FIDE and the International School Chess Federation (ISCF) have officially named 2026 the Year of Chess in Education, a global campaign centred on integrating chess into school curricula worldwide. The announcement follows the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation between the two bodies on October 20, 2025, at NGS School in Astana, Kazakhstan.
The memorandum was signed by FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich and ISCF President Timur Turlov. It builds on the momentum of 2025’s Year of Social Chess and grows out of a proposal Dvorkovich made at the Smart Moves Summit in Washington, D.C., where he named education one of FIDE’s core focus areas for 2026.
Background: From Social Chess to Chess in Education
FIDE has been running its recent calendar around annual themes. 2025 was designated the Year of Social Chess, a push to widen participation in the game outside of competitive settings. The Year of Chess in Education picks up that same theme-driven approach and redirects it toward classrooms and school systems specifically, rather than casual or recreational play.
The idea did not emerge in isolation. It follows directly from a proposal Dvorkovich raised at the Smart Moves Summit, a chess policy gathering held in Washington, D.C., where he identified education as one of the areas FIDE intends to prioritise through 2026. The Astana memorandum with ISCF is the first concrete step in acting on that proposal, giving the “education year” theme an operational partner and a named flagship tournament rather than leaving it as a broad statement of intent.
What the Memorandum Sets Up
The centrepiece of the Chess in Education 2026 programme is a new flagship competition: the World Schools Team Championship League 2026 (WSTCL). It will unfold in two stages.
- Continental Championships, held separately across Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe, where school teams compete within their own region
- A Grand Final, bringing together the winning school teams from each of the four continental events to compete for the overall title
Beyond the competition structure itself, FIDE and ISCF have said they intend to draft a broader action plan for additional events to run alongside each WSTCL leg. The stated goal of that action plan is twofold: expanding scholastic chess participation at the grassroots level, and reinforcing chess’s positioning as an educational tool rather than only a competitive sport. Full scheduling, host cities, and eligibility criteria for the Continental Championships have not yet been published by either organisation.
Who Is ISCF
The International School Chess Federation is a relatively young organisation, having launched in September 2024 as a FIDE-affiliated body. Its mandate is specifically the global promotion and integration of chess within education systems, which distinguishes it from FIDE’s other affiliated bodies that focus on competitive or professional chess.
In practice, ISCF’s work spans developing educational programmes, supporting national chess federations as they build out school-level initiatives, and fostering cognitive and social growth among students through structured exposure to the game. The WSTCL 2026 mandate is by far the largest undertaking the young federation has been handed since its founding, effectively making it FIDE’s lead partner for scholastic chess worldwide going into 2026.
What the Two Presidents Said
Dvorkovich called education the foundation of a successful life and described chess as a proven tool in service of that goal. He said investment in chess education, youth, and school events has been a priority for his team since taking over FIDE, framing the new programme as a continuation of that direction rather than a standalone initiative. He added that the goal for 2026 is to launch new projects and get a wider range of schools and educational facilities actively involved in chess.
Turlov, whose Freedom Shapagat Foundation backs the initiative, situated the programme within a broader inclusion agenda that he described as central to his own priorities. He pointed out that some of the related events are being hosted within the framework of the FIDE Olympiad for People with Disabilities, tying the education push to accessibility rather than treating it as a separate track. He also framed the shift from 2025’s social-chess theme to 2026’s education theme as a natural progression, describing chess as a tool for building respect, empathy, and support for children from an early age, and as a way to develop confidence, discipline, and connection alongside more academic skills.
Why the Timing Matters
The declaration comes almost exactly one year after the launch of the Year of Social Chess, suggesting FIDE is now treating these annual themes as a recurring mechanism rather than a one-off campaign. Running education as the second consecutive themed year signals a degree of continuity in FIDE’s current leadership priorities, rather than a shift in direction.
It also lands soon after ISCF’s own formation in late 2024. Handing a federation that is barely a year and a half old the responsibility for a first-of-its-kind global school championship structure is a notable vote of confidence, and it puts real pressure on ISCF to deliver a credible, well-organised event across four continents in its first major test.
What Happens Next
The Continental Championship stage of WSTCL 2026 is expected to be rolled out region by region over the coming months, followed by qualification details for the Grand Final. FIDE has signalled that further initiatives will be layered on around each leg of the tournament as the action plan referenced in the memorandum is finalised, meaning updates on Chess in Education 2026 are likely to arrive in stages through the year rather than as a single comprehensive announcement.
