2027 FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championships to be held in Weissenhaus
Hamburg, February 19, 2026 – FIDE and Freestyle Chess have agreed that the FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championships will again be staged in Weissenhaus, Germany in 2027. The agreement confirms the continuation of the championship at the Baltic Sea venue following the inaugural edition in 2026. The FIDE Women’s Freestyle Chess World Championship, will take place over three days on the first weekend of February 2027, followed by the FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship over three days on the second weekend of February 2027. The format and calendar have been coordinated between FIDE and Freestyle Chess to ensure continuity within the international chess schedule. The decision follows the successful staging of the first FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship in February 2026. In that event, Magnus Carlsen (Norway) won the title in Weissenhaus, defeating Fabiano Caruana (USA) 2.5–1.5 in the final. As finalists in 2026, Carlsen and Caruana have already qualified for the 2027 World Championship. Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzbekistan), who secured third place in 2026, also earned direct qualification for the 2027 edition. Bibisara Assaubayeva (Kazakhstan) qualified for the 2027 Women’s FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship by winning the 2026 exhibition match against Alexandra Kosteniuk (Switzerland). By returning to the Weissenhaus Private Nature Luxury Resort, FIDE and Freestyle Chess aim to consolidate the venue as the home of the Freestyle World Championship. The location provides stable conditions for a compact, high-level knockout format and allows for consistent organizational standards year to year. The continuation at the same venue is intended to strengthen the identity of the Freestyle title within the broader FIDE world championship framework. The partnership between FIDE and Freestyle Chess, formalized ahead of the 2026 edition, establishes the FIDE Freestyle World Championship as an officially recognized world title. The agreed multi-year planning framework provides predictability for players, organizers, and commercial partners, and supports the integration of Freestyle Chess into the global competitive calendar. The championship cycle will continue to include qualifying events. The next confirmed step in that pathway is the grenke Freestyle Chess Open, to be held April 2–6, 2026, in Karlsruhe, Germany. For the first time, the grenke event will carry official qualification status for the FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship. Jan Henric Buettner, co-founder and CEO of Freestyle Chess, said: “The decision to return to Weissenhaus in 2027 reflects our commitment to building a stable and credible world championship cycle for Freestyle Chess. Continuity of venue and structure allows us to focus on sporting quality and long-term development.” Arkady Dvorkovich, President of FIDE, said: “The 2026 championship marked an important milestone as the first official Freestyle Chess World Championship, recognized by FIDE. By confirming Weissenhaus as the stage for 2027, we are reinforcing the institutional framework of the title and supporting the continued growth of this format within the international chess ecosystem, in compliance with FIDE’s rules and regulations.” 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).
Selection completed for the Freedom Asian Chess Initiatives (FACI) 2026 Project
The Kazakhstan Chess Federation has announced the results of the selection process for national chess federations in the Freedom Asian Chess Initiatives (FACI) 2026 project. The application period for the new stage of the initiative, implemented with the support of Freedom Holding Corp., FIDE, and the Asian Chess Federation (ACF), concluded in early January. Following a comprehensive review of applications, the following countries have been approved as participants of FACI 2026: 🇰🇭 Cambodia 🇯🇵 Japan 🇯🇴 Jordan 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan 🇳🇵 Nepal 🇵🇰 Pakistan 🇹🇲 Turkmenistan The selection was based on compliance with the project criteria and the potential for sustainable chess development in the respective countries. The FACI project aims to foster at the sustainable development of chess across Asia through strengthening national federations, enhancing professional training standards, and promoting international cooperation. The program includes training camps, educational seminars, and support for participation in international competitions. In 2025, FACI supported seven national chess federations: Oman, Cambodia, Nepal, Tajikistan, Sri Lanka, Jordan, and Pakistan. The participating countries demonstrated strong sporting results, including prize-winning finishes at international tournaments. Several federations also received grant support to participate in the FIDE World Cadet Chess Championship held in Almaty, providing young players with valuable experience competing at the highest international level. KazChess warmly congratulate selected federations on becoming part of FACI 2026. May this initiative open new opportunities, and contribute to the continued growth and unity of the Asian chess community. More detailed information about the FACI project is available in our video feature and on our website.