European Youth Chess Championship 2026 – Official invitation

The 2026 European Youth Chess Championship will take place from 2-13 November, 2026 in Hersonissos, Creta, Greece.

The event will be played in six age categories: U8, U10, U12, U14, U16 and U18, open and girls sections separately. Each championship will be played in 9 rounds, swiss system, with the time control of 90 minutes + 30 seconds increment per each move, starting from move one.

The Championships will be played at ****Royal & Imperial Belvedere Resort in Hersonissos, Crete, which is also the official hotel of the event.

Each federation can register one (1) invited player in each of the categories – under 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18 (open and girls sections), and the maximum number of twelve (12) players (“invited players”). Federations can register unlimited number of extra players. The players placed 1-3 in the European Youth Chess Championship 2025 will have the personal right to participate in the championship in the corresponding age-category or a higher age-category if they fulfil the conditions that they have not reached the age of 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 or 18 years, respectively, by January 1st, 2026.

All players must register through their national federations before the 17^th of June.