The 5th FIDE Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners will take place from October 14 to 16, 2025, bringing together incarcerated men, women, and youth from correctional facilities around the world to unite through the shared language of chess.
This championship is part of FIDE’s Chess for Freedom initiative, which promotes social inclusion, rehabilitation, and personal growth through the game. Now in its fifth year, it has become one of the world’s most meaningful examples of chess’s power to transform lives.
This year marks another record in participation, with 135 teams from 57 countries confirmed. The lineup includes 89 teams in the Open section, 26 in the Women’s, and 20 in the Youth. Several countries will make their debut, among them Eswatini, Guyana, Lesotho, Poland, Aruba, and St. Kitts and Nevis.
Each team consists of four players, all currently incarcerated. Matches will be played online on Chess.com with a time control of 10 minutes plus a 5-second increment. The event will be supervised by FIDE arbiters to ensure fair play and smooth coordination across correctional institutions on different continents.
Format
October 14: Group Stage
Teams will be divided into groups and play in a round-robin format. Grouping will be based on geographic region and time zone.
October 15: Championship Stage
The top two teams from each group will qualify for the Championship Round, which will also follow a round-robin format.
October 16: Finals and Placement Matches
The final stage crowns the champions in the Open, Women’s, and Youth categories. Placement matches will determine the overall team rankings.
The Group Stage and the Finals will be broadcast live on FIDE’s official YouTube channel with commentary, interviews, and inspiring human-interest stories. The 2025 commentary team includes Michael Rahal, Angelika Valkova, and Charlize van Zyl, who will guide the audience through the action, highlight the impact of the Chess for Freedom program, and share the stories of participants from around the world.
The broadcast will also feature guest appearances from chess officials, arbiters, and correctional representatives, offering insights into how chess education is being introduced in rehabilitation systems worldwide.
Around the world, teams get ready
Preparations are underway across continents as prisons and federations organize training camps, online test matches, and workshops in anticipation of the Intercontinental Championship.
In Malawi, the Prison Service has been especially active following the success of hosting the Chess for Freedom Continental Championship and Workshop earlier this year. Prison teams from Zomba, Bvumbe Youth, Maula, and Kachere facilities have been training regularly with support from the Malawi Chess Federation. At Maula Prison, players recently took part in a training session with the team described by officials as “sharp, focused, and ready to take on the competition!” The country has become one of Africa’s most committed participants in the program, placing second in multiple categories at the continental level.
Elsewhere in Africa, Zimbabwe, the winner of the recent Continental Championship, enters as one of the continent’s strongest contenders. Kenya continues to expand its “Chess in Prisons” program through the Correctional Service, beginning with Nairobi West Prison.
Beyond Africa, new programs are emerging in Guyana, where the national federation has introduced chess training at the Lusignan Prison, and in Aruba, which is fielding a team for the first time. The United States, Paraguay, Croatia, Singapore, and Kazakhstan have also confirmed their participation, showing how correctional institutions worldwide now recognize chess as a valuable tool for education and reintegration.
About Chess for Freedom
The Chess for Freedom initiative was launched by FIDE in partnership with correctional institutions around the world to make chess accessible to inmates as an educational and social tool. It promotes critical thinking, emotional control, and teamwork, helping participants gain valuable skills for reintegration into society.
Since the first Intercontinental Championship in 2021, the project has grown into a global movement. Thousands of inmates have taken part in regional and international tournaments, workshops, and educational programs across six continents.
This year’s edition, the largest so far, reflects the unifying message of the Chess for Freedom initiative: chess transcends walls, borders, and circumstances, offering a bridge to learning, reflection, and hope.
The 5th FIDE Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners will be held from October 14 to 16, 2025, on Chess.com, with live coverage on FIDE’s YouTube channel.