ECU European Chess Union
The continental governing body of European chess — coordinates the European Individual Championship, the European Team Championship, and the broader European tournament calendar across 54 member federations.
The European Chess Union is the FIDE-recognised continental body for the European federations — 54 members as of 2026, covering the Council of Europe geographical area plus Israel (historically grouped with European chess) and a few Central Asian transitional federations. ECU was founded in 1985 as the successor to the older European Chess Committee under FIDE. Its headquarters share the FIDE office space in Lausanne.
The Events
ECU’s flagship events are the annual European Individual Championship (Swiss format, ~400 players, qualifies the top 8 for the World Cup), the biennial European Team Championship, the European Youth Championship cycle, and the European Club Cup. The ECU also administers the European Rapid and Blitz Championships held each December — in 2026 in Lisbon. The current president is the Georgian grandmaster Zurab Azmaiparashvili, elected in 2014.