European Individual Championship 2026: Vignir Vatnar Stefansson seizes sole lead crossing halfway mark
After six rounds at the European Individual Chess Championship 2026, GM Vignir Vatnar Stefansson (ISL, 2512; pictured above, left) emerged as the sole leader with an impressive score of 5.5/6. Round 6 featured clashes on the top boards among six players on 4.5/5. The round was ceremonially opened by FIDE Deputy Chair and ECU Deputy President Dana Reizniece and the Mayor of Gliwice, Katarzyna Kuczyńska-Budka, who made the first move on the top board in the game between GMs Robert Hovhannisyan and Can Işık. While the games on boards one and two ended in draws, Stefansson defeated GM Lorenzo Lodici (ITA, 2601) in a very tense encounter. Following a balanced opening, Lodici overpressed and lost a pawn, handing Stefansson a clear advantage in a complex queen endgame. Although the opponents exchanged mistakes in the final portion of the game, causing the evaluation to fluctuate, Lodici was the last to err and capitulated on move 71. With this victory, Stefansson moved a half a point ahead of a tightly packed group of 16 players sharing second place on 5/6: GMs Robert Hovhannisyan (ARM, 2621), Can Işık (TUR, 2563), Jonas Buhl Bjerre (DEN, 2623), Aydin Suleymanli (AZE, 2653), Eduardo Bonelli Iturrizaga (ESP, 2575), Daniel Dardha (BEL, 2596), Jan Malek (POL, 2533), Nikolozi Kacharava (GEO, 2500), David Antón Guijarro (ESP, 2656), Nikita Meshkovs (LAT, 2532), Jaime Santos Latasa (ESP, 2610), Haik Martirosyan (ARM, 2633), Maxime Lagarde (FRA, 2621), Jakub Kosakowski (POL, 2533), Alexander Donchenko (GER, 2642), and IM Teodora Injac (SRB, 2410). With five rounds to go, the event remains wide open. Pairings, results & standings can be found [HERE]. Official website: https://eicc2026.eu/ Text: European Chess Union Photos: ECU & Rafal Oleksiewicz
Rising stars and Grandmasters meet at Pafos International Chess Open
The 4th Pafos International Open Chess Tournament was officially opened this afternoon at the Attikon & Palia Ilektriki Multiculture Spaces in Pafos, Cyprus, by the mayor of the city, Angelos Onisiforou (pictured below). Directed by Arkadios Koulaxidis, President of the Pafos Chess Club, and held under the supervision of International Arbiter Tania Karali, the event has attracted 185 players. Participants are divided into three groups and include six Grandmasters, one Women’s Grandmaster, and 20 other titled players representing 29 different countries. The tournament runs from April 13 to April 19 and offers participants the possibility of taking byes in order to attend the final rounds of the FIDE Candidates Tournament, held just half an hour away. In fact, many participants arrived a few days early and have already taken the opportunity to meet their favourite elite players at the Cap St. Georges Hotel & Resort. Top seeds in the A-group include 2500+ rated Grandmasters Evgeny Postny (Israel; pictured below) and A. Ra Harikrishnan (India). The field also features several prominent competitors, including China’s International Master Lu Miaoyi, currently ranked as the world’s No. 3 junior girl. Lu is the reigning Chinese Women’s National Champion and the fourth-youngest girl in chess history to achieve the International Master title. In an interview with FIDE presenter Charlize Van Zyl, she confirmed that she has been closely following the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament and is supporting Zhu Jiner. One of the youngest participants in the main event is Woman Candidate Master Aida Paunescu, the Women’s Cyprus National Champion, who has already represented her country at the Chess Olympiad Budapest 2024 and is set to do so again in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, this September. Organised by the Pafos Municipality and the Pafos Chess Club, under the supervision of the Cyprus Chess Federation, the tournament offers a total prize fund exceeding €5,000. The event is also an official side event of the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 and the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament 2026. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9SkgHn-sOc Pairings and results (chess-results) Event photo gallery: https://www.flickr.com/photos/fide/ Written by IM Michael A. Rahal (Cyprus) Photos: Niki Riga
