WFCC Fujairah Grand Prix Final set for November 2026 with €30,000 prize fund

Event Overview

The World Federation for Chess Composition (WFCC) will host the Grand Final of the WFCC Fujairah Grand Prix 2025–2026 from 27 to 30 November 2026 in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. The championship final will be held in the new building of the Fujairah Chess & Culture Club, which also serves as the WFCC Main Office. The tournament will decide the inaugural Grand Prix champion and crown the best original chess compositions of the cycle.

The event takes place under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah, who personally initiated the Grand Prix series. Organised by WFCC 1st Vice-President Abdulla Ali Aal Barket and WFCC Secretary Mohammad Alhallak, the 2025–2026 edition marks the first cycle of a competition envisioned as a permanent fixture in the chess solving calendar.

Qualification and Participants

Sixteen solvers have earned their place in the final through a qualification cycle comprising four official championships: the European Chess Solving Championships in Athens (April 2025) and Skopje (May 2026), and the World Chess Solving Championships in Alba Iulia (July 2025) and Magdeburg (August 2026). Each solver’s two best results were aggregated into an overall standings list.

Piotr Murdzia (Poland) and Danila Pavlov (FIDE) topped the Grand Prix standings with 87 points each, followed by Kacper Piorun (Poland) and Arno Zude (Germany) on 72 points. Several withdrawals reshaped the final field, which now includes:

• Piotr Murdzia (POL)
• Danila Pavlov (FIDE)
• Kacper Piorun (POL)
• Arno Zude (GER)
• Ural Khasanov (FID)
• Eddy Van Beers (BEL)
• Mihnea Costachi (ROU)
• Bilguun Sumiya (MGL)
• Maksim Kharitonov (FID)
• Nikos Sidiropoulos (GRE)
• Kevinas Kuznecovas (LTU), who replaced compatriot Martynas Limontas from the reserve list
• Ilija Serafimović (SRB)
• Oleksiy Solovchuk (UKR)
• Joost Michielsen (NED)
• Anirudh Daga (IND), nominated as the best Indian junior solver
• Renars Muzis (LVA), winner of the Youth Chess Composing Challenge 2026

Additional participants may include solvers from the host Fujairah Chess & Culture Club and FIDE nominees, pending confirmation.

Format and Competition

The Grand Prix Final consists of six rounds played over two days in the standard WCSC/ECSC solving format. On 28 November, competitors will tackle two-movers, three-movers and endgame studies. The following day features helpmates, more-movers and self-mates. All 18 problems are original, previously unpublished compositions created by 18 different composers.

The tournament carries a coefficient‑3 rating, allowing solvers to qualify for solving title norms. As an invitational event, it is not part of the World Solving Cup.

Prize Fund and Accommodation

A total prize fund of €30,000 will be distributed, with €27,000 allocated to the solvers. This solvers’ share more than doubles the €12,000 awarded at each leg of the Grand Prix series, and the final alone accounts for over a third of the €74,000 distributed across the entire cycle.

The winner receives €3,800, second place €2,900, and third place €2,400. Every finalist is guaranteed a minimum prize of €750. All competitors will be accommodated in single rooms on a full‑board basis at the official hotel, Royal M Hotel by Gewan Fujairah.

Composers and Solvers

The Grand Final places the symbiotic relationship between composers and solvers at its centre. Each of the 18 problems in the final was crafted by a distinct composer, creating a direct dialogue between the art of composition and the challenge of solving. The tournament also includes a vote to recognise the best original compositions submitted for the cycle.

Source

This report is based on information published by FIDE — International Chess Federation.

Official source: https://www.fide.com/fujairah-to-host-wfcc-grand-prix-final-worlds-best-solvers-and-composers-to-compete-for-e30000/