Qualification paths for the FIDE Women's Freestyle Chess World Championship

by ChessBase
2/18/2026 – FIDE has confirmed the qualification routes for the 2026 FIDE Women's Freestyle Chess World Championship, establishing a structured pathway into the 8-player event. Bibisara Assaubayeva (pictured) has already secured her place after winning an exhibition match in Weissenhaus. The remaining spots will be decided through the Grenke Freestyle Open, rating-based invitations, an online qualifier for titled players and designated over-the-board qualifying events. | Photo: Freestyle Chess / Lennart Ootes
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Press release by FIDE

The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has announced the qualification paths for players wishing to compete in the FIDE Women's Freestyle Chess World Championship 2026.

This qualification system connects the new Freestyle events with the established women's calendar. It offers clear routes for top grandmasters, rising talents and online specialists to compete for the world title in this format.

There are eight places in total.

  • 1 place: Freestyle chess wild card. Bibisara Assaubayeva, after winning the exhibition match against Alexandra Kosteniuk, held alongside the FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship (February 2026).
  • 3 places: Best results among women at the 2026 Grenke Freestyle Open (April 2026).
  • 1 place: A spot for top players. The qualifier invites participants from the Women's Candidates (eight spots), as well as the top four players in the FIDE Women's Standard rating list as of 1 May 2026, among those who have not yet qualified.
    • The total number of participants is 12. Since Bibisara Assaubayeva qualified via the Freestyle chess wild card path, her place will be taken by the next player in the FIDE Standard rating list as of 1 May 2026.
  • 1 place: Online qualifier for all titled players. A general qualifier open to all titled players (June 2026).
  • 2 places: Two spots will be determined through over-the-board (OTB) qualifiers. Organisers willing to host open tournaments in the Freestyle/Chess 960/Fischer Random Chess format can apply to host these qualifiers. If no applications for hosting such OTB qualifiers are received by 31 March 2026, two slots may be reallocated to online formats (e.g. one additional spot for the top-12 online tournament) and another spot – a qualifier for titled players.

The FIDE Council has approved the aforementioned qualification pathways and authorised the Management Board to adopt detailed rules for implementing the above general qualification pathways.

Freestyle Chess is also known as Chess960 or FIDE Fischer Random Chess, as per the FIDE Charter. The FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship is a continuation of FIDE's previous events in the Fischer Random format (held in 2019 and 2022).

Qualification paths for FIDE Women's Freestyle Chess World Championship 2026

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Freestyle Chess exhibition match: Assaubayeva scores 2½-1½ victory over Kosteniuk

2/15/2026 – Alongside the main event in Weissenhaus, Bibisara Assaubayeva and Alexandra Kosteniuk contested a four-game Freestyle Chess exhibition match over the weekend. Played at the same time control as the world championship knockouts, the encounter ended 2½–1½ in Assaubayeva's favour. The result secured her a place in the forthcoming Women's FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship later this year. | Photo: Freestyle Chess / Lennart Ootes
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Freestyle Chess World Championship: The fun begins on Friday

2/12/2026 – The FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship 2026 will take place from 13 to 15 February at the Schloss Weissenhaus resort in Germany, marking the first jointly organised world title event in this format under an agreement between FIDE and a private organiser. Eight players, including Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana, have qualified through the 2025 Grand Slam Tour and online competition, while a women's exhibition match will also be staged alongside the main event. | Photo: Freestyle Chess / Lennart Ootes

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