International Chess Federation

♟🌎 Latin America at the forefront of chess in education policy The Summit on Chess and Education, held in Costa Rica on 20 and 21 March, brought together experts from across Latin America to discuss how chess can support learning. In an article for the summit, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich wrote about Latin America’s growing role in shaping chess education policy worldwide. 🔗 Read here: fide.com/latin-america-… 📷 Costa Rica Chess Federation #everylessoncounts #Chessineducation @FIDEschoolChess

♟ How important is luck in the FIDE Candidates Tournament? 👀 Boris Gelfand, winner of the 2011 FIDE Candidates, shares his thoughts on the role of luck in one of the toughest events in chess — and what it really takes to go all the way. 🎥 Watch the full interview on YouTube! 👉 youtu.be/o5qfRPrMoIE 💭 Do you think luck decides the Candidates? Here’s what you need to know about the 2026 edition: 🗓 Dates: March 28–April 16 🌍 Location: Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort, Cyprus 🇨🇾 🎟 Book your tickets now: 🔗 tickets.fide.com #FIDECandidates #Cyprus #FIDE #Chess

♟️ The road to the crown begins soon! The FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 is just one week away, with the world’s best players heading to Cyprus to fight for a shot at the world title. 📍 Venue: Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort 🧠 Expect top-level chess, expert commentary, and exciting fan events — including masterclasses, simuls, lectures, and Q&As with legends like Viswanathan Anand, Boris Gelfand, and Alexandra Kosteniuk. ♟️ Side event: International Open Chess Tournament from April 13–19 (9-round classical Swiss with a €5,000 prize fund) Who will rise to challenge the champion? 👀 👉 Read the full article: fide.com/road-to-the-cr…

♟️ FIDE World Cadets Cup U8-U12: Registration deadline approaching FIDE has launched a new youth competition cycle, and the FIDE World Cadets Cup U8–U12 is a key part of it — serving as a qualifying event for the World Cadets Championships. 📍 The first edition will take place in Batumi, Georgia 🗓 June 15–28, 2026 ⏳ Registration deadline: April 15, 2026 👉 Read the full article and all details: fide.com/fide-world-cad…

♟️ History of the Candidates: from Budapest (1950) to Cyprus (2026). 🔸 Berlin 2018 – A New American Hope Three years after the World Rapid and Blitz Championships in Berlin, chess returned to the German capital for the most important tournament of the year — the 2018 FIDE Candidates Tournament. This time starring Sergey Karjakin, Levon Aronian, Ding Liren, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Alexander Grischuk, Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So, and Vladimir Kramnik. Only Ding and So did not have prior Candidates experience. For Kramnik, this was his fourth and – as it turned out – last Candidates Tournament, as a year later, he announced his retirement from classical chess. One of the initial favourites, 25-year-old Fabiano Caruana, started with victories in the first and fourth rounds, nonetheless breaking away from pursuers only towards the end of the tournament and securing his success with a last-round victory, bringing new hope for the US that after Bobby Fischer they will once again have a World Champion. In Berlin, Caruana picked up 20 rating points and climbed to the second spot in the world – he’d hold this position from May 2018 to October 2021 before clinching it again at the start of 2024! The ensuing World Championship Match in London was one of the closest in history, with all twelve classical games ending in draws before Carlsen clinched the title in the rapid tiebreak. Here’s what you need to know about the 2026 edition: 🗓 Dates: March 28–April 16 🌍 Location: Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort, Cyprus 🇨🇾 🎟️ Book your tickets now: 🔗 tickets.fide.com 📷 World Chess #FIDECandidates #Cyprus #FIDE #Chess

Ask the Candidates! ♟️ Have a burning question for the FIDE Candidates Tournament players? Leave it in the comments – the most interesting ones will be selected for our player interviews! Which candidate would you ask, and what would you ask them? 🔽💬 Here’s what you need to know about the 2026 edition: 🗓 Dates: March 28–April 16 🌍 Location: @capstgeorgeshotelresort, Cyprus 🇨🇾 🎟️ Book your tickets now: 🔗 tickets.fide.com 👉 LINK IN BIO @fide_chess #FIDECandidates #Cyprus #FIDE #Chess

