Chess Women’s Day Celebration 2026: Visible, connected, worldwide
Throughout the month of March, the FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess once again brings the global chess community together through the Chess Women’s Day Celebration, inviting federations, clubs, academies and organisers worldwide to celebrate women and girls in chess. Following the inspiring success of last year’s first global celebration, the 2026 edition continues under the theme “Visible, Connected, Worldwide.” The goal is simple yet powerful: to increase the visibility of women and girls in chess, strengthen connections between organisers and communities across continents, and highlight the many initiatives that promote equity and opportunity in the game. Throughout March, a wide variety of events – tournaments, simultaneous exhibitions, lectures, workshops and community gatherings – take place across the world. Each of them contributes to a shared global effort to celebrate women in chess and inspire new generations of players. A strong start in Poland The celebration began before March, with a women’s event in Poland the XV Radzikowska Memorial, one of the strongest and most established women’s chess festivals in Europe. A highlight of the festival was the exciting Team Poland vs Team World match, where leading Polish players faced invited international stars. Alongside the main match, a rapid tournament for girls and women offered an opportunity for young players to compete and interact with elite players. The FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess partnered with the organisers of the festival, supporting the best performing girls with special prizes and training sessions with top Polish women grandmasters. Women’s Chess Day and futures tournament at the Prague Chess Festival March kicked off in a perfect way at the Prague Chess Festival, where the Commission partnered with organisers to support the Futures Tournament, a round-robin event for talented young girls played alongside the prestigious Masters and Challengers sections. For the participants, this meant experiencing a world-class chess environment and sharing the stage with top players such as Gukesh Dommaraju, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, and Divya Deshmukh. This year’s Futures event had a very special ambassador – legendary Swedish grandmaster Pia Cramling, who met with the girls and their parents to share insights from her remarkable chess career. She also gave a simultaneous exhibition, creating a memorable moment for everyone involved. As part of Women’s Chess Day activities, Divya Deshmukh also took on the role of chess instructor, introducing the basics of the game to Czech actress Aňa Geislerová in a relaxed and engaging session. The Futures tournament was won by Kaja Rzadkowska (Poland), followed by Christina Jordan (Switzerland) in second place and Zuzana Stará (Czech Republic) in third. A major celebration in Kazakhstan Another highlight of the global celebrations took place on March 6 with the Qazaq Queens Chess Fest 2026, organised by the Kazakhstan Chess Federation – a long-standing and highly active partner in promoting chess development and women’s participation in the game. The event brought together players, organisers and guests in a vibrant festival atmosphere that beautifully celebrated both women and chess. With its elegant setting and engaging programme, the event truly reflected the spirit of the Chess Women’s Day Celebration. A special role in the organisation and development of women’s chess initiatives in Kazakhstan is played by Gulmira Dauletova, Executive Director of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation and a member of the FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess. Through her continued work and leadership, numerous initiatives promoting girls’ and women’s participation in chess continue to grow in the country. Queens’ Online Chess Festival connects players worldwide One of the largest initiatives of the celebration is the Queens’ Online Chess Festival, organised by the FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess as part of the Chess4All FIDE WOM project. Running from March 1–29, 2026 and dedicated to International Women’s Day, the festival is free to join and open to women and girls of all ages and playing levels. Two parallel competitions are held throughout the month: Queens’ Women’s Open Tournament Unrated Princesses’ Tournament The festival began with the African continent on March 1 and immediately showed impressive growth. This year alone, 114 African women players registered, marking the highest participation from the continent in the history of the event. With players continuing to join from across the world, the festival highlights how online chess can connect communities globally. The Commission also expresses its gratitude to Lichess for providing the playing platform. Partnerships, dialogue and new initiatives The celebration also includes cooperation with several international festivals and initiatives working to increase women’s participation in chess. One of them is the Budapest Spring Festival, where the entry fees for all women players were waived in both groups of the tournament, underlining a shared commitment to making high-level chess more accessible and inclusive. The festival also hosted a Women’s Chess Roundtable on March 4, creating space for discussion, exchange of ideas and inspiration among women in chess. The roundtable included participation from Anastasia Sorokina, Chair of the FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess. Storytelling and social impact As part of the March programme, the Commission also cooperates with the FIDE Social Commission in supporting the Storytelling & Impact Content Masterclass, an initiative dedicated to creating meaningful visual storytelling for social and sports initiatives. The lecture is delivered by award-winning creative director Maxim Kolyshev, a Cannes Lions finalist and winner of more than 150 international awards. In this inspiring session, participants explore how powerful stories are created and how they can build communities and generate real social impact. Celebrating Women’s Day across continents On International Women’s Day, a special simultaneous exhibition will take place in Saint-Tropez, organised by the chess club Les Fous de la Vieille Tour. Participants will have a rare opportunity to face the 12th Women’s World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk, whose remarkable career has inspired thousands of girls around the world. Partner events across Africa are also bringing women together through competition and celebration. In Malawi, an invitational women’s round-robin tournament will take place on March 8, while another women’s event is scheduled from March 26–30, demonstrating the country’s continued efforts to promote greater equity and participation in chess. Further
Call of interest for arbiters at the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad and 3rd FIDE Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities
The FIDE Arbiters’ Commission (ARB) is opening a call of interest to all International Arbiters and FIDE Arbiters with a valid FIDE license who wish to be part of the arbiter team at the 46th Chess Olympiad and 3rd FIDE Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities. Both events will be held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, taking place from September 15-28 and September 10-18, respectively. The call of Interest will be open for one month, from March 7, 2026 to March 29, 2026, 23:59 CET. Important note:* Chamilo is the ARB Training Portal, which we are using to support the process. We will take advantage of the call of interest to include colleagues who haven’t followed training sessions yet under this new system. Survey link: https://arb-learn.fide.com/main/survey/fillsurvey.php?iid=48&invitationcode=auto&cid=20&course=COI&sid=0&language=en_US In case it’s your first time using the portal or you don’t remember it, you may want to initialize your password, using the lost password link: I lost my password
Nodirbek Abdusattorov triumphs in Prague
The 2026 edition of the Prague International Chess Festival 2026, featuring the Masters, Challengers and Futures tournaments, is now in the books. The prestigious Masters tournament, a 10-player round-robin with classical time control, featured a formidable lineup and was fiercely contested event from start to finish. GM Jorden Van Foreest led most of the way scoring three straight victories in Rounds 3-5 (including a win over the World Champion Gukesh D), but never felt safe as his competitors stayed hard on his heels. The race culminated in the penultimate eighth round: the Dutchman slipped in an equal endgame and lost to the last year’s winner Aravindh Chithambaram, while Nodirbek Abdusattorov defeated David Navara and surged ahead. Going into the final round a half-point ahead of Van Foreest, Abdusattorov drew with Hans Niemann and secured the title with 6/9, as his main rival suffered second consecutive defeat, this time at the hands of Parham Maghsoodloo. As a result, Maghsoodloo, Aravindh and Van Foreest tied for second place on 5/9, with the first two joining Abdusattrov on the podium due to superior tiebreaks. Abdusattorov, the event’s only unbeaten player, claimed his second major title of 2026, gained 9 rating points and consolidated his leading position in the FIDE Circuit 2026 – 2027. Final standings – Masters To the delight of the home crowd IM Vaclav Finek (CZE) won the Challengers event. WCM Kaja Rzadkowska from Poland emerged victorious in the Futures tournament. Final standings – Challengers and Futures Photos: Prague International Chess Festival Official website: https://praguechessfestival.com/en/2026