Registration is now open for the Queens’ Online Chess Festival 2026

Organized in cooperation between Lichess and the FIDE Women’s Commission, the Queens’ Online Chess Festival 2026 will begin on March 1, 2026 and run through March 29 as a major online chess event. Dedicated to International Women’s Day on March 8, the festival will be open to all women and girl chess players from around the world. Aiming for broad participation regardless of age, rating, or title, the event also welcomes unrated chess enthusiasts, making it an inclusive competition.

The festival’s main pillar is the Queens’ Women Open Tournament, the flagship event with the broadest participation among women players. Open to all women players who are not banned by Lichess, this tournament will be played as a series of continental online blitz chess competitions. The organizers emphasize that separate registration deadlines have been set for each continent, and that applications must be completed via the official form shared in the announcement. In this respect, the festival offers an important opportunity both for competitive players and for amateurs who want to experience international online tournament play.

Another important part of the event is the Princesses’ Tournament, reserved for young players. This youth tournament will be held in five age categories: U9, U11, U13, U15, and U17. The aim is to give girls interested in chess from an early age the chance to compete within their own age groups, gain experience, and test themselves in an international atmosphere. Especially with the growing reach of online platforms, events like this are highly important for giving young talents greater visibility and for broadening the base of women’s chess.

One of the festival’s standout features is that it is designed not only for elite titled players, but also for participants of every playing strength. In recent years, international initiatives aimed at increasing participation in women’s chess and strengthening the competitive environment have clearly gathered pace. In this context, the Queens Festival fills an important gap by bringing women players together in regular, accessible, and prize-winning online tournaments. In addition, the fact that Lichess, the platform behind the event, is entirely free and open source adds further value by helping chess reach wider audiences at no cost.

Lichess operates as a charity, and the platform’s running costs, software development, and content production are funded solely by user donations. For this reason, the Queens’ Online Chess Festival is not just a tournament series; it is also a meaningful project for improving accessibility in chess, promoting equal opportunity, and strengthening women’s representation. Running throughout March, this event is shaping up to be an internationally significant gathering for both experienced players and women and girls who are just beginning their chess journey.