♟ Shift your perspective: FIDE Infinite Chess hosts “An Atypical Day” for autism awareness ✨ In celebration of International Autism Awareness Day, the FIDE Infinite Chess project invites you to an online event that goes beyond the board to explore the real lives of families living with autism. This April 4, is a step into a world of unique perspectives, challenges, and triumphs. The FIDE Infinite Chess project is proud to present “An Atypical Day,” a special awareness talk dedicated to fostering understanding and sparking meaningful change within the chess community and beyond. 🔗 Read more and join us here: fide.com/shift-your-per… #FIDEInfiniteChess #ChessForAll #AutismAwareness

♟️ Serious chess interview… and then THIS happens 🐶😂 Featuring Peter Svidler — but let’s be honest, the real star stole the show 🐕 🎥 Watch the full interview on YouTube 👉 youtu.be/xNKEAdHuvkw Peter Svidler and Jan Gustafsson will be commentators at the 2026 #FIDECandidates on the FIDE YouTube channel. Here’s what you need to know about the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026: 🗓 Dates: March 28 – April 16 🌍 Location: Cap St Georges Hotel Resort, Cyprus 🇨🇾 🎟️ Book your tickets: 🔗 tickets.fide.com #FIDECandidates #Chess #FIDE #Cyprus

♟ 🤝⚽️ Football superstar Erling Haaland is investing in Norway Chess and its new tour format, the Total Chess World Championship Tour. Haaland has ambitious plans to contribute to make chess a broader and more spectator-friendly sport. 🔗 Read more: fide.com/erling-haaland… #TotalChess #TotalChessTour

👉 Introducing Humpy Koneru 🇮🇳 ♟️ Women's #FIDECandidates 2026 Qualification path: 2025 Women's World Cup 2nd place Humpy Koneru stands as one of the defining figures of modern women’s chess, blending early prodigious talent with more than two decades at the top of the game. She burst onto the world stage by winning the World Junior Girls Championship in 2001 and became a grandmaster the following year at just 15, at the time the youngest woman and the first Indian woman to do so. Since then, she has remained a fixture among the elite across all formats. Humpy qualified for the 2026 Candidates by reaching the final of the 2025 Women’s World Cup and arrives with a formidable record in speed chess, including five World Rapid and Blitz Championship medals: one gold, two silver, and two bronze. Her Women’s World Rapid title in 2024 and a fourth-place finish in the 2024−25 Women’s Grand Prix series, including victory at the Pune leg, underline her continued competitiveness at the very highest level. Here’s what you need to know about the event: 🗓 Dates: March 28–April 16 🌍 Location: Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort, Cyprus 🇨🇾 🎟️ Book your tickets now: 🔗 tickets.fide.com #FIDECandidates #Cyprus #FIDE

♟ Levon Aronian shares his picks for the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 👀 One of the world’s top players gives his thoughts on who is his favorite — and what it takes to succeed at the highest level. 🎥 Watch the full interview on YouTube! 👉 youtu.be/_5mv0OJlxtg Who’s your favorite to win? 💭 Here’s what you need to know about the 2026 edition: 🗓 Dates: March 28–April 16 🌍 Location: Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort, Cyprus 🇨🇾 🎟 Book your tickets now: 🔗 tickets.fide.com #FIDECandidates #Cyprus #FIDE #Chess

♟ 10 days to go! Who will become the next challenger? 🔥 The FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 is almost here! Round 1 is set for March 29 🗓 Here’s what you need to know: 🌍 Location: Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort, Cyprus 🇨🇾 🎟 Book your tickets now: 🔗 tickets.fide.com #FIDECandidates #Cyprus #FIDE #Chess

♟ Everything decided in one moment At the Candidates Tournament 2016, the final round came down to a direct clash between two players tied for first place - Sergey Karjakin and Fabiano Caruana. ❓ Can you find the best move and break Black’s defense? Here’s what you need to know about the 2026 edition: 🗓 Dates: March 28–April 16 🌍 Location: Cap St Georges Hotel Resort, Cyprus 🇨🇾 🎟 Book your tickets now: 🔗 tickets.fide.com #FIDECandidates #Chess #FIDE #Cyprus

