Chess events
The chess
calendar.
World title matches, elite round robins, Olympiads and seaside festivals: where the game’s best players sit down, and when. Results stay up after each event ends.
- Events
- 15
- Title events
- 9
- Host countries
- 10
The calendar
Coming up.
Dates are the playing days in the host city. Times and broadcasts are on each organiser’s site.
November 2026
- World titleStarts tomorrow
Total Chess World Championship
A pilot for a new FIDE tour that scores fast classical, rapid and blitz as one event. A blitz Swiss sets the seeding, four groups of six play double round robins, then a knockout decides the title. The finalists qualify for the next Candidates.
Who’s playing 24 players, among them Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, Vincent Keymer and Wesley So.
Fast classical, rapid and blitz combinedWorld Chess - World titleIn 15 days
FIDE World Championship Match
The classical world title. The first to 7.5 points wins; a 7–7 tie goes to rapid and blitz tiebreaks on 12 December. The opening ceremony is on 22 November.
Who’s playing Gukesh Dommaraju (champion) against Javokhir Sindarov (challenger).
14 classical games, tiebreaks if 7–7FIDE
December 2026
- World titleIn 47 days
FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Championships
The traditional end-of-year sprint: world titles at rapid and blitz in open and women’s sections.
Rapid and blitz, open and women’sFIDE
January 2027
- Elite tournamentIn 2 months
Tata Steel Chess Tournament
The 89th edition of the “Wimbledon of chess”, a seaside village festival where amateurs play in the same hall as the world’s best.
Who’s playing The Masters field is due to be announced on 10 November.
Classical, Masters and Challengers round robinsTata Steel Chess
February 2027
- World titleIn 3 months
FIDE Women’s Freestyle Chess World Championship
The first women’s world title for Chess960, held the weekend before the open championship.
Who’s playing Qualifiers include Anna Muzychuk.
Chess960FIDE - World titleIn 3 months
FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship
Magnus Carlsen defends the Chess960 world title he won here in 2026.
Who’s playing The 2026 top three (Carlsen, Caruana, Abdusattorov) qualified directly, joined by qualifiers including Pranav Venkatesh.
Chess960FIDE - Open & festivalIn 3 months
Prague International Chess Festival
An elite Masters round robin with open sections for club players alongside it.
Classical: Masters, Challengers and opensPrague Chess Festival
Date to be announced
- World title
FIDE Women’s World Championship Match
The women’s world title match. FIDE has not yet announced the dates or host city.
Who’s playing Ju Wenjun (champion) against Vaishali Rameshbabu, winner of the 2026 Women’s Candidates.
Classical matchFIDE
This season
Results.
Who won the season’s big events, newest first, with a link to the full report.
- National championship9–22 Oct 2026
U.S. Chess Championships
Saint Louis, United States
Wesley So won his fourth title, beating Fabiano Caruana in rapid tiebreaks. Rachael Li won the women’s title on her debut, the youngest player ever to do so.
Report on FIDE - Team event15–27 Sept 2026
46th Chess Olympiad
Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Open: Uzbekistan gold on home soil, India silver, Germany bronze. Women: China gold, Kazakhstan silver, India bronze.
Report on ChessBase - Elite tournamentAugust 2026
Sinquefield Cup
Saint Louis, United States
Wesley So won a playoff with Praggnanandhaa after both scored 5.5/9. Praggnanandhaa went on to win the overall Grand Chess Tour.
Report on Grand Chess Tour - Elite tournament25 May – 5 Jun 2026
Norway Chess
Oslo, Norway
Praggnanandhaa R won with four straight wins at the finish; Bibisara Assaubayeva won Norway Chess Women.
Report on Norway Chess - World title28 Mar – 16 Apr 2026
FIDE Candidates Tournament
Pegeia, Cyprus
Javokhir Sindarov won unbeaten on 10/14, ahead of Anish Giri (8.5) and Fabiano Caruana (7.5).
Report on Chess.com - World title28 Mar – 16 Apr 2026
FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament
Pegeia, Cyprus
Vaishali Rameshbabu won outright on 8.5/14 with a final-round victory.
Report on Chess.com - World title13–15 Feb 2026
FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship
Weissenhaus, Germany
Magnus Carlsen beat Fabiano Caruana 2.5–1.5 in the final; Nodirbek Abdusattorov took third.
Report on FIDE
Every year
A date for the diary.
Clubs, schools and federations around the world mark it with simuls, open days and blitz events.
- International Chess Day
FIDE was founded in Paris on 20 July 1924. The United Nations has recognised the day since 2019.
Every year · next in 253 days
Between rounds
Watch the games. Then play your own.
Replay the classics that shaped these events, or meet the champions who won them.