A two-stage system is inaugurated

FIDE introduced a new championship cycle for the under-8, under-10 and under-12 age groups in 2026, with the inaugural World Cadets Cup U8-U12 set to take place in Batumi, Georgia, from 16 to 27 June. The event is part of a revised structure designed to strengthen the global pathway for young players and increasing the clarity and prestige of FIDE youth competitions.

Under the new system, the World Cadets Cup serves as a qualifying event, while the FIDE World Cadets Championships U8, U10 and U12, to be held later in the year, will remain the final stage at which world titles are decided. FIDE has stated that this distinction is intended to make the structure clearer for federations, players and parents.

Opening Surprise Weapons in 60 Minutes

This 60-minute course is a selection of exciting and practical openings that are both easy to learn and enjoyable to play.

The competition in Batumi will follow the format used in recent editions of the World Cadet Championships. Separate tournaments will be held for boys and girls in the under-8, under-10 and under-12 categories, making a total of six sections.

Each national federation may nominate one invited player per age category and gender, for a total of up to six players. Federations may also send one head of delegation, who must hold a valid FIDE ID. Additional invited players include those who finished first, second or third at the previous World Cadets Championships and World Cadets Cup, as well as the champions of the most recent Continental Cadet Championships.

All tournaments will be played over 11 rounds using the Swiss system. The time control will be 90 minutes for each player, with a 30-second increment from move one.

Final standings will be determined first by the number of points scored. In case of a tie, the criteria will be the results of games between the tied players (provided all tied players have faced each other), followed by Buchholz cut 1, Buchholz, Sonneborn-Berger, the greater number of wins and average rating of opponents.

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• Full technical information on Chess-Results

Top players - Open U12

Mastering Pattern Recognition in the Opening

Pattern recognition is an important tool in modern chess, as it helps you to understand better the characteristics of a position. Particularly when you have been confronted with a surprise opening system played by your opponent, it helps when you can just

Top players - Girls U12

Top players - Open U10

Fritz 21

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Top players - Girls U10

Top players - Open U8

The golden rules of chess strategy

This “60 Minutes” is aimed at providing the reader with a guide to positional and strategic play in the middlegame.

Top players - Girls U8

How to Avoid Mistakes and Boost Your Winning Rate

Doesn’t every chess game get decided by mistakes? Absolutely. But most players never truly comprehend that they are making the same kind of mistakes over and over again.