1st FIDE Council meeting, April 2, 2026: List of decisions
CM1-2026/01 To note President’s report. CM1-2026/02 To approve Treasurer’s report. CM1-2026/03 To approve technical amendments to the FIDE Financial Rules regarding membership fees. CM1-2026/04 To note the FIDE Planning and Development funding programme guidelines 2026. CM1-2026/05 To note the update regarding the 2026 – Chess in Education Year. CM1-2026/06 To approve the FIDE Council Resolution regarding refugee team participation at the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Samarkand. CM1-2026/07 To approve the extension of the deadline for the bids for the FIDE Olympiad 2030 until June 15, 2026. CM1-2026/08 To approve a limit of 60 teams participating in the Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities edition 2028, for which the Organiser is financially responsible and foresee that 20 more teams may participate at their own costs. Adjust the Regulations accordingly. CM1-2026/09 To approve the FIDE World Amateur Championships Rapid & Blitz 2026 to be organised in Abuja, Nigeria, provided that the National Federation settles its arrears. CM1-2026/10 To approve the FIDE World Amateur Championships 2027 to be organised in Hong Kong, China. CM1-2026/11 To approve the FIDE World University Team Chess Championship 2026 to be organised in Almaty, Kazakhstan and the relevant Regulations. CM1-2026/12 To approve the FIDE Grand Swiss 2027 & FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss 2027 to be organised in Isle of Man. CM1-2026/13 To note the Global Strategy Commission’s report CM1-2026/14 To note the Arbiters’ Commission’s report CM1-2026/15 To approve the recommendations of the Arbiters’ Commission on Seminars, Classification upgrades, Amendments to the lecturer list, FA norms and titles. CM1-2026/16 To approve the proposal of the Arbiters’ Commission. Table of Changes. CM1-2026/17 To approve the recommendations of the Qualification Commission on titles. CM1-2026/18 To approve Direct Titles for ASEAN Championship for 2026. CM1-2026/19 To explore further an appeal regarding the Oceania Youth Championship. CM1-2026/20 To approve the recommendations of the Trainers’ Commission on titles and Academies. CM1-2026/21 To approve the recommendations of the Events Commission on titles. CM1-2026/22 To approve the recommendations of the Chess in Education Commission on titles. CM1-2026/23 To note the Fair Play Commission’s report. CM1-2026/24 To approve the recommendations of the Fair Play Commission on titles. CM1-2026/25 To note the Social Commission’s report. CM1-2026/26 To note the Commission’s for Women’s Chess report. CM1-2026/27 To note the Constitutional Commission’s report. CM1-2026/28 To note Continental Presidents’ reports. CM1-2026/29 To note the Petition Regarding the 2026 ACC Elective General Assembly. CM1-2026/30 To note the report on the Sierra Leone Chess Federation and to approve the corresponding resolution. CM1-2026/31 To note the compliance report regarding FIDE Affiliated organisations. CM1-2026/32 To approve the FIDE Council Resolution regarding the Pakistan Chess Federation. CM1-2026/33 To approve the request of the US Virgin Islands Chess Federation related to Mr. Connor Eickelman. CM1-2026/34 To note the information regarding CAS litigations. CM1-2026/35 To note the IOC Policy on the Protection of the Female (Women’s) Category in Olympic Sport and Guiding Considerations for International Federations and Sports Governing Bodies. CM1-2026/36 To note and explore further the FIDE – EDU Research Program. CM1-2026/37 To approve the FIDE Council Decision regarding the rotation principle for the Chess Olympiad and the priority right to host the Chess Olympiad 2032 in Africa and Chess Olympiad 2034 in Americas. 1st FC Meeting – April 2026 – List of Decisions (PDF)