Following the recent announcement of the cooperation agreement between FIDE and Freestyle Chess, the International Chess Federation has now published the qualification paths for the FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship 2027.

The 2027 Championship will feature a compact field of eight players who will secure a seat in a cycle of events that will span from April 2026 to January 2027, featuring both online and over-the-board tournaments.

The pathways to qualification:

• 3 players from the FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship 2026 (Top 3 finishers)
• 1 player from the Grenke Freestyle Chess Open 2026
• 2 players from a designated OTB or online tournament
• 1 player from the Freestyle Friday Championship 2026 (season-long online series on Chess.com)
• 1 player from online tournament, played between January 1 and January 15, 2027

If a qualified player withdraws, the spot will be passed down according to defined sporting criteria which will be announced in due course.

The setup ensures that the field represents the most competitive players across classical and online formats.

The full text of regulations is published here and here.

As noted above, the first event that will grant a qualifying spot for the 2027 World Championship will be the Grenke Freestyle Chess Open 2026, taking place 2-6 April 2026.

Freestyle Chess is also known as Chess960 or FIDE Fischer Random Chess as per the FIDE Charter. The FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship is a continuation of FIDE’s previous events in the Fischer Random format (held in 2019 and 2022).