Istanbul to host 2026 World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships

Istanbul, Türkiye, will host the 2026 World Rapid and Blitz Championships, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) announced on 29 October. Competition is scheduled for 26–30 December, following the 2025 championships in Doha, Qatar.

Players will contest four world titles, in Open and Women’s rapid and blitz, forms of chess played with shorter time limits. FIDE identifies 25 December as the arrivals date, separate from the competition dates given by Chess.com.

Defending champions and host city

Magnus Carlsen holds both defending Open titles. Aleksandra Goryachkina is the defending Women’s Rapid champion, and Bibisara Assaubayeva holds the Women’s Blitz title.

Istanbul hosted the Chess Olympiad in 2012. FIDE cited Türkiye’s experience organizing chess events, as well as Istanbul’s international flight connections and infrastructure, in presenting the city as a suitable host.

FIDE President Timur Turlov thanked the Turkish Chess Federation and its partners for their cooperation. FIDE named Freedom Holding Corp., its strategic partner since 2023, as the event’s title sponsor.

Rules and registration still to come

The venue, tournament regulations and registration details remain unannounced. FIDE says it will publish them shortly.

At the previous championships, rapid used a Swiss format, in which players are paired over a series of rounds rather than eliminated after a loss. Blitz began with a Swiss stage and ended with a four-player knockout. Those arrangements do not establish the rules for the Istanbul event.