World Chess PLC (LSE:CHSS) has signed a term sheet with the International Chess Federation to expand its role as operator of FIDE’s official online platform, opening a new commercial route from online play into official over-the-board ratings.
The company said the proposed framework would allow qualifying online players, for the first time, to convert their online rating into an official FIDE over-the-board rating. It said the route would target serious chess players in markets where access to over-the-board tournament infrastructure is limited, including India, Latin America, Africa and South-East Asia.
World Chess would become the sole operator of the official route from online play to FIDE rating, adding conversion fees as a new revenue stream on top of subscription income from worldchess.com. The renewed FIDE Online Arena partnership would run for an initial two years, with annual extension options through August 2031.
Under the proposed terms, World Chess will pay FIDE €500,000 a year during the initial term, €100,000 more than the current annual fee, plus a tiered revenue share on sales above €2 million per year. It will also pay a US$1 incentive to a player’s national federation for each conversion.
Chief executive Ilya Merenzon called the initiative the “First Rating Experiment”, saying it marked “the first time in the history of the game that an official FIDE rating can be accessible to millions of players”.
The term sheet is non-binding pending community consultation, with World Chess and FIDE targeting a definitive long-form agreement in the second quarter of 2026.
