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• The 2026 World Championship Match will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, from November 25 to December 15, pitting reigning champion Gukesh D (India) against challenger Javokhir Sindarov (Uzbekistan).
• Both players will be 20 years old when the match starts, making it the youngest World Championship contest ever held.
• Sindarov qualified by winning the 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament in Cyprus with a round to spare, on top of already having won the 2025 FIDE World Cup.

According to reports from Ukraine, a Russian overnight airstrike on July 25 destroyed the building of the Kherson Children and Youth Chess and Checkers Sports School, where generations of young players trained and local tournaments were held. The building reportedly burned to the ground, marking another attack on civilian infrastructure in the frontline city of Kherson, which has been subjected to constant shelling and drone strikes

Following the EU sanctions on Arkady Dvorkovich that led to his withdrawal from the FIDE President post and the race for a new term, Kazakh billionaire Timur Turlov announced that he will run for the position of head of the international chess federation.

The European Union has formally added FIDE President Dvorkovich to its sanctions list as part of the 21st sanctions package. As a result, Arkady Dvorkovich released a statement, saying he “suspends his exercise of my powers and duties as FIDE President” with immediate effect.

In accordance with the FIDE Charter, the duties of the President will be assumed by the FIDE Deputy President, the 15th World Champion, Viswanathan Anand.

The European Union has formally added FIDE President Dvorkovich to its sanctions list as part of the 21st sanctions package. As a result, Arkady Dvorkovich released a statement, saying he “suspends his exercise of my powers and duties as FIDE President” with immediate effect.

Developing story, stay tuned for updates

Last Saturday, Mr. Zurab Azmaiparashvili was re-elected as the ECU President. The ticket of Mr. Zurab Azmaiparashvili was elected with 35 votes in favour in a total of 53 votes cast. “Saturday’s result in Europe gives us great encouragement that a positive and constructive approach is earning the confidence of federations around the world,” say FIDE President Candidate Jan Henric Buettner and Candidate for Deputy President of FIDE Malcolm Pein and release the following open letter

Mr. Zurab Azmaiparashvili has been re-elected as the ECU President. The ticket of Mr. Zurab Azmaiparashvili was elected with 35 votes in favour in a total of 53 votes cast:

ECU President: Mr. Zurab Azmaiparashvili
Deputy President: Mr. Vlad Ardeleanu
Vice President: Mrs. Ingrid Lauterbach
Vice President: Mr. Lasse Ostebo Lovik
Secretary General: Mr. Theodoros Tsorbatzoglou
Treasurer: Mrs. Prabitha Urwyler

The Super Rapid & Blitz Croatia, the third stop on the 2026 Grand Chess Tour, begins Wednesday in Zagreb with a world-class field competing in one of the year’s premier speed chess events. The event follows the Tour’s opening legs in Warsaw and Bucharest and brings together 10 elite grandmasters for a five-day competition consisting of nine rounds of rapid chess (25 minutes plus a 10-second increment) followed by 18 rounds of blitz (5 minutes plus a 2-second increment).

Star-Studded Field Headlines Inaugural Naroditsky Memorial in Charlotte

The inaugural Naroditsky Memorial Rapid & Blitz gets underway Friday in Charlotte, North Carolina, bringing together one of the strongest speed chess fields ever assembled in the United States to honor the legacy of Grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky.

One of the most active people and motors of European chess is always ready to discuss development, policy, and more. At Chessdom are pleased to talk to Mr. Theodoros Tsorbatzoglou. In a previous interview he said to us, “We represent the Europe of the many, the Europe of the ‘equal rights’ Nations“. Today he is running for yet another term as ECU Secretary General and we wanted to know his stance on the hot topics of the day.