Cape Town to Host First African Stage of Revamped World Schools Team Chess Championship

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Cape Town will host the first African stage of the revamped World Schools Team Chess Championship this July, marking a significant expansion of school chess globally. The event is expected to draw school teams from across Africa.

The FIDE ISCF World Schools Team Championship is a global chess competition for school teams, with a revamped format for 2026. The championship will take place in four continental stages, covering Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe. The African Continental Stage will be held at Stellenbosch University's campus from 6 to 11 July.

The championship is a collaborative effort between FIDE and the International School Chess Federation, with Freedom Holding Corp. as the general partner. The company has allocated over $15 million annually to chess development and promotion. The acquisition of ChessBase, a leading chess software platform, has further solidified Freedom Holding's presence in the chess world.

Kazakhstan's experience with school chess provides a model for the African stage. The country has been actively promoting chess in schools, with over 1,500 schools and about 60,000 students participating in the Chess in Education programme. This initiative has contributed to Kazakhstan's status as a regular host of international school and university chess events.

The African stage is expected to be an exciting development for African school chess. The competition will help identify talented young players and provide opportunities for them to compete internationally.

FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich has framed the expansion into Africa and the Americas as part of the federation's "Year of Chess in Education" initiative.

The championship cycle will culminate in a Grand Final later this year, with the winning team from each continental stage advancing to the final. The exact dates for the European stage and the Grand Final have yet to be announced.

The expansion of the WSTC and Freedom Holding's acquisition of ChessBase demonstrate the growing significance of school chess globally. The African stage is an important step toward building sustainable youth chess ecosystems in Africa.