Chess and Education Summit to take place in San José, Costa Rica
As part of the Year of Chess in Education 2026, the Chess in Education Summit will be held on March 20-21 in San José, Costa Rica, bringing together educators, policymakers, and chess development leaders from across the Americas and beyond. Organised in cooperation with FIDE, the Confederation of Chess for the Americas (CCA), the Costa Rican Chess Federation (FCA), and the Ministry of Public Education of Costa Rica, the summit will focus on practical models for integrating chess into school systems, with an emphasis on inclusion, student well-being, and ease of implementation for teachers. The event will also serve as a platform for regional cooperation. Ministerial delegations from several Latin American countries, including Guatemala, Venezuela, and El Salvador, have been invited to participate, alongside national authorities from Costa Rica such as Leonardo Sánchez, Minister of Public Education, and Donald Rojas, Director of the National Institute of Sports and Recreation (ICODER). A key outcome of the summit will be the launch of a national pilot programme introducing classroom-based chess education in ten Costa Rican schools, developed jointly by FIDE, CCA, FCA, and the Ministry of Public Education. As part of the public programme, a Women’s Chess Tournament coordinated by Carolina Muñoz will take place on March 20, highlighting the role of chess in empowering girls and women through education and sport. “During the Year of Chess in Education, our priority is to support countries in implementing chess in classrooms in a meaningful and accessible way. The initiative launched in Costa Rica shows how national authorities and the chess community can work together to place chess at the service of education and student well-being,” said Dana Reizniece, Deputy Chair of the FIDE Management Board. Registration and participation The Chess in Education Summit will take place at the Costa Rica Tennis Club in San José and is open to education authorities, teachers, academics, chess federations, and organisations working in educational and social development. The summit sessions will run over two days, with keynotes on day one (Friday, March 20), and workshops on day two (Saturday, March 21). Participants may attend either in person or online. In-person registration provides full access to conference sessions, workshops, networking opportunities, and event materials. Participation is limited due to venue capacity. The international in-person participation package is USD 150 and includes access to the full conference programme and all meals on March 20-21. Virtual participation is available worldwide via live streaming of keynote sessions. Register here: National participants (Costa Rica): https://forms.gle/9XUSYJtutKodWDp2A(This form also includes links to the new international registration forms.) International participants (English): https://forms.gle/NGkka3Fw6QR6UgAB8 International participants (Spanish): https://forms.gle/UxLdm5wiv1WYXLRBA Official website: https://chessedusummit.com Contact: cumbre@chessedusummit.com
FIDE March 2026 rating list published
The FIDE March 2026 rating list was primarily shaped by the Tata Steel Masters and Challengers tournaments that concluded on February 1 alongside several Swiss events in across the globe. Both the Open and Women’s top 10 saw significant changes. Nodirbek Abdusattorov returned to the Open top 5 after a 19-month absence, thanks to his victory in the Tata Steel Masters. Bibisara Assaubayeva re-entered the Women’s top 10 following her strong performance in the Tata Steel Challengers. Photo: Michal Walusza Biggest rating gains in top 100 (Open and Women) Gunawardhana, Devindya Oshini WIM SRI 2347 (+87) Suleymanli, Aydin GM AZE 2653 (+25) Van Foreest, Jorden GM NED 2729 (+24) Woodward, Andy GM USA 2631 (+23) Abdusattorov, Nodirbek GM UZB 2771 (+20) Yip, Carissa IM USA 2486 (+20) Sindarov, Javokhir GM UZB 2745 (+19) Assaubayeva, Bibisara GM KAZ 2516 (+19) Erdogmus, Yagiz Kaan GM TUR 2687 (+18) Li, Rachael WIM USA 2375 (+17) Atwell, Rose FM USA 2354 (17) Photo: Anna Shtourman Devindya Oshini Gunawardhana (pictured above) tops the list of biggest rating gainers in February, following her highly successful European tour. The teenager from Sri Lanka earned impressive 87 points across two SixDays Budapest tournaments and the 24th Rochefort Chess Festival – Masters. Aydin Suleymanli delivered a strong performance in the 2026 Azerbaijani Championship winning bronze and netting 15 points which he added to ten points gained from the Tata Steel Challengers. Photo: Michal Walusza Jorden Van Foreest (pictred above), Javokhir Sindarov and Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus shone in the Tata Steel Masters posting substantial rating increments. Notably, all three reached their career-high positions in the top 100 Open. Andy Woodward (pictured below) and Carissa Yip delivered in the Tata Steel Challengers. The event’s winner, Woodward, collected 23 rating points to debut in the top 100 Open, while Yip made her first appearance in the Women’s top 15. Photo: Michal Walusza Finally, Rachael Li and Rose Atwell overperformed in the 17th Annual Southwest Class Championship with Atwell debuting in the top 100 Women.