33 votes backed faster classical chess. The FIDE General Assembly supported a proposal from the Icelandic Chess Federation for shorter classical time controls, FIDE reported on October 12, 2026. The rules will not change overnight, though: the FIDE Council must now turn the vote into regulations.
Under the FIDE Charter, the Assembly sets general guidelines, while amending specific rules is a job for the Council. That split explains why nothing takes effect immediately.
The Council will draft a framework, to be discussed and approved, that introduces shorter controls while leaving room to study how they play out.
Under that approach, organizers could use 60 minutes with a 30-second increment, written 60+30, without asking anyone for permission. A 45+30 control would also be allowed in some cases.
How the Icelandic proposal passed
The Icelandic Chess Federation asked for two big changes: 45+30 as a standard classical control needing no approval, and permission for three games in a single day.
FIDE's Qualification Commission opposed the idea and advised against supporting it. The Council offered a middle path instead, guaranteeing 60+30 while keeping 45+30 as an exception.
The Assembly went with the Icelandic version anyway, with 33 votes in favor, so the resolution counts as adopted.
Traditionally, high-level classical tournaments have required at least 90+30: 90 minutes with a 30-second increment.
In 2026, FIDE launched a one-year pilot. With Qualification Commission approval, events could use 60+30, or 45+30 in exceptional cases, and still be rated as classical.
The pilot aimed to cut organizing costs and make classical events simpler to run for players and organizers alike.
It also came with a catch. A player could count only one title norm earned at a shortened classical control; the others had to come at the regular 90+30.
The Council plan for 45+30
Under the Council's plan, 45+30 would apply automatically in events that belong to the FIDE Circuit and meet its requirements.
FIDE describes those as established, high-level events with professional players, where it believes a shorter control would not damage the integrity of classical chess. Organizers would still be encouraged to consult players.
The same automatic 45+30 would cover tournaments in which nobody is rated 2400 or higher. Such events can already use 60+30, so the Council calls the step a moderate adjustment.
Two limits would survive. Tournaments that count toward titles and norms would keep a cap of two rounds a day, and only one norm per player could come from a shortened control.
Ratings work differently. A rated-only event may run more than two games in a day, provided play stays within 12 hours daily; the two-a-day rule is about titles and norms.
FIDE argues that squeezing a third serious game into one day would make it hard to keep classical quality where it should be.
What comes next for FIDE
The Council will bring its framework forward for discussion and approval. FIDE says lasting reforms of this kind need broad consensus, since it represents more than 200 national federations.
The Council has also tasked the Qualification Commission with looking again at what an event must meet before it can award Direct Titles.
Practicing for a faster clock
Shorter classical controls mean less time on the clock for each decision, which puts a premium on spotting tactics quickly.
Chessiverse offers 9,000+ puzzles and challenges for that kind of training in our puzzles section.
When you want a full game instead, you will find an opponent at every rating, from beginner to 3000+.