The FIDE World U7-U17 Rapid & Blitz Championships 2026 will take place from December 8–15, 2026, in Giza, Egypt. Organized by FIDE and the Egyptian Chess Federation, the championships bring together young players from around the world for separate World Rapid and World Blitz competitions.

The event features Under-7, Under-9, Under-11, Under-13, Under-15, and Under-17 age groups, with separate Open and Girls championships in every category. Both disciplines use an 11-round Swiss system, creating 24 individual World Championship competitions across Rapid and Blitz.

The official playing hall and accommodation are located together at Pyramids Park Resort Cairo in Giza. All registered players and accompanying persons are required to stay at the official tournament hotel, where the organizers provide full-board accommodation and official airport transfers.

♟️ Event Details

⏱️ Time Control & Pairings

The event consists of two separate championships: the World Rapid Championship and the World Blitz Championship.

Both disciplines are played over 11 rounds using the FIDE Swiss System.

Rapid Championship

Each player starts with 15 minutes and receives an additional 5 seconds after every move.

Blitz Championship

Each player starts with 5 minutes and receives an additional 3 seconds after every move.

A player entering both disciplines can therefore play 22 World Championship games during the event.

Tie-Breaks

The official regulations establish the following tie-break order:

The same published tie-break framework is used for final standings.

🏆 Awards & Prizes

The official regulations do not publish a monetary prize fund. Therefore, no cash amount should be presented as part of the championship prize structure unless FIDE announces one later.

However, the championships provide a substantial official awards programme.

Individual Awards

The top three players in every category receive:

• Trophies
• Medals
• Certificates
• Special prizes

Every registered participant also receives an appropriate certificate of participation.

Since there are six age groups, separate Open and Girls competitions, and two disciplines, the championships contain:

12 Rapid categories + 12 Blitz categories = 24 World Championship competitions.

Best Federation Awards

The three best-performing national federations receive trophies.

Federation rankings are determined in the following order:

This creates a separate national-team dimension alongside the individual World Championship standings.

🧩 Sections / Groups

The event features six age groups, with separate Open and Girls competitions in every category.

The same age structure applies independently to both Rapid and Blitz.

Participation Rights

Players participate through FIDE member federations.

Member federations may register an unlimited number of players and accompanying officials/persons.

FIDE-endorsed Chess Academies may also enter players through the relevant National Chess Federation and required federation endorsement procedure.

Previous Champions

Eligible players who finished 1st in the previous odd-edition FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Cadets & Youth Championships in U9–U17 have a personal right to participate, provided they remain age-eligible.

A qualifying champion may enter:

• the same category if still eligible; or
• a higher age category.

The Organizing Committee provides eligible previous champions with free board and lodging in twin-share accommodation.

📅 Schedule

The official championship programme runs from Tuesday, December 8 through Tuesday, December 15, 2026.

All times are local times in Egypt.

Rapid Championship

The Rapid competition begins immediately after the opening ceremony on December 9.

Players complete:

• 3 rounds on December 9;
• 4 rounds on December 10;
• 4 rounds on December 11.

All 11 Rapid rounds are therefore completed before the official free day.

Free Day

Saturday, December 12 is reserved as the championship free day.

This gives players, parents, coaches, and delegations a break between the Rapid and Blitz competitions.

Blitz Championship

The Blitz Championship begins on Sunday, December 13 at 3:00 PM.

Six rounds are played on Sunday, followed by the final five rounds on Monday morning.

The Closing Ceremony begins at 7:00 PM on December 14.

📝 Registration

The official registration deadline is:

November 1, 2026

Registration is completed through the championship system and participating National Chess Federations.

Official registration information:

https://www.youthrapidblitz.com/registration

Registration & FIDE Fees

A player entering both Rapid and Blitz therefore pays:

€210 / approx. $240

before accommodation costs.

What the Registration Fee Includes

The €140 registration fee includes:

• airport transportation from and to Cairo International Airport;
• airport transportation from and to Sphinx International Airport;
• accreditation;
• identification;
• badges;
• organizational costs.

Accommodation is charged separately.

Late Registration

Registrations received after November 1 may be refused.

If the Organizing Committee accepts a late registration and space remains available, the registration fee doubles to:

€280 / approx. $320

Therefore, federations should complete registrations before the deadline.

Registration Through Federations

The Egyptian Chess Federation is the sole official channel for registration, payment, and hotel reservations.

Players should coordinate participation through their National Chess Federation rather than independently booking the event or hotel.

Payment

Registration, FIDE, and accommodation fees are paid by bank transfer to the Organizing Committee after the federation’s registration and accommodation submission has been approved.

The Organizing Committee issues invoices to participating federations.

All bank-transfer fees and commissions are paid by the sender.

Payment confirmations should be sent to:

youthrapidblitz@fide.com

👤 Organizer

📍 Venue

Pyramids Park Resort Cairo – 2.5 km Cairo–Alexandria Desert Road, Giza, Egypt.

The official World Championship playing hall and participant accommodation are located in the same resort complex in Giza.

The championship website currently describes the property generically as the official five-star tournament hotel rather than publishing its name in text. However, the official hotel photographs published by the Organizing Committee identify the property as Pyramids Park Resort Cairo.

Several distinctive elements match the resort, including:

• guest rooms with Egyptian-style hieroglyphic wall panels;
• the restaurant built around a glass-walled central courtyard;
• the resort pool and landscaped gardens;
• the outdoor padel courts.

Pyramids Park Resort itself publishes its official address as:

2.5 km Cairo–Alexandria Desert Road, Giza, Egypt.

The resort is located close to the Giza Pyramids area and provides a large self-contained hotel environment suitable for accommodation, meals, delegation activities, and championship play.

