World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship will be held in Istanbul

According to the statement of the Turkish Chess Federation, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) chose Türkiye to host the 2026 World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship.

In the championship, which is among the most prestigious chess organizations in the world, world champions in rapid and blitz chess branches will be determined in the open and women's categories.

The last 4 editions of the championship were held in Almaty, Samarkand, New York and Doha. Magnus Carlsen won the world championship in rapid and blitz chess in the organization held in Doha in 2025. Among women, Aleksandra Goryachkina was at the top in rapid chess and Bibisara Assaubayeva was at the top in blitz chess.

The World Rapid and Blitz Championship, which will be held in Türkiye for the first time, will be hosted by the Turkish Chess Federation with the support of the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

Enes Efendioğlu, President of the Turkish Chess Federation, whose views were included in the statement, stated that they will host the world's best chess athletes in Istanbul in the last week of the year and said, "This is a great honor and at the same time a great responsibility for Turkish chess. I would like to thank FIDE for its trust in us, our Ministry of Youth and Sports and our Minister of Youth and Sports Osman Aşkın Bak for their support in bringing the hosting to our country. The championship will allow our athletes to compete in the same hall with the best in the world, our children and "It will also allow our young people to watch these athletes closely. We will showcase Türkiye's experience in international sports organizations in the best way possible in chess." he said.

The venue, program, accreditation and audience information of the championship will be announced through the official channels of the Turkish Chess Federation.