Azernews.Az

Laman Ismayilova

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The Azerbaijan U08-U18 Chess Championship will be held in a new competitive format this year, Azernews reports.

In previous years, the championship traditionally featured 12 players competing in a round-robin system. Under the new regulations, the tournament will now be organised using the Swiss system, allowing for broader participation and increased competitiveness.

The championship will consist of two stages: a qualifying stage and a final stage. The qualifying competitions will include championships in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, as well as the cities of Baku, Ganja, and Sumgayit, alongside regional tournaments. Chess players who achieve top results in these qualifying events—based on the number of spots outlined in the official regulations—will earn the right to compete in the final stage.

At the same time, chess players meeting specific performance criteria will be granted direct entry to the final stage without participating in the qualifiers. These criteria include medalists of the 2025 national age-group championships, prize winners (top six) of World or European Championships, and players who meet the minimum rating requirements specified in the regulations.

Rating requirements will be determined based on the highest FIDE rating recorded for a player in the January, February, or March 2026 FIDE rating lists.

Regional qualifying tournaments will be held in the cities of Shamakhi, Goranboy, Aghjabadi, Shamkir, Khachmaz, Lankaran, Goychay, Imishli, Gakh, and Shirvan.

All competitions will be overseen by a panel of referees appointed by the Azerbaijan Chess Federation, ensuring compliance with international standards.