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Editor: Dr Tim Harding |
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Editor: Dr Tim Harding |
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© Dr Tim Harding
Last modified:
8 January 2026
For more information about chess for over-50s, please see our Seniors calendar. Newcomers to 50+ chess should read our Seniors introduction page. We also have pages for specific British Seniors and Irish Seniors news.
Since we complained yesterday that there was still no announcement (after several months!) about the European Senior Team Championships, the dates and venue have finally been announced on the ECU calendar.
These championships, which originally had been announced for the Greek island of Rhodes in late March, and then later for "July/August" have now been moved to another Greek island, Crete. There are no further details (and probably won't be for some weeks) though the island's capital, Iraklion, is mentioned. Presumably the actual venue will be some resort nearby.
The dates stated are 26 August to 5 September, which are presumably the travel dates, allowing for nine rounds with no rest day.
We expect that national senior organisers and clubs are now busy preparing to enter teams for the 2026 World Senior Team Championships. This important event will be held in Durres, Albania, over nine rounds in late April including a free day.
It is not too late to enter; the invitation document can be downloaded from our calendar page.
There will be 65+ and 50+ tournaments as before. There are separate prizes for women's teams in both age categories but they will play in the Open sections unless there at least ten all-female teams from at least two continents (which has never happened yet). The possibility is mentioned that 65+ and 50+ women's teams could play in one section if there are enough teams to make that possible.
As usual, teams can represents nations, regions, cities, clubs or just be groups of friends. The only limitation is that all players on a team must be members of the same federation.
One potential issue is whether Russian teams may be entered. These have been barred for some years since the invasion of the Ukraine but a FIDE decision in December opens the way for Russian teams to compete in FIDE events. That decision has, according to ChessBase, now been appealed to the Court for Arbitration for Sport.
We suspect that Russia principally wishes to open the door to playing at the Olympiad in September. In the past they never entered a male team (but did often have a women's team) in the 50+ team tournament but usually won the 65+ section comfortably with a St. Petersburg team taking silver medals. Personally we would refuse to play in a match against a Russian team.
Looking at the website of the FIDE Events Commission, we notice that they are now considering bids received to host the 2027 World Senior Team Championships. The choice is between a bid from Magdeburg in Germany (with dates 31st January-11 February) and from Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil (proposing 3-13th May).
We have nothing against Magdeburg, where we should like to play sometime, but these championships have never yet been held outside Europe. We suspect that the Brazilian bid with its venue close to the spectacular Iguazu waterfalls may be looked on favourably if other details are satisfactory. The principal organiser is named as GM Lima Darcy who has been a regular at senior championships in recent years.
The only bid listed to host the 2027 World Senior individual championships is from Italy (1-17 October) proposing Orosei on the east coast of Sardinia as the venue.
We played last November in the 75+ tournament of the Spessart senior festival held in Bad Soden-Salmünster, in Hesse, north-east of Frankfurt-am-Main. After a lucky escape in the final round, we finished joint first and were declared the winner on tiebreak.
The congress was organised by the Förderkreis der Senioren im DSB (the senior citizens' support group of the German chess federation) which has become very active in recent years. There was also a strongly-supported 65+ tournament and a smaller 50+ section.
The Förderkreis, as you can see from our calendar, is running another "Nestorenturnier" (75+ competition) next March at Undeloh, which is on the Luneburger Heide south of Hamburg. They have also released details of their senior congress at the restored Bad Neuenahr next May which will have 50+, 65+ and 75+ tournaments over nine rounds.
No other country at present organises 75+ tournaments and we would like to encourage those of our readers who are eligible to play one of those events in 2026. If you were born in 1951 or earlier then you will be considered a "Nestor" next year. We should also like to see 75+ (or at least 70+) events springing up in other countries.
We have now cleared this page of older news in preparation for 2026.
Back to our Seniors introduction page