Chess Federation Freezes Fees for Eastern Anatolia and Southeastern Anatolia Regions

The Turkish Chess Federation has announced that it will not raise fees for referees, coaches, and clubs for the upcoming 2026-2027 season. This decision aims to increase participation in chess and boost the number of licensed athletes from the eastern and southeastern regions of Turkey.

The federation will exempt athletes from 23 provinces in these regions from paying the annual license visa fee, which is typically required for active competition licenses. These provinces make up about 12% of Turkey's total licensed chess players, but the federation hopes to increase this share to 20% by the end of the season.

Federation President Enes Efendioglu stated that the decision was made to expand participation in chess and increase the number of athletes from these regions. He emphasized that the fee freeze on referee, coach, and club visas applies nationwide, while the license fee exemption is limited to athletes based in the designated provinces.