Three Presidential Tickets Submitted to FIDE Office Ahead of 2026 Elections
Today at 18:00 CEST, the nomination period for the 2026 FIDE Presidential Elections officially closed. Before the deadline, the FIDE Office received three presidential tickets (listed in alphabetical order by the presidential candidate): Jan Henric Buettner for President and Mr. Malcolm Pein for Deputy President Wadim Rosenstein for President and Mr. Gordon Tang for Deputy President Timur Turlov for President and Mr. Viswanathan Anand for Deputy President In accordance with Article 21 of the FIDE Electoral Rules (Election of the President and Deputy President), the Electoral Commission (ELC) will now conduct a preliminary examination of the submitted candidacies and approve the list of valid presidential tickets. The approved list will be published on the FIDE website and made available to all Member Federations. As part of this process, the ELC will verify that each application contains all information and declarations required under Article 5.2 of the Electoral Rules and that all eligibility requirements set out in Article 4.1 have been satisfied. The 2026 FIDE Presidential Election will take place on September 26, 2026, during the FIDE General Assembly in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Each Member Federation represented at the General Assembly is entitled to one vote.
Winners crowned at 28th Asian Youth Chess Championships in Shenzhen, China
The main competition with classical time control at the 28th Asian Youth Chess Championships delivered a dramatic conclusion in Shenzhen, China, with closely contested titles, decisive tie-breaks, and strong team performances across all 12 sections (9-round Swiss tournaments). Six Boys and two Girls tournaments required tie-breaks to determine the gold medalist. Boys Under 8 Boys Under 10 Boys Under 12 Boys Under 14 Boys Under 16 Boys Under 18 Girls Under 10 Girls Under 16 The frequency of ties reflected the competitive balance throughout the tournament. In several sections, the difference between gold and silver was determined only after all the games of the final round had been completed. Vietnam collected the highest total number of individual medals. Truong Phuc Nhat Nguyen recorded the strongest winning score of 8/9 in the standard competition. The podium finishers in each category were as follows: Boys Under 8 🥇 Truong Phuc Nhat Nguyen (Vietnam) – 8/9 🥈 Zhang Ruike (China) – 8 🥉 Jin Yuxin (China) – 7 Girls Under 8 🥇 Saiaastha Singh (India) – 7/9 🥈 Gasanova, Aiat (FIDE) – 6½ 🥉 Zhu Xianshuo (China) – 6½ Boys Under 10 🥇 Adilbek, Adinur (Kazakhstan) – 7½/9 🥈 Guo Ziming (China) – 7½ 🥉 CM Nematillakhonov, Nurmuhammad (Uzbekistan) – 7 Girls Under 10 🥇 Zhu Jiahe (China) – 7½/9 🥈 Nguyen Vu Bao Chau (Vietnam) – 7½ 🥉 Ly Kha Han (Vietnam) – 6½ Boys Under 12 🥇 CM Tulegen, Ramazan (Kazakhstan) – 7½/9 🥈 CM Le Phan Hoang Quan (Vietnam) – 7½ 🥉 CM Nguyen Quang Anh (Vietnam) – 7½ Girls Under 12 🥇 WFM Yunker, Alisa Genrietta (FIDE) – 7/9 🥈 Peng Jingyi (China) – 6½ 🥉 WCM Filippova, Milana (Kazakhstan) – 6½ Boys Under 14 🥇 FM Kakavand, Ramtin (Iran) – 7/9 🥈 Nguyen Le Nguyen (Vietnam) – 7 🥉 FM Abdsattar, Alisher (Kazakhstan) – 7 Girls Under 14 🥇 WCM Maitreyi Mondal (India) – 7½/9 🥈 WCM Tursunalieva Nurelina (Kyrgyzstan) – 7 🥉 Kalugina, Maria (FIDE) – 7 Boys Under 16 🥇 FM Puzyrevsky, Semyon (FIDE) – 7/9 🥈 CM Alaghehmand, Arshia (Iran) – 7 🥉 IM Dinh Nho Kiet (Vietnam) – 6½ Girls Under 16 🥇 Tong Yiyi (China) – 7½/9 🥈 Ebrahimi, Rashti Asal (Iran) – 7½ 🥉 WFM Iudina, Veronika (FIDE) – 6½ Boys Under 18 🥇 FM Volkov, Maksim (FIDE) – 6½/9 🥈 IM Banh Gia Huy (Vietnam) – 6½ 🥉 Ahmadi, Erfan (Iran) – 6½ Girls Under 18 🥇 WFM Ton Nu Quynh Duong (Vietnam) – 7½/9 🥈 WFM Alavi, Mahsa (Iran) – 6½ 🥉 WIM Nguyen Binh Vy (Vietnam) – 6½ Complete standings and results The competition with classical time control in Shenzhen showcased the depth and growing strength of youth chess across Asia. With eight individual titles decided by tie-breaks, the 2026 championship will be remembered for its narrow margins, intense final-round pressure and an exceptional level of competition across all age categories. Vietnam and China each collected 11 team medals, but Vietnam secured first place through its six gold medals. Together, Vietnam and China occupied 22 of the 36 available team podium positions. Text and photos: 28th Asian Youth Chess Championships Official website: https://aycc2026.chesstournament.org/
Leonardo Costa and Jana Schneider newly crowned German champions
Leonardo Costa and Jana Schneider have emerged as the new German chess champions, both securing their second national titles. The 2026 edition of the German Championship took place in Dresden from July 17 to 25. Both the DEM-Meisterklasse (Open) and the DFEM-Meisterklasse (Women’s) were 10-player round-robins played with classical time control. Although the Open event did not attract all of Germany’s top players – notably, 2025 champion Vincent Keymer opted not to defend his title – the starting field was still impressive, featuring seven Grandmasters. After a draw against Niclas Huschenbeth in the opening round, Costa defeated Luis Engel and Dennis Wagner in the following two rounds to seize the lead. A loss to Alexander Donchenko in round four didn’t throw him off his game. Unfazed, Costa beat Georg Braun and sealed his momentum in the penultimate round with a victory over Bennet Hagner. Despite losing their direct encounter to Costa, Engel bounced back with two consecutive wins and caught up to his main rival heading into the final round. However, a draw against Dmitrij Kollars brought the 18-year-old Costa to six points out of nine rounds, securing the title as his main rival fell to Alexander Donchenko. “I’m very happy. No matter how well you prepare for a tournament, you can never expect a win like this. You always need a bit of luck,” Costa said right after his final game. Final standings – DEM-Meisterklasse The women’s event that developed into a race of Jana Schneider and Diana Wagner was equally exciting, with the champion decided in the final round. Going into Round 9 Schneider and Wagner shared the lead on 6/8 with Lara Schulze and Kateryna Dolzhykova trailing by just a half-point. Schneider recorded a crucial victory over Dolzhykova and clinched the title with an excellent score of 7/9. Meanwhile, Wagner fell to FM Lara Schulze, who overtook her to claim silver. Sarah Papp came in third, and Wagner took fourth place based on tiebreaks. Schneider remained undefeated throughout the entire tournament, achieving five wins and four draws. “It still sounds a bit unreal,” she said a few minutes after her triumph. “I still can’t quite believe it.” Final standings – DFEM-Masterklasse Photo: Finn Engesser and Deutscher Schachbund Official website: https://www.schachbund.de/