The first stage of the FIDE World University Team Chess Championship 2026 has officially concluded, with university teams from around the world competing in two online Swiss qualifiers for places in the next phase of the competition.
Organised by FIDE and the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, together with the Almaty city administration and support from Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Sports and Tourism, the championship has already attracted strong international participation in its inaugural edition. The over-the-board finals will take place in Almaty, Kazakhstan, from August 3-9, 2026.
The championship format includes three stages: two Online Swiss Qualifiers, an Online Knockout stage, and the final over-the-board event in Almaty. Following the completion of the two Swiss qualifiers, the top 16 teams from each event have advanced to Stage 2, the Online Knockout.
Qualifier 1: Americas and Africa (May 2)
The first online Swiss qualifier took place on May 2 on Lichess.org, bringing together 22 university teams from the Americas and Africa regions in a seven-round Swiss-system tournament played at a rapid time control of 10 minutes plus 3 seconds per move. After the event’s completion, 16 teams had secured their spots in Stage 2.
Saint Louis University (USA) came out on top with 13 match points and 23 game points, with Webster University (St. Louis, USA) finishing second on 12 match points. The University of Texas at Dallas rounded out the top three, ahead of UTRGV (The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley) and Texas Tech University, both of which also advanced comfortably.
The strength of the field was notable from the outset. Saint Louis University fielded a lineup that included GM Aryan Chopra (2637, India), GM Bharath Subramaniyam H. (2599, India), GM Nikolozi Kacharava (2528, Georgia), and WGM Thalia Cervantes Landeiro (2262, USA). Webster University’s roster, led by GM Awonder Liang (2718, USA), was also very strong and included GM Francesco Sonis (2556, Italy), IM Anna Sargsyan (2360, USA), and WIM Munika Akshaya Bommini (2128, India).
The 16 teams that qualified from Qualifier 1 are:
Qualifier 2: Europe and Asia (May 9)
The second qualifier, held on May 9 also on Lichess.org, featured 36 university teams from the Europe and Asia region and proved equally competitive. Ural State Mining University finished first with 13 match points and 24.5 game points, ahead of Universitas Gunadarma (Indonesia) in second and SRMIST (India) in third.
Ural State Mining University entered the event with the highest average rating in the field at 2524. The team included GMs Arseniy Nesterov (2599), Rudik Makarian (2551), and Sergei Lobanov (2515), as well as IM Leya Garifullina (2431).
Universitas Gunadarma represented Indonesia with a strong lineup consisting of IM Gilbert Elroy Tarigan (2421), IM Aditya Bagus Arfan (2370), FM Fabian Glen Mariano (2361), and WIM Diajeng Theresa Singgih (2308). SRMIST, which finished third overall, was led by IM Harsh Suresh (2435) and GM Raahul V S (2402).
The 16 teams that qualified from Qualifier 2 are:
With both Swiss qualifiers complete, attention now turns to Stage 2, the Online Knockout, scheduled for May 16-17 on Lichess.org. The 32 qualified teams will compete in a knockout format, with the top eight teams earning spots in the over-the-board finals in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
The finals, which will take place from August 3-9, 2026, will bring together the eight surviving teams advancing from the knockout stage, alongside eight wildcard teams invited by FIDE and the organisers, competing for the championship title.
The broadcast of the knockout stage will be available at: https://worlduniversities2026.fide.com/live
For full tournament information, regulations and live results, visit the official championship website: https://worlduniversities2026.fide.com