FIDE World Cadets Cup 2026 brings the FIDE World Cadets’ Championships Cycle to June 15-28, 2026 in Batumi, Georgia on the Black Sea coast. The event runs as an international chess tournament for Under 8, Under 10, and Under 12 players, using the Swiss System over 11 rounds with a classical chess time control. The program includes opening and closing ceremonies, a dedicated rest day, and official on-site arrangements designed for national delegations.

The World Cadets Cup 2026 features six playing categories (Open and Girls in U8, U10, and U12) and follows eligibility rules based on players’ birthdates. The organizer requires delegations to use the official hotel complex, and the playing venue sits inside the same hotel complex for practical logistics. The first three finishers in each age category receive additional benefits for the World Cadets’ Championships 2026 Finals in November.

🗓️ Event Details

⏱️ Time Control & Pairings

The World Cadets Cup 2026 uses the Swiss System with 11 rounds. The event applies a classical time control of 90 minutes for each player plus 30 seconds per move starting from move one, and the default time is 30 minutes. The pairing process does not take national rankings into account.

The event determines final standings by points scored. When players tie on points, the tie-break sequence applies as follows: games between the tied players (only if all tied players played each other), Buchholz cut 1, Buchholz, Sonneborn–Berger, greater number of wins, and average rating of opponents (ARO).

📂 Sections / Groups

📅 Schedule

📝 Registration

👥 Organizer

FIDE and the Georgian Chess Federation organize the World Cadets Cup 2026 in Batumi, Georgia as part of the FIDE World Cadets’ Championships Cycle 2026. The organizer coordinates official registration through national federations, manages accreditation and transfers, and operates the event within the designated official hotel complex to keep logistics centralized for young participants and delegations.

• Email: wcc@fide.com

• Website: https://wcc2026.fide.com/

🏨 Venue

Hotel Complex Euphoria Batumi & Grand Bellagio Convention, Batumi, Georgia
The organizer places the playing venue inside the official hotel complex to streamline daily movement for players and delegations. The venue setup supports centralized accreditation and event operations within the same complex. June in Batumi typically falls in a warm range, with average temperatures stated between 27°C (80°F) and 33°C (90°F).

🛎️ Accommodation

The organizer requires national delegations to use the official hotel designated by the organizing committee, and bookings go only through the organizer on a first-come, first-served basis. Invited players and the head of delegation receive free accommodation and full board from June 15 (dinner) to June 28 (breakfast), 2026, sharing a double room.

Hotel reservation deadline: April 15, 2026. Payment deadline for hotels: April 23, 2026. Hotel check-in time is before 15:00 (local time), and check-out time is by 12:00 (local time). The hotel applies the same prices for the two days before and after the event.

🚗 How to Get There

The organizer provides arrival transfers on June 15 and departure transfers on June 28, and it also provides the same service when a delegation arrives one or two days before the competition or leaves later.

Batumi International Airport: round-trip transfers to hotels are free of charge.
Kutaisi Airport: round-trip transfer to hotels (120 km) costs EUR 70 per person.
Trabzon Airport (Turkey): round-trip transfer to hotels (160 km) costs EUR 100 per person.
Rize–Artvin Airport (Turkey): round-trip transfer to hotels (80 km) costs EUR 70 per person.
Tbilisi Airport: round-trip transfer to hotels (360 km) is by agreement.
Participants who arrange private transport and indicate this in the registration form take full responsibility for their trip.

Bring your delegation to Batumi and let the World Cadets Cup 2026 turn preparation into an unforgettable international stage experience for the next generation of champions.

🧾 Other

The event applies the FIDE Anti-Cheating rules and guidelines. Captains or players may need to present passports upon arrival or during the event to verify age eligibility. The tournament hall prohibits mobile phones, electronic devices, any other radio frequency source (except for authorized medical purposes), wristwatches of all types, and personal pens.

Appeals must be submitted in writing to the Chairman of the Appeals Committee within one hour after the completion of the respective game, and each protest requires a EUR 200 deposit. The organizer returns the deposit immediately when the appeal is granted, and it forfeits to FIDE when the appeal is refused. The Appeals Committee decision is final.