An online WFCC meeting was held via Zoom 1 November 2025, organized by WFCC Secretary Mohammad Alhallak and conducted from the WFCC office in the new Fujairah Chess & Culture Club. Among 33 participants were delegates or deputy delegates of 26 countries: Austria, Brazil, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, India, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, UAE, and Ukraine.
The meeting lasted more than two hours and covered fifteen different topics from the Agenda:
Main Agenda | Additional topics: Solving Proposals – Special Awards – Software tools
- WCCC & WCSC 1-8 August 2026 in Sant Vicent del Raspeig
- Women’s World Championship 2025 declared official
- A title of youth trainer/instructor/mentor introduced
- Valeriu Petrovici declared an Honorary Master
WFCC Office in Fujairah
The meeting started with a report on the opening ceremony of the WFCC office in the new home of the Fujairah Chess & Culture Club, on 30th October. An extensive report can be found on the WFCC website: https://www.wfcc.ch/wfcc-office-new-fujairah-club/.
2nd FIDE & WFCC World Cadet Chess Solving Championship
In the role as director of the competition, held in Almaty (Kazakhstan), on 25 September, Dinu-Ioan Nicula presented the winners among 192 participants in the three age categories (U8, U10, U12), and stressed the fact that such a large youth competition requires greater organizational effort than regular WFCC solving events. The problems were selected by Luc Palmans, and the Kazakhstan delegate to the WFCC, Sergey Smotrov, joined as assistant director on site. Excellent conditions provided by the hosts and the kindness of coordinator Duriya Sarsenbayeva were especially appreciated.
12th FIDE World Cup in Composing 2025
Torsten Linß was warmly thanked for volunteering as director. The tournament attracted a total of 279 entries, and the most successful composers were congratulated for their fine renderings. The final resuts were published on the WFCC website: https://www.wfcc.ch/final-results-12-fide-wcc/.
WFCC Special Awards for Outstanding Services to Our Community
Narayan Shankar Ram reported on discussions of the working group and presented the results with a graphical illustration The first awards are expected to be announced during WCCC 2026.
Investing in Software Tools for Composing Tournaments
Thomas Maeder reported on the progress made by the Computers Committee in developing the project proposed by Marco Guida. The project is in the phase of gathering allready exisiting tools.
Application for FIDE-Supported Projects
Marjan Kovačević described the new and more demanding procedure for applying for FIDE-supported projects. The procedure now includes a general contract, a pitch meeting, an application phase, and progress reports.
Bids for WCCC & WCSC 2026
After the discussions during WCCC 2025 and an extension of the earlier deadline, a new proposal was submitted by the same bidder – the Spanish Chess Club Dama Negra. The club, with technical support of the Spanish Society of Chess Problemists (SEPA), proposed hosting the 68th World Congress of Chess Composition (WCCC) and the 49th World Chess Solving Championship (WCSC) in Sant Vicent del Raspeig (Alicante, Costa blanca), Spain, 1–8 August 2026.
As it was the only bid, it was accepted without formal vote, and Spain will host the WCCC & WCSC for the first time since Benidorm 1990. This decision completed the list of hosts of all four qualification stages of the WFCC Fujairah Solving Grand Prix 2025–26.
Additional information was shared about Skopje ECSC 2026 (8–10 May): both the ECSC & ECSC-Open will be directed by Ivan Denkovski.
Proposal to Calculate Ratings for Junior Competitions in Sanctioned Countries
With a narrow margin of 12 votes against and 11 in favor of the proposal by Georgy Evseev, it was not accepted.
Women’s Category of the WCSC 2025
The Solving Committee reported:
“During the presentation of the WCSC results in Alba Iulia, an error occurred: the women’s category was mistakenly marked as unofficial, despite meeting the required numbers set out in the rules. The Solving Committee therefore recommends correcting this error and officially recognizing the women’s category.”
The correction was accepted by acclamation, and the first official WCSC medalists in the women’s category were applauded:
1. Darya Efimova | 2. Audrey Kueh | 3. Ekaterina Shestakova.
Change of WCSC/ECSC Rules
A change in the solving rules concerning eligible countries was accepted after discussion and voting, supported by the vast majority.
The complete explanation given by the Solving Committee:
Point 2.2 of the Rules should be changed. This point currently states:
“2.2. WCSC (ECSC) is open to all members of the FIDE. But solvers outside of the ECU are not considered for the team competition and also not for the individual European championship results, only for the overall individual results.”
