Istanbul to host FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championships 2026

The year-ending event will see Magnus Carlsen defend both Open titles alongside women's champions Aleksandra Goryachkina and Bibisara Assaubayeva.

Istanbul, Türkiye, will play host to the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championships in December 2026, bringing together some of the world's leading chess players for the year-ending showpiece event.

Freedom Holding Corp., FIDE's strategic partner since 2023, has been named the title sponsor of the championships.

The sponsorship forms part of a broader cooperation agreement for 2026, under which Freedom will support major FIDE events, including the Candidates tournaments and the World Championship match, alongside grassroots initiatives aimed at expanding the game globally. These initiatives include chess training centres, school programmes and talent identification projects.

FIDE president Timur Turlov welcomed the decision to bring the championships to Istanbul, highlighting Türkiye's experience in hosting major chess events and its contribution to the sport's development. In 2012, the city had hosted the 40th Chess Olympiad, and in 2025, it also successfully staged the World Youth Blitz and Rapid Chess Championships.

"We are delighted to bring the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championships to Istanbul. Türkiye has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to organise world-class chess events while making an outstanding contribution to the growth of our game at every level," Turlov said.

The championships, traditionally held during the final week of the year from December 25 to 30, will bring together hundreds of players from across the globe to compete for four world titles in the Open and Women's Rapid and Blitz events.

The defending champions are world's number one rated player Magnus Carlsen, who won both rapid and blitz titles last year, Aleksandra Goryachkina (rapid, women) and Bibisara Assaubayeva (blitz, women).