First-ever Grand Prix champion to be decided from 27 to 30 November; the same venue will host the FIDE World Junior U20 Championships in 2027
Fujairah (UAE): The Grand Final of the WFCC Fujairah Grand Prix 2025–26, organised by the World Federation for Chess Composition (WFCC), will be held from 27 to 30 November 2026 in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. The world's leading chess problem solvers will compete in the new building of the Fujairah Chess & Culture Club, which also houses the WFCC Main Office, to decide the first-ever Grand Prix champion.
The event is being held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah, on whose initiative the series was created. It was realised by WFCC 1st Vice-President Abdulla Ali Aal Barket and WFCC Secretary Mohammad Alhallak.
The Fujairah Chess & Culture Club is fast becoming one of the world's leading chess venues. It has earlier hosted the Fujairah Global Chess Championship and is home to the world's biggest chess queen. The club will also host the FIDE World Junior U20 Championships from 15 to 30 September 2027.
Qualification for the Final was based on four championships – the European Chess Solving Championships in Athens (2025) and Skopje (2026), and the World Chess Solving Championships in Alba Iulia (2025) and Magdeburg (2026). Piotr Murdzia (Poland) and Danila Pavlov (FIDE) finished the cycle tied at the top with 87 points each, ahead of Kacper Piorun (Poland) and Arno Zude (Germany) with 72 points each.
India's best junior solver, Anirudh Daga, has been named among the finalists as an organisers' nominee. Other finalists include Ural Khasanov, Eddy Van Beers (Belgium), Mihnea Costachi (Romania), Bilguun Sumiya (Mongolia), Nikos Sidiropoulos (Greece), Ilija Serafimović (Serbia), Oleksiy Solovchuk (Ukraine), Joost Michielsen (Netherlands) and Renars Muzis (Latvia).
The Final will have six rounds over two days. On 28 November solvers will face two-movers, three-movers and endgame studies, and on 29 November helpmates, more-movers and self-mates. All 18 problems are original, unpublished compositions by 18 different composers.
The total prize fund is €30,000. The winner will receive €3,800, while the second and third-placed solvers will get €2,900 and €2,400 respectively. Every finalist is assured at least €750. For the first time, the solvers will also vote to reward the best compositions. On the evening of 28 November, a Youth Evening will see the five junior finalists, including Anirudh Daga, present their own compositions to the senior players. The closing ceremony will be held on 29 November.
Full regulations, standings, and the list of finalists are available on the official website: https://grandprix.wfcc.ch/
Officials
Tournament Director: Dr. Abdulla Ali Aal Barket
Head of Technical Committee: GM Marjan Kovačević
Head of Organising Committee: IA/IO Mohammad Alhallak
Chief Arbiter: ISJ Axel Steinbrink
Contact: grandprix@wfcc.ch
