Rapid Championship
- Rounds
- System
- Swiss System
- Time control
15 minutes + 5 seconds increment per move
Official Championship Credential
FIDE / ECF · Ser. 2026 · RB · U7–U17
FIDE · Egyptian Chess Federation · Ministry of Youth and Sports
World Rapid& Blitz
- Host city
- Cairo, Egypt
- Dates
- 8–15 December 2026
- Categories
- 6 · Open & Girls
- Format
- Rapid & Blitz · 11 rounds
- Opens in
Registration closes1 November 2026
A world stage
for the next
generation
The International Chess Federation FIDE and the Egyptian Chess Federation are pleased to invite all FIDE member federations and players to participate in the 2026 FIDE World Rapid and Blitz U7-U17 Chess Championships for players under 7 to under 17 years old.
Under the patronage of the Egyptian Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Egyptian Chess Federation is proud to host the 2026 FIDE World Rapid and Blitz U7-U17 Chess Championships.
Players and delegations gather in Cairo, Egypt from 8–15 December 2026.
§ 02Participation
Six age
categories
Eligibility is determined strictly by date of birth, exactly as defined in the official regulations. Every category is contested twice, Open and Girls.
§ 02.1Rules
There shall be 6 categories — Under-7, Under-9, Under-11, Under-13, Under-15 & Under-17 — with separate events for Open and Girls.
All chess players who shall not have reached the age of 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, or 17 before 1 January 2026 are eligible to participate, per the age table above.
The Champions (1st place) of the previous odd W-RBCYC edition (U9–U17 age groups) have personal rights and are entitled to participate provided they fulfil the age condition above. Winners may select to play in the same age category or a higher age category (e.g. the U9 winner may play U9 again, if still eligible by age, or move up to U11). The Organizers will provide free board and lodging in twin-share rooms to these winners.
The Championship is open to all players. FIDE-endorsed Chess Academies may also register players through their respective National Chess Federation (NCF), with a copy to TRG for endorsement.
FIDE Member Federations have the right to send any number of additional players they want.
§ 03Disciplines
Two titles,
eleven rounds
Both championships are decided under the FIDE Swiss System across eleven rounds. A player entered in both plays twenty-two games in eight days.
Blitz Championship
- Rounds
- System
- Swiss System
- Time control
5 minutes + 3 seconds increment per move
§ 04Schedule
Eight days
in December
Transcribed exactly as published in the official regulations. Where the source document is internally inconsistent it is shown verbatim and annotated in the margin, never silently corrected.
DEC · Tue
- —Arrival
DEC · Wed
- 11:00 AMTechnical Meeting
- 14:30 PMOpening Ceremony
Content reviewPrinted as "14:30AM" in the official regulations. 14:30 falls after noon, so the AM designator was a typographic error in the source document. Corrected to PM on the instruction of the Organizing Committee. The time itself is unchanged.
- 15:00 PMRapid — Round 1 – Round 3
DEC · Thu
- 15:00 PMRapid — Round 4 – Round 7
DEC · Fri
- 15:00 PMRapid — Round 8 – Round 11
DEC · Sat
- —Free Day
DEC · Sun
- 15:00 PMBlitz — Round 1 – Round 6
DEC · Mon
- 12:00 PMBlitz — Round 7 – Round 11
- 19:00 PMClosing Ceremony
DEC · Tue
- —Departure
§ 05Registration
Enter your federation
Registration is open to all FIDE member federations and is completed through the official form, the single official channel for these Championships.
Registration fee
EUR
per person
Charged per player, and per accompanying official or person.
FIDE fee
EUR
per player
EUR 35 Rapid + EUR 35 Blitz. This fee is collected by the Organizing Committee, which is responsible for transferring the collected amount to FIDE.
The registration fee includes
- Transportation from and to Cairo International Airport
- Transportation from and to Sphinx International Airport
- Accreditation
- Identification
- Badges
- Organization costs
Late registration
Penalty · EUR
After the registration deadline, organizers reserve the right to refuse late registrations, or — if availability exists — charge a penalty of EUR 100 per late registration.
FIDE general regulations (opens in a new tab)Register Now
Questions · youthrapidblitz@fide.com
§ 06Payment
Bank transfer
All registration, FIDE and accommodation fees are paid by bank transfer to the Organizing Committee's account.
153 Mohamed Farid St., Cairo, Egypt
SWIFT codeBMIS EGCX XXX
SWIFT code, alternateBMIS EGCX TRF
IBAN account numberEG30 0002 0101 0101 0130 0000 0344 6
Account number1010 1300 0000 3446
ID1496 9987
Branch nameالقاهرة
Account nameالاتحاد المصري للشطرنج يورو
Send payment confirmations to youthrapidblitz@fide.com.
Payment schedule
- Advance accommodation payment, due by 1 November 2026.
- The remaining 50% balance must be paid before the start of the first round.
All bank transfer fees and commissions shall be covered by the sender.
Following the completion and approval of the Registration, Accommodation & Travel Form, the Organizing Committee will issue invoices to participating national federations for bank transfer payments.
