Press release by FIDE
The European Continental Stage of the FIDE ISCF World Schools Team Championship 2026 commenced on 29 September in Tsaghkadzor, Armenia. 27 school teams from 25 nations are competing in the final qualifying stage for places in the Grand Final in December.
The stage is organised by the International School Chess Federation (ISCF) together with FIDE, the Chess Federation of Armenia and Freedom Corp. as sponsor.
Let us learn together how to find the best spot for the queen in the early middlegame, how to navigate this piece around the board, how to time the queen attack, how to decide whether to exchange it or not, and much more!
Tournament format
Each team fields four players and one reserve, boys and girls. The tournament is an eight-round Swiss, played under time control of 45 minutes plus a 10-second increment per move from move one.
Riga State Gymnasium No.1 (average rating 1989) tops the starting rankings, followed by Gymnasium No.50 of Minsk, Belarus and Tallinna Tonismae Reaalkool, Estonia. Armenia is represented by 3 schools, led by Yerevan's basic school N 77.
Opening ceremony: Peru sends the message
The ceremony opened with a film about the championship and its journey so far, through the stages already held in Asia, Africa and the Americas.
The first to welcome the players was Grandmaster Smbat Lputian, founder of the Chess Academy of Armenia and Vice President of the Chess Federation of Armenia.
Then, as has become a tradition at every stage of the championship, the floor passed to the children from the previous stage. This time the message came from the winners themselves. On screen, the players of Saco Oliveros de Lince, champions of the American Continental Stage in San José, greeted the teams gathered in Tsaghkadzor. They had also sent postal cards, each carrying one message about chess, and the officials came on stage to read them out, letting the Peruvian players' words stand in for their own.
Breaking stereotypes
"Don't be afraid to make an unusual move, even if no one has played it before. Sometimes the most unexpected move changes the whole game!" said Nadzeya Krauchuk, Tournament Director of the FIDE ISCF World Schools Team Championship
Love chess, no matter what
"Sometimes we lose, sometimes we make mistakes, and sometimes we feel like flipping the board! But every game teaches us something new. A true love of the game does not end with a defeat!" said Ion-Serban Dobronauteanu, Director of Youth Chess of the European Chess Union.
Chess opens the door to friendship
"We may speak different languages and live on different continents. But once we sit down at the same chessboard, we understand each other", said Varduhi Sargsyan, Executive Director of the Chess Academy of Armenia.
In this insightful video course, Grandmaster David Navara shares practical advice on when to calculate deeply in a position — and just as importantly, when not to.
In this insightful video course, Grandmaster David Navara shares practical advice on when to calculate deeply in a position — and just as importantly, when not to.
Free sample video: Introduction
Free sample video: Invisible moves
You don't have to be a champion to enjoy the game
"Not all of us have a champion's trophy at home. But everyone can enjoy a beautiful game, a clever move, or a small personal victory", said Timur Turlov, President of FIDE and President of ISCF.
This continues a tradition that runs through the championship: in San José, the ceremony opened with gifts sent by players from the African stage. This time the message came from the Americas and was addressed to Europe.
For Timur Turlov, President of FIDE and President of ISCF, it was the first tournament opening since his election as FIDE President at the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand. He thanked the Armenian hosts and called Armenia "one of the world's great chess centres and the home of many outstanding players".
He pointed to Armenia's own example. In 2011 it became the first country to make chess a compulsory subject in primary schools, and fifteen years later many countries are learning from that experience. Demand for school chess is growing worldwide, he said, and delegates from many countries raised it with him in Samarkand. It will be one of FIDE’s main priorities during his presidency.
Timur Turlov then announced FIDE's plans to allocate $1,000,000 a year to chess in education worldwide under the new FIDE Development Fund. The money will help national federations train teachers and give schools teaching materials and equipment. "Our goal is to give many more children the opportunity to discover chess at school", he said.
He ended with a word to the players: "Play boldly, respect your opponents and support your teammates. I wish you great games, new friendships and unforgettable days in Armenia".
Then he declared the European stage of the World School Team Championship open and made the first ceremonial move to start the competition.
Round one
Four matches ended with 4-0 clean sweeps:
- Gymnasium No. 50 of Minsk – British School of Kosova;
- Green Village School – Naum Naumovski Borche;
- ZS Wolkerova Bardejov – Privates Gymnasium Sacre Coeur Wien;
- Tasen skole – Vesturbaejarskoli.
The top-seeded Latvian team opened the European Continental Stage with a convincing 3-1 victory over Armenia's Mkhitar Sebastatsi Educational Complex.
Round two
In round two, Riga State Gymnasium No. 1 secured a 3½-½ victory, while Gymnasium No. 50 of Minsk won 4-0 again, and Tallinna Tõnismäe Reaalkool claimed a 3-1 win.
After two rounds as many as five teams are on 4/4 match points, with Gymnasium No. 50 of Minsk leading with the perfect 8/8 game points.
Beyond the board
After two rounds of chess, players took part in an Armenian Carpet Weaving Workshop, an introduction to one of the country's oldest crafts. Armenian carpets have been woven by hand for centuries, knot by knot, with patterns and symbols passed down from one generation to the next.
For players who had spent the day thinking in squares and diagonals, the workshop offered a different kind of grid, one built slowly by hand, one knot at a time.
The day ended with the movie "Time from", a quieter close to a long first day before round three.
Official website: https://worldschoolteam2026.fide.com/
This 60-minute course is a selection of exciting and practical openings that are both easy to learn and enjoyable to play.
.jpeg)