Press release by FIDE
The regulations were officially approved by the FIDE Council and cover the period from 1 January 2026.
The FIDE Women’s Circuit 2026-27 is a series of top women’s tournaments. Players are awarded Ranking Points (RP) based on performance in key events. The 2026-2027 edition broadly mirrors the Open Circuit’s structure in widening the scope of eligible tournaments.
Some of the key aspects of the new regulations:
- The regulations cover the period from 1 January 2026 to 21 December 2027. The Women’s World Rapid and Blitz Championships 2026 and 2027 are eligible regardless of those cut-off dates.
- To be included in the Women’s Circuit, a tournament must have the Tournament Average Rating (TAR) not below 2300 for the majority of tournaments (and not below 2400 for FIDE‐rated women’s tournaments pre‐approved by the FIDE Global Strategy Commission).
- The Tournament Average Rating (TAR) is now calculated based on the top 12 players in a tournament. If there are fewer than 12 players in the tournament, then the average rating of all the players in the tournament will go towards calculating TAR.
- The final score is the sum of the top 12 event scores, or all their event scores if the number of tournaments is under 12.
- In order to be eligible to qualify for the FIDE Women’s Candidates 2028, a player’s final score shall consist of at least eight tournaments, including at least five with standard (classical) time control.
The full regulations for the 2026–2027 Women’s Circuit can be found here.
Current standings on the Women’s Circuit Leaderboard
Sixteen players now appear on the Women’s Circuit Leaderboard after the recently concluded European Women’s Rapid & Blitz Championships.
The rapid champion Nino Batsiashvili from Georgia holds the early lead in the Women’s Circuit, with 13.86 points. She is followed by the blitz champion Eline Roebers on 11.81 points and former Women’s World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk, who finished second in the rapid event, with 10.48 points. The other players are on single-digit scores.
We maintain dedicated pages on our website for the FIDE Women’s Circuit 2026 – 2027 featuring the latest information on eligible tournaments, current standings, and regulations.
Visit: FIDE Women’s Circuit 2026–2027
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