§ 07Accommodation
One hotel,
one playing hall
The official tournament hotel is a 5-star hotel located in Giza, Egypt. The playing hall is also located within the same official tournament hotel.
To be announcedThe regulations confirm a five-star hotel in Giza housing both the accommodation and the playing hall, but do not name the property. No name is invented here; this page is updated once the Organizing Committee confirms it.
Rates · full board · per person per night
| Room | Basis | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Single Room | per person / night | EUR |
| Double Room | per person / night | EUR |
| Triple Room | per person / night | EUR |
- Full board
- Full board — breakfast, lunch, and dinner throughout the official accommodation period.
- Reservation deadline
Reservations submitted after this deadline will be subject to availability and may not be guaranteed.
- Booking policy
For security and organizational reasons, all participants and accompanying persons are required to stay at the official tournament hotel designated by the Organizing Committee.
Hotel reservations must be made exclusively through the Organizing Committee. Individual bookings made directly with the hotel will not be considered official tournament reservations.
§ 08Transfers
Runway to
playing hall
The Organizing Committee provides airport transfers between Cairo International Airport / Sphinx International Airport and the official hotel on the official arrival and departure days (8–15 December).
- Outside official dates
EURround trip
EURone way
- Flight details deadline
- Arrival / departure date
- Time
- Flight number
The Organizing Committee will not be responsible for transfers if the required flight details are not provided by the deadline.
- Private bus
EURper bus
Private transportation may be arranged on request for delegations or individuals requiring dedicated transportation. A private bus is available at EUR 200 per bus, subject to prior reservation and availability.
Participants arranging private transportation must indicate this during registration and will be fully responsible for their own transfers.
§ 09Technical
How the titles are decided
System and time controls
- Tournament system
- Swiss System, 11 rounds
- Rapid
- 15 minutes + 5 seconds increment per move
- Blitz
- 5 minutes + 3 seconds increment per move
Ratings
If a player does not have an existing FIDE Rapid or Blitz rating, his/her FIDE Classical rating shall be used, where applicable.
Fair play
The FIDE Anti-Cheating Rules and Guidelines and applicable Fair Play Protection Measures shall apply to all Championships.
Any appeal against a decision of the Chief Arbiter shall be submitted in accordance with the applicable FIDE Appeals Committee Procedural Rules.
Tie-break order
- Direct Encounter (only if all tied players have played each other)
- Buchholz Cut 1
- Buchholz
- Greater number of games played with Black
- Greater number of wins
- Drawing of lots
§ 10Appeals
A clear and impartial process
Any appeal against a decision made by the Chief Arbiter must be submitted in writing to the Chairman of the Appeals Committee within 15 minutes following the end of the relevant game.
- Submission window
- After the end of the relevant game, in writing to the Chairman of the Appeals Committee.
- Appeal deposit
- If the appeal is upheld, the deposit will be refunded immediately.
- If rejected
- If the appeal is rejected, the deposit will be forfeited to FIDE.
The appeal must be submitted by the player concerned, and the decision of the Appeals Committee shall be final and binding.
Champions of tomorrow,
honoured today
Best Federations
Trophy
The three best Federations, by ranking of medals collected across all categories, will receive a trophy according to the rules below:
- For first place, the number of gold medals is taken into consideration.
- If there is a tie, the number of silver medals is taken into consideration.
- If there is still a tie, the number of bronze medals is taken into consideration.
- If there is still a tie, the total points of medalists is taken for tiebreak.
- Finally, if this is still equal, the average performance rating of the medalists from each country is taken into consideration.
The official regulations do not specify monetary prize amounts. None are stated on this site.
§ 12Results
Standings, pairings and live games
This section connects to the official results provider once play begins. No results are shown until there are real ones.
Sheet
Published from 8–15 December 2026, Cairo time.
Not yet issued
§ 13Bulletin
Championship updates
Official news is published here as the Organizing Committee confirms details. These entries mark where each story will appear.
- Pending
Championship Announcement
Official news and updates about the 2026 FIDE World Rapid and Blitz U7-U17 Chess Championships will appear here.
- Pending
Registration Opens
Details on registration opening for national federations will be published here once confirmed by the Organizing Committee.
- Pending
Important Travel Information
Airport transfer and travel updates for participating delegations will be posted here.
- Pending
Official Schedule
Any updates to the official tournament schedule will be announced here.
- Pending
Opening Ceremony
Coverage and details of the Opening Ceremony will be shared here closer to the event.
- Pending
Championship Results
Daily results summaries will be published here once the championship is underway.
§ 14Plates
The place, printed
Cairo and Giza as the delegations will find them. Championship photography replaces this sheet during the event.
Awaiting official photography
Championship, Opening Ceremony, Games, Players, Awards. Published here as the Organizing Committee releases it.
Cairo
Home to the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx, and the city of a thousand minarets. Delegations from across the world arrive here for a week of championship chess.
§ 16Committee
The Organizing Committee
- +20 106 670 0170
- +20 102 222153
ECF President
Tournament Director