Proposed new version:
“2.2. WCSC (ECSC) is open to all members of WFCC or FIDE. At ECSC, only solvers from European countries — either geographically in Europe or Europe-affiliated in FIDE — are eligible for European titles, unless their FIDE-affiliated continent already organizes an official continental solving championship.”
Reasons to change:
1. Adding WFCC in the first sentence ensures that solvers from Great Britain remain eligible.
2. Using FIDE’s list of member federations and their continental affiliations, combined with geography, covers all traditional ECSC participants.
3. If another continent (e.g. Asia) establishes its own solving championship, solvers affiliated there should not be eligible for ECSC medals — their FIDE affiliation will determine where they can win continental titles.
Neal Turner suggested publishing the complete list of eligible countries – a proposal to be discussed later.
FIDE World Cup in Composing 2026
Out of three different proposals for the FIDE World Cup in Composing 2026 the first one to vote was by Marko Klasinc, who suggested the assembly decide whether the competition is needed in its current form at all. Unlike the vote on the same question in 2025, only six delegates supported holding the FIDE World Cup in 2026; 11 were against it, and nine abstained.
This outcome left Presidium with the challenge of finding a suitable solution to support solving and composing events in 2026 in a well balanced way.
Youth Trainer/Instructor/Mentor in Solving and Composing
Upon the suggestion of a working group, the assembly recognized the benefits of a new title for prominent teachers of new generations. The vast majority of delegates supported the general criteria in the vote. Among them, only results achieved from 2025 onward will be taken into account, and the students cannot be older than 23 in the year they achieve the results.
The following concrete criteria were accepted, with 15 out of 26 delegates voting in favor, six against, and five abstained:
WFCC/FIDE Trainer/Instructor/Mentor for Chess Solving*
An applicant must have at least two qualified students.
A qualified student achieved two of the following norms (in any combination):
- 2200+ rating performance in any WFCC official solving tournaments (WCSC, ECSC, WCCC Open, or ECSC Open)
- Top 20 in any WFCC official solving tournaments (WCSC, ECSC, WCCC Open, or ECSC Open)
- Top 50 in the final standings of the World Solving Cup
- Medal in FIDE & WFCC World Cadet/Youth Solving Championships
The WFCC/FIDE Trainer/Instructor/Mentor for Chess Solving must:
- Hold an international solving title (GM/IM/FM).
- Write a short essay describing a personal experience in delivering solving training, including:
- The names of the students, the venues and the approximate date/time interval.
- The students’ previous [solving] instructors, if any.
- 4-6 chess diagrams illustrating some interesting cases.
WFCC/FIDE Trainer/Instructor/Mentor for Chess Composition*
An instructor must have at least two qualified students.
A qualified student achieved two of the following norms (in any combination):
- An individual composition selected in the FIDE Album
- An individual composition receiving at least 6 points in WCCI or in FIDE Album selection
- An individual composition classified in any FIDE World Cup section
- An individual composition classified in the upper half of any YCCC section
The WFCC/FIDE Trainer/Instructor/Mentor for Chess Composition must:
- Hold an international composing title (GM/IM/FM).
- Write a short essay describing personal experience in delivering composing training, including:
- The names of the students, the venues and the approximate date/time interval.
- The students’ earlier [composing] instructors, if any.
- 4-6 chess diagrams illustrating some interesting cases.
Note: The exact name of the title and the use of FIDE in the title are to be discussed and voted on.
Members of the ISC Appeal Committee
Presidium accepted the Solving Committee’s suggestion to appoint the following members of the ISC Appeal Committee:
Jonathan Mestel | Luc Palmans | Axel Steinbrink
Marko Klasinc was appointed as a reserve member.
Valeriu Petrovici declared a Honorary Master of Chess Composition
The assembly applauded Valeriu Petrovici from Romania as a new Honorary Master of Chess Composition.
Mr. Petrovici (born 1932) has a long list of achievements in chess composition, as a distinguished composer, solver, international judge, organizer, publisher, and historian.
Online platform for inexperienced composers
After the official part of the WFCC online meeting, Nikola Petković shared the current results of his voluntary work on the online platform designed primarily to help inexperienced composers, though it may serve other purposes, as well.
His work will be next discussed by all interested parties, including members of Youth Committee and judges of the YCCC.
Marjan Kovačević
WFCC President