The rise of Turkish arbiting on the international stage

Turkey’s visibility in international chess is not limited to the achievements of its players and teams; our arbiters are also drawing attention through the roles they undertake at the world’s most prestigious events. One of our International Arbiters and also a member of the Central Arbiters Board, IA Selda Serenli Elden, is serving at the FIDE World Senior Team Chess Championship 2026 in Durres, Albania. Held in the 50+ and 65+ categories, this important championship brings together experienced players while also placing major responsibility on the arbiting team to ensure the event runs smoothly.

Another important appointment was made for IA Buğra Ayyıldız. Ayyıldız is officiating at the World Cadet & Youth Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in Serbia. Arbiting in rapid and blitz events in particular requires far greater concentration, instant decision-making ability, and complete command of the rules compared to standard time controls. The importance of this duty is further heightened by the participation of many young players from different countries in world championship events at the age-group level.

Such international appointments are highly valuable in demonstrating the credibility and experience of Turkish arbiting in the eyes of FIDE. For an arbiter to serve at world championship-level events signifies a high standard in terms of knowledge of the rules, impartiality, crisis management, and tournament experience. At the same time, these appointments can also be seen as a concrete result of the importance given to arbiter training and institutional development in Turkey.

In chess, success is not measured only by the moves played on the board; arbiters, who provide a fair playing environment, manage appeals procedures, and maintain the order of the competition, are also an integral part of the game. The participation of Selda Serenli Elden and Buğra Ayyıldız in such important events stands out as a welcome development for Turkish chess. We congratulate our arbiters on these valuable international assignments and hope their success continues with new appointments.