Qualification paths for the FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship 2027
FIDE has officially announced how players can qualify for the FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship 2027. This follows the recent cooperation agreement between FIDE and Freestyle Chess.
The championship will feature only eight players, making it highly competitive. The qualification cycle will run from April 2026 to January 2027. Players will compete in both online and over-the-board (OTB) events to secure their spots.
How players will qualify:
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Top 3 players from the FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship 2026 will qualify directly.
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1 player will qualify from the Grenke Freestyle Chess Open 2026.
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2 players will come from a special OTB or online tournament chosen by FIDE.
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1 player will qualify through the Freestyle Friday Championship 2026 on Chess.com. This is a season-long online event.
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1 final player will qualify from an online tournament held between January 1 and January 15, 2027.
If any qualified player withdraws, their spot will go to another player based on clear sporting rules, which FIDE will announce later.
FIDE has designed this system to bring together the strongest players from both classical chess and online chess formats. This makes the event more balanced and exciting for fans.
The first event to offer qualification will be the Grenke Freestyle Chess Open 2026, scheduled from April 2 to April 6, 2026.
Freestyle Chess is also known as Chess960 or Fischer Random Chess. The 2027 championship continues FIDE’s tradition of Fischer Random events, which were previously held in 2019 and 2022.
Photos: FIDE_Chess
Source: FIDE CHESS NEWS
