ECU General Assembly underway in Bucharest; Zurab Azmaiparashvili re-elected as President
The European Chess Union (ECU) General Assembly 2026 is underway in Bucharest, Romania, bringing together delegates from across Europe to discuss the future of chess on the continent. The Assembly is being held at the headquarters of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee, underscoring the close cooperation between the chess movement and the Olympic family. The opening ceremony welcomed distinguished guests, including Nadia Elena Comăneci, the legendary five-time Olympic gymnastics champion; and Mihai Claudiu Covaliu, President of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee and Olympic fencing champion. The venue and the presence of two Olympic champions carry a message that extends beyond the chessboard. With the support of Olympic Committees, the European chess community stands united in its call for chess to be recognised as an Olympic sport – a step that would bring millions of players and fans into the heart of the Olympic movement. The opening ceremony highlighted the shared values of excellence, education, fair play and international cooperation that unite chess with the Olympic family. One of the key items on the agenda was the election of the European Chess Union leadership for the next term. Delegates re-elected Zurab Azmaiparashvili as ECU President, with his ticket receiving 35 votes out of 53 cast. The newly elected ECU leadership consists of: • President: Zurab Azmaiparashvili• Deputy President: Vlad Ardeleanu• Vice President: Ingrid Lauterbach• Vice President: Lasse Østebø Løvik• Secretary General: Theodoros Tsorbatzoglou• Treasurer: Prabitha Urwyler The other candidates received the following support:• Łukasz Turlej – 11 votes• Bachar Kouatly – 7 votes Congratulating the newly elected leadership, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich praised both the democratic spirit of the Assembly and the quality of the election campaign. “The European Chess Union General Assembly is a great example of how democratic processes should work in sport. We have seen strong competition, thoughtful programmes and excellent ideas presented by all candidates. This is exactly how our chess family should operate – through open discussion, fair elections and cooperation afterwards. The best ideas should be taken forward for the benefit of the entire chess community. I congratulate Zurab Azmaiparashvili and his team on their election and look forward to continuing and strengthening the collaboration between FIDE and the European Chess Union. Together, we can do much more for chess.” Alongside the presidential election, delegates are considering a broad range of strategic matters affecting European chess. The agenda includes reports from the ECU President, Secretary General, and Treasurer; financial statements and the 2027 budget; amendments to the ECU Statutes; reports from the ECU Commissions; membership matters; the calendar of future European events; and discussions on the continued development of chess across the continent. FIDE congratulates Zurab Azmaiparashvili and the newly elected ECU Board and wishes them every success in their work for the continued growth of chess in Europe. Photos: European Chess Union ECU official website: https://www.europechess.org/
Rapid Champions crowned at Asian Youth Chess Championships 2026
The Rapid Chess Championship of the 28th Asian Youth Chess Championships concluded on July 16, 2026, at the COLI Hotel in Shenzhen, China. The event brought together nearly 900 young players from 30 Asian federations for a day of exciting and highly competitive chess. The championship featured competitions across six age categories (Under-8, Under-10, Under-12, Under-14, Under-16, and Under-18, Boys and Girls), with players demonstrating outstanding fighting spirit, excellent sportsmanship, and impressive technical skills throughout the tournament. The participating federations were: Australia, Bangladesh, China, Fiji, Guam, Hong Kong China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Chinese Taipei, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam. China emerged as the dominant force in the medal standings, finishing with the biggest haul of the tournament. The Chinese contingent claimed four gold medals, four silver, and three bronze. Vietnam also enjoyed a strong campaign, securing two gold, four silver, and two bronze medals, while Kazakhstan rounded out the team podium, taking home two gold and two bronze medals. The podium finishers in each category were as follows: Boys Under-8🥇 He Siyuan (CHN)🥈 Jin Yuxin (CHN)🥉 Mikhail Markov (FIDE) Boys Under-10 🥇 Adinur Adilbek (KAZ)🥈 Xu Bofang (CHN)🥉 CM Nurmuhammad Nematillakhonov (UZB) Boys Under-12 🥇 FM Chakrabarty Reyaansh (IND)🥈 CM Le Phan Hoang Quan (VIE)🥉 CM Nguyen Luong Vu (VIE) Boys Under-14 🥇 Maksat Baisalbekov (KAZ)🥈 Zhu Harvey (Hanchen) (CHN)🥉 FM Alisher Abdsattar (UZB) Boys Under-16 🥇 FM Semyon Puzyrevsky (FIDE)🥈 IM Dau Khuong Duy (VIE)🥉 Kodiri Pairavi (IND) Boys Under-18 🥇 IM Pham Tran Gia Phuc (VIE)🥈 FM Dang Anh Minh (VIE)🥉 Xie Jiaxiang (CHN) Girls Under-8 🥇 Yang Peilin (CHN)🥈 Yao Jingya (CHN)🥉 Zhu Xianshuo (CHN) Girls Under-10 🥇 Nguyen Vu Bao Chau (VIE)🥈 WCM Nakshatra Gumudavelly (IND)🥉 Amaliya Yedresheva (KAZ) Girls Under-12 🥇 Liu Yuanjia (CHN)🥈 Ding Yanwen (CHN)🥉 WCM Ider Tselmuun (MGL) Girls Under-14 🥇 Pavithra R V (IND)🥈 WCM Maitreyi Mondal (IND)🥉 WFM Tran Le Vy (VIE) Girls Under-16 🥇 Tong Yiyi (CHN)🥈 Vu Nguyen Bao Linh (VIE)🥉 WFM Mu Wangxueyao (CHN) Girls Under-18🥇 WFM Evgeniia Satanovskaia (FIDE)🥈 WFM Mahsa Alavi (IRI)🥉 WFM Rukiya Olimova (UZB) The Asian Chess Federation congratulates all the medalists and participants for their excellent performances and thanks the Chinese Chess Association, the Organizing Committee, officials, arbiters, volunteers, and all participating federations for making the Rapid Championship a memorable success. Complete standings and results Official website: aycc2026.chesstournament.org