar 2025 11:13:14 +0000

The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has launched its revamped funding programme on March 1, 2025, introducing significant improvements to its Planning and Development Commission (PDC) funding guidelines. These changes aim to strengthen chess development worldwide while streamlining support for FIDE beneficiaries.

Designating 2025 as the Year of Social Chess, FIDE is introducing additional funding opportunities for projects that demonstrate community impact. Organizations developing programs that integrate chess into social development initiatives may qualify for enhanced financial support.

A major innovation is FIDE’s new digital application process, replacing traditional paperwork with a comprehensive online survey. This modernized system, will be available on the PDC website, offering a more efficient application experience for all beneficiaries.

FIDE has also expanded its support network, recognizing three new affiliated members—Isle of Man, New Caledonia, and Greenland—which will now receive the same funding consideration as national chess federations. FIDE now requires affiliated organizations to maintain proper legal registration and dedicated bank accounts to qualify for funding support.

A key procedural enhancement requires beneficiaries to participate in preliminary pitch meetings with FIDE before submitting funding requests. This strategic approach ensures better alignment between proposed projects and FIDE’s development objectives.

“The 2025 programme represents a significant step forward in FIDE’s development strategy,” states Laurent Freyd, Chair of the Planning and Development Commission. “By modernizing our processes and emphasizing social impact, we’re creating a more robust framework for chess development worldwide. We anticipate that these upgrades will help us build stronger partnerships and deliver more meaningful support to chess communities all around the world.”

The updated guidelines reflect FIDE’s commitment to professional, transparent, and impactful chess development. Federations interested in applying for funding are encouraged to review the new requirements.

PDC webinar on 2025 FIDE Funding Guidelines announced

editor_d — Thu, 27 Feb 2025 12:28:35 +0000

Dear FIDE members,

We are happy to announce that FIDE starts its Planning and Development Funding programme 2025 cycle on the 1st of March 2025.

All beneficiaries entitled to the funding programme are welcome to submit their requests for 2025 development projects.

FIDE PDC has published the new 2025 FIDE Funding guidelines with some adaptations and amendments of 2025 here: https://pdc.fide.com/guidelines2025/.

We would like to invite you to the FIDE PDC Webinar initiated to discuss the new guidelines with amendments, new application procedure, format of applying for funds and other important changes related to the FIDE Planning and Development programme and procedure.

The FIDE PDC Webinar will take place on March 03, 2025, at 14.00 pm CET via ZOOM platform. Link to the webinar is below:
us06web.zoom.us/j/83941940294?pwd=a9WxS5mqbC3q4fPN0saPNqC1RxEF7k.1

Meeting ID: 839 4194 0294
Passcode: 801501
Topic: FIDE PDC Funding Programme 2025 – start of the cycle
Time: Mar 3, 2025 02:00 PM Paris

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PDC: mission and current projects

KN — Sun, 09 Aug 2020 06:34:44 +0000

The Planning and Development Commission, often shortened as PDC, is one of the most important bodies within FIDE. The crucial role played by PDC is perfectly acknowledged by the federations, but it is not so well known by the general public – at least, not to the extend we think it should. So it seemed sensible to devote a blog post to this commission and offer an update to the chess community about its most recent initiatives.

The primary goal of the PDC is the institutional strengthening of the various arms of FIDE including federations, continental bodies, and member associations. FIDE comprises 195 members of which greater than 70% are under-developed as it relates to chess activity and management within their countries.

To tackle this problem, the PDC was given the mandate in 2018 to manage the FIDE development fund, and in 2019 seventy-seven federations were approved for funding totaling just over US$1 million.

However, the support provided by FIDE and the PDC to these federations is not limited to financial support. “After having reviewed a year of the funding programme, Team PDC felt that it was critical to better understand the environment in which federations operate in order to enhance the effectiveness of the PDC’s work and programmes”, explains Sonja Johnson, who currently serves as the Chairperson for PDC.

The Planning and Development Commission has been recently restructured to have a complement of four designated councilors which allowed for more active management of the various continents. It is in this context that PDC’s latest project, the PDC Fed Forums, was conceptualized.

PDC Fed Forums

Over the past two years, the Planning and Development Commission has collected quite a bit of information on the operations of federations and therefore feels it’s best positioned to engage federations in talks surrounding their development.

However, the PDC felt that in order to develop programs for the benefit of members, it is important to include the members so that they are part of this important process.

This is where the PDC Fed Forums come into play. These forums are virtual meetings of about 60-90 minutes, which aim at engaging the federations in small groups, e.g. as a zone and/or by language, since even within zones there may have different languages spoken by the members. “Our feeling is that these sessions should be structured to facilitate active participation and therefore sessions will mostly be conducted in English and allow for translation in multiple languages: French, Spanish, Arabic and Russian: while also being held at more convenient times, such as on evenings or even weekends”, explains Sonja.

This engagement seeks to:

– Determine the specific needs of the federations in that group

– Provide feedback on the performance of federations based on reports submitted as a result of prior funding

– Identify areas where there may be common solutions to needs to optimize the use of the development fund.

The PDC Chair, Councillors and PDC Secretary participate in these meetings, in which it is expected to have at least 2 members of each federation in the meeting, and not just the President.

The following forums have already been held:

Here you can check the schedule of the upcoming PDC Fed Forums.

“The initial feedback from federations has been extremely positive as federations have indicated this is the first time that they are being provided with an opportunity to directly share what matters to them. We are also committed to working with federations towards their sustained development”, concludes Sonja. The meetings are being recorded, and the outcomes shared via various means including the PDC website and a dedicated Youtube channel.

Based on the discussions, the PDC will structure a series of knowledge-sharing activities which may include: Workshops, webinars, or Panel Discussions. PDC will mainly tap into internal resources, e.g. other commissions or experts within FIDE to assist in the delivery of these sessions.

More info:

Contact: planninganddevelopmentsecretary@fide.com

Website of the Planning and Development Commission.

PDC Fed Forums project.