European Continental Stage of FIDE ISCF World Schools Team Championship 2026

First of all, I know the timing of this information could have been better, but FIDE informed me only today that FIDE and the International School Chess Federation (ISCF), with the support of its general partner Freedom Holding Corp., invite all FIDE member federations from Europe to participate in the European Continental Stage of the FIDE ISCF World Schools Team Championship 2026 (WSTC 2026). 

Organized by ISCF and FIDE jointly with the Armenian Chess Federation and the European Chess Union, the event will be held in Tsaghkadzor, Armenia, from September 28 (arrival) to October 3 (departure), 2026.

The European Continental Stage will become one of the continental qualifiers of the new World Schools Team Championship cycle held within the framework of the Year of Chess in Education 2026 initiative. The best teams will qualify directly for the WSTC 2026 Grand Final, where the continental champions will compete for the title of FIDE ISCF World Schools Team Champion 2026. 

Team composition and eligibility 

Each team shall consist of:

• Four main players;
• One reserve player;
• One non-playing captain

Each team must include at least one boy and at least one girl, except in specific cases provided for in the Regulations for single-gender educational institutions.

Players eligible to participate must be born between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2018.

National federations are responsible for confirming that all players are officially enrolled in the educational institution they represent during the 2025–2026 academic year. 

The tournament will be played over eight rounds using the Swiss system.

Participation conditions and organizer support

Within the framework of the Championship, selected teams will receive organizer support, including:

• Full-board accommodation;
• Airport and local transfers;
• Four economy-class flight tickets for designated eligible delegations

Detailed participation conditions are outlined in the official Invitation Letter and General Regulations.

Educational and cultural programme

In addition to the tournament itself, participants and guests will take part in a special educational and cultural programme organized in line with the Year of Chess in Education 2026 initiative. The programme will include:

• Masterclasses and lectures by leading chess players and educators;
• Interactive workshops;
• Side activities promoting educational exchange and intercultural dialogue.

The Championship aims not only to identify the strongest school team on the continent but also to promote chess as a powerful educational and social development tool.

Registration

I hope the bad timing of the information and the age limits (which almost exclude secondary schools from the competition) will not discourage schools to show their interest and register. The registration deadline for the Belgian Federation is August 21. So, if you (and your school) are interested, please let it know to Philippe Vukojevic (philippe.vukojevic@frbe-kbsb-ksb.be). If several schools are interested, the selected team will be determined on the basis of the ranking at the last Belgian School Chess Championships. Priority will be given to top 10 – teams of the secondary school championship, but in view of the age limits, it is probably more likely that only primary schools will be eligible.