Getting ready for the next season

With summer holidays coming to an end, the new season is right around the cornet. Follow along with some past and future important chess updates from Belgium.

Right before the summer holidays, we have officialy phased out our national ELO ratings, in favor of a FIDE-only rating system. This migration brings clarity for clubs & players in the form of a single, unified and international rating system. It furthermore also frees up very valuable time at the RBCF administration board to focus on other themes. We acknowledge that switching to the FIDE ELO reporting guidelines brings change to tournament organizers. We have composed guidelines to help you navigate the various FIDE registration and reporting requirements, and are available to support you in case of questions.

Thanks to Jorian, our newest board member, the chess community now also has access to the national ELO archive. This archive contains historical national ELO records, some even from well before the year 2000. Jorian has put in a huge work to not only migrate the latest national ELO rankings, but also historical records from various older data sources. The archive allows researching players and clubs and get nostalgic about their rating evolution. Jorian is very open to comments or feedback on this new system.

The holiday period started with the Belgian Championship 2026, organized by Borgerhoutse Schaakkring. Typically, this championship is the kickoff of the summer period, with lots of tournaments across Belgium: Gent Open 2026, 41ste Open Geraardsbergen, Brugse Meesters, just to name a few. Open Brasschaat is currently ongoing.

August brought a new player management system for the Belgian clubs. The new system is up-to-date with latest technologies in terms of security, data analysis and future connection to other systems (e.g. Club Manager). Read more about the new system here. This system is made for you, and can also grow better if you get involved. Your comments and suggestions are therefore highly appreciated. Do you see an improvement opportunity? Please reach out.

August 30d, 2026, the National Rapid Championship takes place at The Belgian.

September will be an important month for the International Chess Organization FIDE. The 2026 FIDE Presidential Election will take place on September 26, 2026, during the FIDE General Assembly in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Three presidential tickets are submitted, and we are already seeing a fierce battle between these candidates. Let’s hope this competition brings good things to international chess.

One day later, September 27th, 2026, we kickoff the National Interclub competition 2027. The competition has been extended with a 6th division to accomodate the increasing number of participating teams. Various tournament regulations have been updated according to community feedback. The first version of the teams calendar is published. From September onwards, player lists will be opened for composition. We are still looking for referees to assist during one or more rounds of this national competition. In case of intesterest, please reach out to Gaston.

On October 10th and November 14th, GM Daniel Fernandez, and on December 19th, GM Christian Bauer will give top training to our ladies. Reach out to Gaston in case of interest.

October 21st, the next edition of Your Next Move takes place in Antwerp. In cooperation with the YNM organization, we are awarding tickets to selected participants in the Belgian Championships. These tickets give participants a spot at the table of the Nigel Short simul.

November 21st, 2026, the National Blitz Championship takes place at Chesslooks Lier. One day later, November 22nd, the first in a while, National Fischer Random Championship is held, also at Chesslooks Lier.

At the same time, we are already preparing for next year. Next year’s Belgian Championship 2027 has been awarded to KMSK Mechelen. Further information will be announced by KMSK at a later stage. Mark your calendar already, the tournament takes place Saturday, July 3 – Sunday, July 11, 2027. The RBCF is still looking for candidates to host next year’s Rapid, Blitz & Fischer Random Championships. In case of interest, please reach out.

In the meantime, you can read up on the Board’s meetings and Extraordinary General Assembly (20.06.2026) meeting minutes. Our annual General Assembly takes place Saturday December 5th, 2026 at our principal address.

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