FIDE Announces Revamped World Cadets Championships To Streamline Youth Development

Last Updated:February 24, 2026, 12:17 IST

The FIDE World Cadets Cup, designed to ensure transparency and clarity, will serve as a qualification event for the FIDE World Cadets Championships.

FIDE announced the inception of a new championships cycle for three age-group categories, for the under 8s, 10s, and 14s, beginning this year in a bid to add to the lure of youth competitions and provide a clear pathway for budding players.

The FIDE World Cadets Cup, designed to ensure transparency and clarity, will serve as a feeder and qualification event for the FIDE World Cadets Championships, slated to be held in November later in the year, which will dictate the winners of each category.

The event which was termed the World Cadet Championships previously has been given the facelift and rebranded as the FIDE World Cadets Cup in an attempt to bring in the strongest fledgling players across the globe and hand them a platform to test themselves out against competitors from other nations.

The inaugural edition of the renamed FIDE World Cadets Cup will begin on the third week of June and go on till the final embers of the month at Batumi in Georgia with separate tournaments for boys and girls across the three age categories.

Each participating nation has the right to nominate a player per section, across categories and age-groups, totaling up to six players per nation in addition to the head of delegation. The top-3 players from the previous editions, both World Cadets Championships and World Cadets Cup, will also be invited to compete in addition to the champions of the Continental Cadet Championships.

Chair of FIDE Events Commission and President of the Georgian Chess Federation, Akaki Iashvili opined that, “This event is an important opportunity for young players to test themselves on the world stage and to experience international chess at the highest organisational level."

“Georgia is proud to welcome the global chess community to Batumi once again, and we look forward to hosting the next generation of champions in a city with a deep love for the game," he added.

Three spots are reserved for the winners of the FIDE Cadets World Cup, while 4 spots are blocked for players nominated by each continent’s federation head, while the hosts’ organisers have the right to nominate one player in.

The registration for the event closes on the 15th of April, with the Cup slated to be held in June, before the Cadet Championships featuring 48 players across sections and categories, begin in November.

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