The European Women’s Rapid and Blitz Championships open the European Chess Union’s competitive year each January, awarding continental titles in both formats over a four-day weekend on the Mediterranean coast. The 2026 edition was the fifteenth running of the event and the third under Monaco’s hosting tenure.
The Format
Two events run back-to-back: Rapid (11-round Swiss at 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move) over two days, then Blitz (11-round Swiss at 3 minutes plus 2 seconds) over two days. Separate titles are awarded in each format, with combined prizes for players finishing high in both classifications. Eligibility is open to any FIDE-rated female player whose federation is a member of the ECU; bye policy and tie-break rules follow ECU standard.
The 2026 Edition
The Méridien Beach Plaza venue, which has hosted Monaco’s chess events for two decades, ran the championships in early January as the opening event of the European women’s chess calendar. Around 180 entries from 30 European federations contested the two titles. The entry list followed the event’s recent pattern: established 2400+ Grandmasters and Women’s GMs at the top of the field, a substantial mid-tier from the Eastern European federations (Russia and Belarus barred from federation entry since 2022 but with individual entries permitted under neutral FIDE flag), and a long tail of national-team players using the event as January preparation.
History and Host
The European Chess Union has run the rapid-and-blitz format annually since 2011, with the host federation rotating across the continent — recent hosts include Croatia, Cyprus, Latvia, and Hungary. Monaco took over the hosting tenure in 2024 with a multi-year commitment and a venue (the Méridien Beach Plaza) already familiar to top-flight chess from the long-running Amber rapid-and-blindfold series that Monaco hosted through the 2000s. The country’s chess federation is one of Europe’s smallest by membership but among the most active in event hosting.
Place in the Calendar
The January date positions the championships as the first major women’s continental event of each year — coming before the Tata Steel Challengers, the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix legs, and the Women’s Olympiad cycle. Players use the event for an early ratings tune-up and for the formal continental titles, which carry seeding weight into FIDE Women’s events later in the year. For the broader European women’s calendar see Caissly’s tournaments index.