♟️ History of the Candidates: from Budapest (1950) to Cyprus (2026). 🔸 Moscow 2016 – The Quest to Return the Crown to Russia The 2016 Candidates Tournament, held in the heart of the Russian capital, brought together Veselin Topalov, Vishy Anand, Levon Aronian, Sergey Karjakin, Peter Svidler, Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura, and Anish Giri – for the last three, it was their debut at the Candidates. Karjakin emerged as the clear winner, losing only one game to Anand and winning four, sealing the deal with a last-round victory against Caruana. Half a year later, in New York, Karjakin’s team engaged in a widely advertised quest to “return the crown to Russia”, but, despite Karjakin being the first to score, Carlsen bounced back, stood his ground, and won the rapid tiebreak. Here’s what you need to know about the 2026 edition: 🗓 Dates: March 28–April 16 🌍 Location: Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort, Cyprus 🇨🇾 🎟️ Book your tickets now: 🔗 tickets.fide.com 📷 World Chess #FIDECandidates #Cyprus #FIDE #Chess

🔥 The FIDE World Team Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships 2026 heads to Hong Kong, returning with the format that has made it a fan favourite — mixed teams where elite professionals and recreational players compete side by side in rapid and blitz. ❗️Alongside the main championship, Hong Kong will also host the inaugural FIDE World Team Amateur Rapid Chess Cup. The event is designed specifically for amateur players and will allow club teams, friends, and local groups to take part in the same international chess festival. 🗓️ Dates: June 16-22, 2026 📍 Location: Hong Kong 🇭🇰 ℹ️ More info: fide.com/regulations-pu…

Wishing Vasyl Ivanchuk a very happy 57th birthday! 🎂🎊 A four-time Olympic champion and former World No. 2, as well as 2016 Rapid and 2007 Blitz World Champion, his creativity and love for chess continue to captivate chess fans around the world. 📷 Michal Walusza / FIDE

♟️ Back in 2014, Viswanathan Anand proved everyone wrong. Against all expectations, he stormed through the Candidates Tournament 2014 and earned another shot at the world title. Here’s what you need to know about the 2026 edition: 🗓 Dates: March 28–April 16 🌍 Location: Cap St Georges Hotel Resort, Cyprus 🇨🇾 🎟️ Book your tickets now: 🔗 tickets.fide.com #FIDECandidates #Chess #FIDE #Cyprus

👉 Introducing Vaishali Rameshbabu 🇮🇳 ♟️ Women's #FIDECandidates 2026 Qualification path: 2025 FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss winner Vaishali Rameshbabu has built her career on endurance, composure, and an ability to deliver across large, demanding classical fields. A prolific junior, she first gained international recognition through multiple world age-group titles before breaking through at senior level. Her victory at the 2023 FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss marked a turning point, earning her a Candidates spot and making her only the third Indian woman to achieve the grandmaster title. Vaishali was also part of India’s gold-medal-winning team at the 2024 Chess Olympiad. She confirmed her affinity for marathon formats by winning the Women’s Grand Swiss again in 2025, securing her place in the 2026 Candidates and reinforcing her reputation as one of the most resilient competitors in long classical tournaments. Here’s what you need to know about the event: 🗓 Dates: March 28–April 16 🌍 Location: Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort, Cyprus 🇨🇾 🎟️ Book your tickets now: 🔗 tickets.fide.com #FIDECandidates #Cyprus #FIDE

♟️ “If I were forced to pick, gun to my head, I’d pick...” Peter Svidler shares his take on the battle to decide the next world title challenger. Watch the full interview on FIDE’s YouTube channel! Here’s what you need to know about the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026: 🗓 Dates: March 28 – April 16 🌍 Location: Cap St Georges Hotel Resort, Cyprus 🇨🇾 🎟️ Book your tickets: 🔗 tickets.fide.com #FIDECandidates #Chess #FIDE #Cyprus

♟️ Does Viswanathan Anand have a personal favorite in the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026? The 5-time World Champion shares his thoughts on the upcoming battle to decide the challenger for the world title. Watch the full interview on FIDE’s YouTube channel! Here’s what you need to know about the 2026 edition: 🗓 Dates: March 28 – April 16 🌍 Location: Cap St Georges Hotel Resort, Cyprus 🇨🇾 🎟️ Book your tickets: 🔗 tickets.fide.com #FIDECandidates #Chess #FIDE #Cyprus