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FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship 2026

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The FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship 2026 is the first official world championship recognized by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) under the name "Freestyle Chess" (Freestyle Chess / Chess960) in collaboration with the Freestyle Chess Operations organization.

ChessFeb 13, 2026 – Feb 15, 2026Wangels, GermanyGermany$300,000FIDE \ Freestyle Chess \ Operations GmbH

Format

🎮 Tournament Format & Progression

📍 Round Robin Stage

  • Format: Single Round-Robin.

  • Time Control: 10 minutes per player + 5-second increment per move.

  • Advancement:

    • The Top 4 players advance to the Semifinals.

    • The remaining players move into the Placement Matches (5th–8th place).

🏆 Knockout Stage

⚔️ Semifinals & Placement Matches

  • Match Length: Best-of-4 (Bo4) series for Semifinals.

  • Time Control: 25 minutes per player + 10-second increment per move.

👑 Final

  • Match Length: Best-of-4 (Bo4) series.

  • Time Control: 25 minutes per player + 10-second increment per move.