Media accreditation opens for FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026
FIDE is pleased to announce the opening of media accreditation to the FIDE candidates Tournament and the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament. Dates: March 18 – April 16, 2026 Location: Paphos, Cyprus The 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament and the 2026 FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament form the final qualifying stage of the FIDE World Championship cycle. Each tournament features eight of the world’s strongest players competing in a double round-robin format over fourteen rounds of classical chess. At the conclusion of the events, the winners secure the right to challenge for the FIDE World Chess Championship and FIDE Women’s World Chess Championship titles. Both tournaments are played under classical time controls and are regarded as the most exacting tests in professional chess. Media registration form: candidates2026.fide.com/accreditation-for-media Official website: candidates2026.fide.com We invite all media representatives wishing to cover the tournaments to submit their accreditation applications via the media registration form above. Accreditation is open for all members of the written press, photographic press, online media, and writers and photographers working for publications and/or websites of the FIDE National Member Federations. Accredited event media will collect their badges onsite at the events. A valid travel document containing a photo must be presented to receive media accreditation. The event organisers will ensure a comfortable working environment for all Accredited Media, providing a range of facilities and services at the level established at major FIDE events. We look forward to your coverage of the 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament and the 2026 FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament!
Qualification paths for the FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship 2027
Following the recent announcement of the cooperation agreement between FIDE and Freestyle Chess, the International Chess Federation has now published the qualification paths for the FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship 2027. The 2027 Championship will feature a compact field of eight players who will secure a seat in a cycle of events that will span from April 2026 to January 2027, featuring both online and over-the-board tournaments. The pathways to qualification: 3 players from the FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship 2026 (Top 3 finishers) 1 player from the Grenke Freestyle Chess Open 2026 2 players from a designated OTB or online tournament 1 player from the Freestyle Friday Championship 2026 (season-long online series on Chess.com) 1 player from online tournament, played between January 1 and January 15, 2027 If a qualified player withdraws, the spot will be passed down according to defined sporting criteria which will be announced in due course. The setup ensures that the field represents the most competitive players across classical and online formats. The full text of regulations is published [HERE] As noted above, the first event that will grant a qualifying spot for the 2027 World Championship will be the Grenke Freestyle Chess Open 2026, taking place from April 2-6, 2026. Freestyle Chess is also known as Chess960 or FIDE Fischer Random Chess as per the FIDE Charter. The FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship is a continuation of FIDE’s previous events in the Fischer Random format (held in 2019 and 2022).