First-ever Pia Cramling Cup: Inspiring the next generation of chess stars
The FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess is delighted to announce the inaugural Pia Cramling Cup, a new tournament for girls and women established in collaboration with Pia Cramling, the Stockholm Chess Federation, the Swedish Chess Community, and held during the historic Rilton Cup. Taking place on January 2, 2026, at the Scandic Continental in Stockholm, the event marks a truly special milestone – not just as a new competition, but as a celebration of one of the most iconic figures in women’s chess: Pia Cramling. A former world number one, a pioneer of women’s competitive chess, and one of the strongest female players in history, Pia Cramling has devoted her life to excellence at the board. Today, she continues her legacy in a new dimension: investing in the future of talent. The Pia Cramling Cup stands as a testament to her belief in supporting young and emerging female players – offering them a platform, visibility, and the inspiration to strive for greatness. The presence and personal involvement of Pia Cramling send a powerful message to every girl entering the playing hall: you can become a champion too. The Pia Cramling Cup will be a FIDE rated rapid event, played in 7 rapid rounds. The entry fee is free. Registration link is available [HERE] Prizes will be sponsored by the FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess, DGT, and Majana, reinforcing our shared commitment to creating opportunities and motivation for the next generation of female chess players. 1st Pia Cramling Cup – FULL REGULATIONS (DOCX) We warmly welcome all girls and women to register, participate, join us in Stockholm and become part of this historic first edition! FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess and Norwegian Chess Federation to host Arbiters’ Seminar The FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess and the Norwegian Chess Federation, under the auspices of FIDE, will host the 213th Internet-based FIDE Arbiters’ Seminar for women from January 9 to 11, 2026. Lecturer: IA Panagiotis Nikolopoulos (GRE), FIDE Lecturer.Assistant Lecturer: IA Tomasz Delega (POL), Lecturer Training Programme.Technical Organizer: IA Anastasia Sorokina (AUS), FIDE Lecturer. The seminar will be conducted in English. Upon successful completion, the seminar will award norms and titles for the FIDE Arbiter, in accordance with the FIDE Regulations for the titles of Arbiters. Registration link: https://forms.gle/QVjdtSJUG6EFTXpj7 Note: Up to 22 participants, women only. Each continent (America, Africa, Asia, Europe) has a right to nominate 2 participants per continent (4 continents = 8 participants). Norwegian Chess federation as co-organizer has a right to nominate 2 participants. Participation by nomination first. In the case of free slots, organizers will accept individual participation. No fee for the participants. WOM will cover 20 euros per participant to ARB and will cover lecture fee, lecture assistants fee, organizing expenses etc. Schedule: January 9, 202616:00-21:00 Laws of Chess January 10, 202609:30-12:00 Laws of Chess, Rapid, Blitz, Appendices and Guidelines12:15-13:00 System of Games13:00-14:30 Tie break regulations16:00-18:00 Fair play Regulations18:15-19:30 Titles Regulations19:45-21:00 Ratings Regulations January 11, 202609:30-11:00 General Regulations for Competition11:00-12:00 Arbiters’ titles12:15-14:00 FIDE Swiss Rules, Pairings16:00-16:45 The role of Chief Arbiter16:30-17:00 Review, Questions-Answers17:00-21:00 Examination Test
FIDE December 2025 rating list published
The FIDE December 2025 rating list was primarily shaped by the recently concluded World Cup in Goa, India and the Women’s World Team Championship in Linares, Spain. While the top 10 Open saw no distinct shifts, the top 10 Women witnessed a significant breakthrough. IM Polina Shuvalova broke into the women’s top 10 for the first time in her career following her stellar performance (a TPR of 2827) in Linares, where she scored 9.5/10. Photo: Pavel Dvorkovich Biggest rating gains in the top 100 Open and Women Shuvalova, Polina IM FIDE 2502 (+30) Kairbekova, Amina WGM KAZ 2353 (+29) Martinez Alcantara, Jose Eduardo GM MEX 2667 (+23) Nurman, Alua WGM KAZ 2367 (+23) Kamalidenova, Meruert IM KAZ 2366 (+23) Donchenko, Alexander GM GER 2661 (+20) Tabatabaei, M. Amin GM IRI 2700 (+19) Esipenko, Andrey GM RUS 2698 (+17) Padmini, Rout IM IND 2354 (+17) Leko, Peter GM HUN 2676 (+16) Grebnev, Alexey GM FIDE 2632 (+15) Shuvalova became the biggest rating gainer in November, closely followed by Amina Kairbekova (pictured below) who earned an impressive 29 rating points in the SixDays Budapest GM-B, climbing to her career-high 89th place in the top 100 Women. Photo: Anna Shtourman Several grandmasters made strides at the FIDE World Cup 2025, significantly increasing their rating. Jose Eduardo Martinez Alcantara and Alexander Donchenko, who both reached the quarterfinals in Goa, earned 23 and 20 points respectively. The bronze winner Andrey Esipenko, who qualified for the Candidates 2026, collected 17 rating points, bringing him within just two points of the 2700 mark. Peter Leko proved that he still has what it takes by advancing to Round 4 in Goa and gaining 16 rating points. The former World Championship challenger, Hungarian GM returned to the top 50 Open after an almost eight-year absence. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili Alexey Grebnev continues his rapid ascent. The 2024 World Youth Champion made it to Round 5 at the FIDE World Cup, netting 15 rating points and making his debut in the top 100 Open and while also entering the top 10 Juniors. Amin Tabatabaei did not participate in the World Cup, but picked up valuable points in the 23emes Rencontres Nationales et Internationales d’Echecs (France) Offene Internationale Bayerische Schachmeisterschaft (Germany) – enough to return to the 2700-club. Notably, Alua Nurman from Kazakhstan delivered a very strong performance in the latter tournament, adding 23 rating points to her tally. Photo: Pavel Dvorkovich Her countrywoman Meruert Kamalidenova and India’s Padmini Rout (pictured above) distinguished themselves at the FIDE World Women’s Team Championship, earned 23 and 17 points respectively while playing for their national teams.