African Individual Championship 2026: Bilel Bellahcene and Shahenda Wafa clinch titles
GM Bilel Bellahcene (Algeria) and WGM Shahenda Wafa (Egypt) are newly crowned African Chess Champions. Bellahcene successfully defended his title becoming the third multiple winner of the event, while Wafa claimed her fourth continental crown, adding to her previous victories of 2017, 2018 and 2022. The most important African championship in the Open and Women’s sections took place at the Cresta Hotel in Jwaneng, Botswana. Both competitions were 9-round Swiss tournaments, bringing together over 100 of the continent’s best players. The Open event developed into a close race between the defending champion and top seed GM Bassem Amin (Egypt; pictured below), who were jointly leading the field after Round 5 with 4.5/5 each. Bellahcene emerged victorious in their next-round clash and pulled ahead. Unfazed, Amin won three consecutive games and caught up with the leader by the finish. Both players totaled 7.5/9 and tied for first place, with Bellahcene (pictured above) clinching gold on tiebreaks (based on the average rating of opponents). Sixteen-seed FM Banele Mhango (Republic of South Africa) produced a minor sensation earning bronze after edging out Dante M Beukes (Namibia) and Mariano Ortega Amarelle (Cape Verde) on tiebreaks Final standings Open The women’s competition turned into a family affair as the Wafa sisters – Shahenda and Shrook – both netted 7.5/9 to tie for the top position. Shahenda (pictured below, right) led most of the event but made two draws at the finish, allowing her older sister and the defending champion to catch up. Still, it was Shahenda who captured the title on tiebreaks. WFM Sasha Mongeli of Kenya delivered a solid performance of 6.5/9, which brought her bronze and a 31-point rating gain. Final standings Women Photos: African Chess Confederation Official website: https://africachessconfederation.com/
Last call for FIDE Excellence Awards nominations
On June 1, 2026, FIDE launched the FIDE Excellence Awards, a new biennial awards program established to recognize outstanding achievements, individuals, events, federations, teams, creators, and initiatives across the global chess community. The awards recognize excellence over the previous two-year cycle, beginning after each Chess Olympiad and culminating at the next Olympiad. The inaugural FIDE Excellence Awards ceremony will take place in September 2026 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, during the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad. Nominations are now open, and members of the global chess community are invited to submit candidates through the official FIDE Excellence Awards website. Award categories Awards will be presented across six regular categories and five discretionary categories, celebrating excellence both on and off the board. Nomination and selection process Nominations must relate to achievements and contributions made during the current Olympiad cycle. Multiple nominations may be submitted across different categories, provided each submission includes supporting information explaining the candidate’s achievements and impact. The selection process comprizes three stages: Stage one, running from June 1 to June 30, 2026, invites the chess community to submit nominations online. Following this, the FIDE Excellence Awards Working Group will review submissions and compile longlists. During stage two, from July 1 to July 15, 2026, the FIDE Excellence Awards Jury will review the longlists and select the official shortlist in each category. The shortlists, consisting of ten nominees per category, will be published on July 15, 2026. In the final stage, the FIDE Excellence Awards Panel will vote to determine the winners, who will be announced during the official ceremony in Samarkand in September 2026. The FIDE Excellence Awards recognize world-class players, breakthrough creators, outstanding federations, and projects that use chess to create a positive impact in society. The awards celebrate excellence across the global chess community. Submit your nominations here: https://excellence.fide.com/#nominate Nomination deadline: June 30, 2026 Official website: https://excellence.fide.com/