2025 FIDE General Assembly and 4th FIDE Council Meeting: Key decisions

The fourth FIDE Council Meeting of 2025 and the 2025 FIDE General Assembly took place online on December 11 and December 14, respectively. These meetings addressed a range of significant topics, including membership matters, budget and audit issues, electoral rules, the FIDE calendar, and more.

New Member Federations

The FIDE General Assembly approved the admission of three new Member Federations:

• Guinea Chess Federation
• Marshall Islands Chess Federation
• Kiribati Chess Federation

These federations are now officially part of FIDE, further expanding the global reach of the organization.

Re-establishment of the FIDE Chess Oscar Award

The FIDE Assembly approved the re-establishment of the FIDE Chess Oscar Award, which will be presented annually to recognize exceptional achievements in the world of chess. The awards will honor Best Male Chess Player of the Year, Best Female Chess Player of the Year, Best Tournament of the Year, Best Federation of the Year, and more.

The reintroduction of this prestigious award reflects FIDE’s commitment to celebrating the outstanding contributions and achievements in the chess community.

Decisions regarding the limitations on the Russian and Belarussian Chess federations

The FIDE General Assembly approved two resolutions regarding this matter. For more details on this decision, see the official FIDE release: fide.com/fide-general-assembly-decisions-regarding-russia-and-belarus/

Threat to Mexican Chess Federation Membership

The FIDE Council has placed the Mexican Chess Federation under serious scrutiny, warning that failure to meet debt repayment deadlines could result in its suspension from FIDE. Mexico’s membership is at risk after two previous deadlines (November 2024 and July 2025) were violated, despite the federation submitting letters of guarantee. The FIDE Council’s decision outlines that if the Mexican Chess Federation fails to meet any of the upcoming repayment deadlines — January 31, 2026, March 31, 2026, and May 31, 2026 — its membership will be automatically suspended. This would prevent Mexico from hosting FIDE tournaments and delegating teams to FIDE and CCA events.