FIDE opened registration for the 2026 World Senior Championships, scheduled for November in Vrnjačka Banja, Serbia. The event runs November 2-15 and splits into four sections: Open and Women's categories for both the 50+ and 65+ age groups.
The format is 11 rounds of Swiss-system chess with classical time controls. Players must be at least 50 or 65 years old by 2026 to compete.
Top three finishers from the previous World Senior Championships get automatic spots. The Continental Senior Championships from the year before also feed three direct qualifiers per category into the field. These continental spots don't transfer between players, so federations can't shuffle their qualifications.
This is straightforward World Championship infrastructure. The Swiss format keeps things manageable for a large international field, and the double-qualification path (World and Continental precedent) ensures consistent competition levels year to year.
Vrnjačka Banja hosts the proceedings as a resort destination, which has become standard for FIDE events. Federations have nearly two years to prepare their squads. Anyone with a strong senior roster should start planning now.