World Youth Chess Championships kick off in Montesilvano

Over 700 players make it to Montesilvano

The World Youth Chess Championships 2026 are taking place in Montesilvano, Italy, from 14 to 27 June, with the opening day set aside for arrivals and the final day for departures. The event is organised by FIDE, the Italian Chess Federation and UniChess, and national chess federations affiliated to FIDE have been invited to register their players.

The championships feature six age-category tournaments: under-14, under-16 and under-18, each divided into open and girls’ sections. Each national federation may enter one official player in each category, making a total of up to six official players, along with one accompanying official invited by the organisers. To be eligible for a category, players must not have reached the relevant age – 14, 16 or 18 – before 1 January 2026.

The venue is the Congress Center Pala Dean Martin, located in Montesilvano, in the province of Pescara, in Italy’s Abruzzo region. The city lies on the Adriatic coast immediately north of Pescara and is divided between Montesilvano Marina, a seaside resort area, and Montesilvano Colle, the original medieval settlement. It is around two hours by car from Rome and is close to Abruzzo Airport and Pescara Centrale railway station.

Panoramic view of Montesilvano | Photo: Comune di Montesilvano via Wikimedia Commons

All tournaments are played over 11 rounds using the Swiss system. National rankings are not used for pairings. The time control follows FIDE regulations: each player receives 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with a 30-second increment from move one.

The tie-break criteria, in order, will be direct encounter, Buchholz cut 1, Buchholz, Sonneborn-Berger, the greater number of wins and average rating of opponents.

The top three finishers in each tournament will receive trophies and medals. The overall prize fund amounts to €20,000 in goods, including chess, technology and educational gifts.

Top players – Open U18

This DVD focuses on several types of material imbalances, such as Rook vs 2 Pieces, Queen vs 2 Rooks, and Queen vs Pieces.

Top players – Girls U18

Top players – Open U16

In this volume, we dive into core aspects of chess technique. Smyslov taught the principle of tactical hierarchy, “checks, double attacks, and unprotected pieces”, and Mikhalchishin demonstrates how this method of calculation is vital.
After mastering positional play in Volume 1 and learning how to convert small advantages in Volume 2 of the Master Your Technique series, GM Mikhalchishin now presents Essential Techniques, covering topics from playing on the flank versus the center to maintaining tactical vigilance. In this volume, we dive into core aspects of chess technique. Smyslov taught the principle of tactical hierarchy, “checks, double attacks, and unprotected pieces”, and Mikhalchishin demonstrates how this method of calculation is vital. He shows how top players apply it, but also how even grandmasters sometimes miss critical resources, highlighting the necessity of developing a strong “tactical sense.” This approach encompasses tactical vigilance and scanning for sacrifices, but is also highly relevant to the second part of the course, which focuses on more strategic elements such as the use of heavy pieces and endgame technique.
Free Video Sample: Simple Tactics
Free Video Sample: Mating Net: Ne7+ Qxh7 Rh5+

Top players – Girls U16

Top players – Open U14

In this course, we will learn how to identify passively placed pieces in any given situation and how to improve their health by bringing them into active squares.

Top players – Girls U14