Queen’s Online Chess Festival 2026 Reaches a New Milestone in Women’s Chess with Record Participation
The Queen’s Online Chess Festival 2026, organized by the FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess, concluded successfully after intense and exciting competition held from March 1 to March 29. Staged as part of the global Chess Women’s Day celebrations, this year’s festival reached a record 991 participants, the highest number in its history. The figures once again showed that online chess is not only a competitive arena, but also a powerful meeting point connecting women and girls across continents.
One of the most striking aspects of the event was its multi-stage structure, designed to appeal to players of different ages and levels. The parallel competitions within the festival provided visibility both for rising talents and more experienced players. In particular, the strong turnout in the Princesses’ Section qualification stage clearly reflected the expanding grassroots base of women’s chess. With 189 players in Group A and 109 in Group B, the section offered strong evidence of young players’ eagerness to test themselves in an international competitive environment.
On the continental level, the qualification stage featured several standout performances. Africa was represented by Sandra Osarugue Omoruyi of Nigeria, Asia by WFM Sachi Jain of India, Europe by WCM Khadija Khalilova of Azerbaijan, and the Americas by IM Deysi Cori of Peru as the leading names from their respective regions. These results underline that women’s chess is no longer concentrated in a few traditional centers, but has reached a highly competitive level across many parts of the world. The meeting of titled players and emerging talents on the same platform further enhanced the sporting value of the festival.
The scale of this year’s event was also supported by a new partnership. FIDE emphasized that its collaboration with Lichess played a major role in making the festival possible on such a level. The accessibility, lower costs, and global visibility offered by digital platforms have become essential factors in the development of women’s chess. For that reason, the Queen’s Online Chess Festival 2026 stood out not merely as a tournament, but as a meaningful global initiative for representation, equal opportunity, and bringing new generations into the game.