FIDE Congress – International Chess Federation https://www.fide.com International Chess Federation official website. Chess Tournaments, Championships, Videos and Results. Thu, 23 Apr 2026 15:28:29 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://www.fide.com/wp-content/uploads/cropped-512a_new-32x32.png FIDE Congress – International Chess Federation https://www.fide.com 32 32 Invitation: 46th Chess Olympiad, 3rd FIDE Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities & FIDE Congress 2026 https://www.fide.com/invitation-46th-chess-olympiad-3rd-fide-chess-olympiad-for-people-with-disabilities-fide-congress-2026/ Mon, 20 Apr 2026 10:12:18 +0000 https://www.fide.com/?p=45574

Dear chess Friends from across the globe,

On behalf of FIDE and the Organising Committee of the Uzbekistan Chess Federation, it is our distinct honour and pleasure to invite you to the 46th Chess Olympiad and the 3rd FIDE Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities, the world’s strongest and most important team chess competitions. Alongside these events, FIDE will hold its Congress and elections.

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.

The 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest set a record for the number of participating teams – 193 in the Open and 181 in the Women’s competition. The 46th Chess Olympiad is expected to surpass that number and bring together thousands of players and fans from across the world.

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. More information about tournament regulations can be found here: 
https://handbook.fide.com/files/handbook/Olympiad2026MainCompetition.pdf

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.

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/.

The 3rd FIDE Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities

Alongside the 46th Chess Olympiad, the 3rd FIDE Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities will take place from 10 to 18 September.

The international team competition is promoted by the FIDE Players with Disabilities Commission and aims to promote inclusivity and accessibility in chess.

More information about the FIDE Chess Olympiad for People With Disabilities, including the schedule, can be found here: https://dis-olympiad2026.fide.com/.

The FIDE Congress

FIDE will also hold its Congress during the Chess Olympiad. The Congress will take place from 20 to 27 September.

Bringing together the member federations at General Assembly, FIDE Council, Zonal Council, and FIDE Commissions, the Congress will include the FIDE Election on 26 September. Delegates will choose the leadership of FIDE for the following four years.

The General Assembly will also decide the hosts of the 2030 Chess Olympiad.

Honouring the FIDE Year of Chess in Education, an Educational Summit will be hosted during the Congress.

The program and details about the Congress are available here: https://congress.fide.com/.

We look forward to seeing you all in Samarkand for another important step forward for chess.

The invitation and event guide booklet for the Chess Olympiad, Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities and Congress is available here: https://doc.fide.com/docs/2026_Olympiad/Invitation_Olympiad_Congress_2026.pdf

]]> Travel subsidies for participants of Olympiad and delegates of FIDE Congress 2026 https://www.fide.com/travel-subsidies-for-participants-of-olympiad-and-delegates-of-fide-congress-2026/ Fri, 03 Apr 2026 09:08:16 +0000 https://www.fide.com/?p=44796

Travel Subsidies – Eligibility

FIDE will subsidize travel to Samarkand, Uzbekistan for eligible federations as follows.

Olympiad – Main Event

  1. Development Levels 3, 4 and 5 federations are eligible for travel subsidies up to the following limits:
    – for federations in Africa – 1,200 euros per person (14,400 euros for full team*)
    – for federations in Americas – 1,800 euros per person (21,600 euros for full team*)
    – for federations in Asia – 700 euros per person (8,400 euros for full team*)
    – for federations in Europe – 900 euros per person (10,800 euros for full team*)
    – for federations in Oceania – 1,800 euros per person (21,600 euros for full team*)
    FIDE Treasurer may at her sole discretion decide to increase the amount of travel subsidy for certain federations taking into account their particular circumstances.
    * Note: Full teams means 12 persons – Open and Women teams each comprised 5 players and a captain.
  2. In exceptional circumstances, Development Level 1 and 2 federations may apply for travel subsidies. Valid reasons for such applications may be remote location (and therefore very expensive tickets), poor economic situation in a country (as evidenced by per capita GDP significantly lower than the world’s average and other relevant economic indicators), etc. FIDE Treasurer will review such applications on a case-by-case basis taking into consideration particular circumstances of the federations in question, and decide on the amount of travel subsidy (if any) at her sole discretion.

Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities

All invited teams are eligible for travel subsidies. Each team comprises up to 7 invited participants (4 players, 1 reserve player / captain and up to 2 accompanying persons). The limits per person by continents are the same as stipulated in paragraph 1 of the “Olympiad – Main Competition” section.

Congress

Delegates of FIDE Congress are eligible for travel subsidy on the same principles as described in paragraphs 1 and 2 of the “Olympiad – Main Competition” section.

Travel Subsidies – Procedural Issues

  1. Expenses covered by travel subsidy: economy class air tickets and other essential expenses related to international travel (visas, etc.). Discretionary expenses (including meals) will not be reimbursed.
  2. FIDE may buy tickets for eligible national chess federations in lieu of paying travel subsidy. Prior to making any travel arrangements, national chess federations shall consult with FIDE.
  3. If FIDE advises that national chess federations make travel arrangements on their own, requests for the travel subsidy payments together with relevant supporting documents (tickets / receipts / invoices / etc.) shall be sent to FIDE Office no later than 31 October 2026. Applications for travel subsidy received by FIDE Office after 31 October 2026 will not be accepted.
  4. Travel subsidy will be paid within 6 weeks after the Olympiad completion taking into account the actual number of persons who attended the Olympiad. Expenses incurred with respect to persons who did not attend the Olympiad will not be reimbursed. For the avoidance of doubt, if actual travel expenses are lower than the limits stated above, only actual expenses will be reimbursed.
  5. In exceptional cases, federations may apply to receive travel subsidy prior to the event. FIDE Treasurer will review such applications and decide on the amount of prepayment (if any) on a case-by-case basis.
  6. All communications on this matter (applications for travel subsidies, expense reports, etc.) shall be sent to the FIDE Office email.
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