Because accommodation and the playing hall are under the same roof / resort complex, participants do not need daily transport between their rooms and the tournament venue.

🏨 Accommodation

All players and accompanying persons are required to stay at the official tournament hotel for security and organizational reasons.

The official accommodation is at Pyramids Park Resort Cairo, where the playing hall is also located.

Hotel bookings must be made exclusively through the Organizing Committee.

A room booked independently with the resort will not be treated as an official championship reservation.

Official Full-Board Rates

All prices are per person per night.

Full Board

The official accommodation package includes:

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
• Open-buffet service throughout the official championship stay

This arrangement is particularly useful for youth players and families because accommodation, meals, and tournament play are all organized within the same official environment.

Seven-Night Accommodation Cost

The official arrival date is December 8 and departure date is December 15, corresponding to seven nights.

These totals are calculated directly from the published nightly full-board rates.

Accommodation Deadline

The hotel reservation deadline is:

November 1, 2026

Reservations received after this date are subject to availability and are not guaranteed.

Accommodation Payment

Because official accommodation is mandatory, delegations should complete the hotel reservation together with championship registration.

🚆 How to Get There

The Organizing Committee provides official airport transfers between the airports and Pyramids Park Resort Cairo.

Two airports are included:

• Cairo International Airport (CAI)
• Sphinx International Airport (SPX)

✈️ From Cairo International Airport

The Organizing Committee estimates the journey between Cairo International Airport and the official hotel at approximately 45 minutes.

Registered participants and accompanying persons receive complimentary transfers on the official arrival and departure dates.

✈️ From Sphinx International Airport

Sphinx International Airport is considerably closer to the Giza venue.

The organizer estimates the journey to the official hotel at approximately:

25 minutes

For international visitors whose route options allow it, SPX can therefore provide a particularly convenient arrival point.

Official Airport Transfers

Complimentary airport transportation operates during the official championship period:

December 8–15, 2026

Participants must submit their flight information by:

November 1, 2026

Required details include:

• arrival date;
• arrival time;
• arrival flight number;
• departure date;
• departure time;
• departure flight number.

The Organizing Committee cannot guarantee airport transfers when the required flight information is not submitted by the deadline.

Transfers Outside the Official Dates

Participants arriving before December 8 or departing after December 15 may request additional transfers.

Private Bus

Delegations may reserve a dedicated private bus for:

€200 / approx. $230 per bus

This service is subject to advance reservation and availability.

Participants arranging their own transportation must indicate this during registration and remain responsible for their own travel arrangements.

ℹ️ Other Information

🌐 Official FIDE World Championship

Both Rapid and Blitz are official FIDE World Championships.

Each age group has separate Open and Girls competitions in both disciplines.

Therefore, a total of 24 separate World Championship competitions are contested in Giza.

🛡️ Fair Play

The championships operate under the applicable FIDE Anti-Cheating Rules and Fair Play Protection Measures.

Players, parents, coaches, and delegation officials must comply with all arbiter and fair-play instructions.

⚖️ Appeals

A player may appeal a decision of the Chief Arbiter.

The appeal must be:

• submitted in writing;
• submitted by the player concerned;
• delivered to the Chairman of the Appeals Committee;
• submitted within 15 minutes after the relevant game ends.

The appeal deposit is:

€200 / approx. $230

If the appeal succeeds, the deposit is returned immediately.

If the appeal is rejected, the deposit is forfeited to FIDE.

The decision of the Appeals Committee is final and binding.

🥇 Previous Champions

Eligible champions from the previous odd-edition World Rapid & Blitz Cadets & Youth Championships in the U9–U17 categories receive personal participation rights.

They may compete in the same age group, provided they remain eligible, or in a higher age category.

The Organizing Committee also provides these eligible champions with free board and lodging in twin-share rooms.

🏅 Medals, Trophies & Certificates

The top three finishers in every category receive:

• trophy;
• medal;
• certificate;
• special prize.

Every participant also receives an appropriate certificate of participation.

🌍 Best Federation Trophy

The championships include a separate Best Federation competition.

The top three federations receive trophies based first on gold medals, followed by silver and bronze medal totals.

Further tie-break criteria use the total points and average performance ratings of federation medalists.

🍽️ Meals at the Official Hotel

The full-board accommodation package provides all three daily meals.

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served as open buffets throughout the official championship period.

This significantly reduces the logistical burden on families and national delegations during the tournament week.

🏊 Resort Facilities

Pyramids Park Resort Cairo is a large resort-style property with landscaped grounds and leisure facilities.

Published hotel imagery shows facilities including:

• outdoor swimming pool;
• landscaped gardens;
• restaurants and bar areas;
• outdoor padel courts;
• spacious guest-room buildings.

Players should remember that tournament commitments and federation supervision take priority over leisure activities throughout the championship.

📊 Results, Pairings & Live Games

The official championship website is prepared to publish:

• Rapid results;
• Blitz results;
• pairings;
• standings;
• federation rankings;
• live games.

These sections will become active once championship play begins.

A verified Chess-Results link has not yet been published.

🔎 Before Traveling

Players, families, coaches, and federation officials should check the official website shortly before departure for any final updates concerning:

• accreditation;
• hotel instructions;
• transfers;
• technical meeting;
• pairings;
• fair-play procedures;
• opening and closing ceremonies.

Official website:

https://youthrapidblitz2026.fide.com/

Official regulations:

https://www.youthrapidblitz.com/regulations

Registration:

https://www.youthrapidblitz.com/registration

Accommodation & travel:

https://www.youthrapidblitz.com/accommodation

Official contact:

youthrapidblitz@fide.com