Explained: What changes in the new FIDE Circuit format for 2026-27 seasons

The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has approved major changes to the FIDE Circuit, bringing in a new format and stricter rules that will apply to the 2026 and 2027 seasons. The updated regulations were approved by the FIDE Council on December 26, 2025, and have officially come into effect from January 1 this year.

FIDE has said that it wants to strengthen the Circuit with these changes and make qualification to elite events more performance-based. “It is extremely important for FIDE to provide equal competitive opportunities to grandmasters of all levels and increase the role of sporting merit in selection,” FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich said in a statement.

What are the new rules?

One of the biggest changes is the introduction of a two-year Circuit cycle. Instead of rankings being decided every year, results from the 2026 and 2027 seasons will be combined into one overall ranking. A player’s final Circuit score will be calculated from their best 12 tournament results across these two years. If a player competes in fewer than 12 eligible events, then all their results will be counted.

FIDE has also introduced new balance rules to ensure players do not rely too heavily on a particular type of event. If a player’s final score includes 11 or 12 tournaments, only four of those can be rapid or blitz events. There are also limits on how many results can come from smaller tournaments with fewer than 50 players. These rules aim to keep classical chess at the centre of the Circuit.

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The qualification path to the 2028 Candidates Tournament has been clearly defined as well. “To be eligible to qualify for the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2028 via the Circuit, a player’s final score must include at least eight eligible tournaments, of which at least five must be standard time-control events,” FIDE explained.

“Depending on the total number of tournaments counted, a minimum number of these standard tournaments must also have participation of 50 players or more. Event scores of zero points may be included for the purpose of meeting participation requirements,” the release read.

Another key addition is the creation of a separate FIDE Open Circuit sub-ranking. “This ranking will include only tournaments with more than 50 participants and is intended to highlight performances in large open events. The top players in this sub-ranking will earn qualification opportunities for selected FIDE competitions, such as the Total Chess Tour, further strengthening the link between open tournaments and the elite pathway.”

Rapid and blitz tournaments have been given a slightly bigger role as well. However, they will still carry reduced weight compared to classical tournaments. “The minimum average rating threshold required for such events to be included in the Circuit has been lowered from 2700 to 2650. Eligible rapid and blitz events remain subject to reduced weighting through established multipliers.”

The Total Chess World Championship Tour for 2026-27 has now been formally included in the Circuit. “Results from these events will count toward Circuit scores, with specific coefficients applied, and are treated as standard tournaments for the purposes of participation requirements,” FIDE wrote.

There has also been an adjustment to bonus points linked to the World Championship match. “The runner-up of the World Championship match will get fewer points with a coefficient decrease to 1.5 compared to the Circuit 2025, ensuring a better balance between match results and tournament performance across the Circuit as a whole.”

FIDE will publish and update the official Circuit rankings every week throughout the 2026-27 cycle.