We are proud to spotlight a landmark moment for the chess community: the C.E.S.S. Project – “Competences and Higher Education through Chess” – a groundbreaking EU-funded initiative awarded to the Romanian Chess Federation under the Smart Growth, Digitalization and Financial Instruments Programme 2021-2027 (PoCIDIF).
With a total investment of 4,5 million euros, this is one of the most significant European funding achievements in the history of chess – a powerful testament to the sport’s growing recognition as a tool for education, competitiveness, and digital transformation.
The project sets out to fully digitalize the operations of the Romanian Chess Federation, building a state-of-the-art integrated IT platform to streamline club management, competition organization, player affiliation, and chess education – bringing the federation’s services to a new standard of excellence for hundreds of thousands of players and stakeholders.
The official launch event takes place on 14 May 2026 in Bucharest, marking the formal start of a transformation that will set a new benchmark for chess administration across Europe.
This is not just a Romanian success story. It is a signal to chess federations across Europe: our sport belongs in the digital age, and the European Union is ready to invest in it.