Balgarianovinite.com The European Chess Union informed Monday the Youth and Sports Ministry that it will impose a package of sanctions on Bulgarian players starting June 1, 2026, due to the absence of a newly-launched procedure for issuing a national license for the sport of chess.
Under the decision, only players representing Bulgarian clubs affiliated exclusively with the Bulgarian Sports Chess Federation will be eligible to compete in European championships across all age groups – from children to men and women, as well as veterans.
The European Chess Union said the sanctions were introduced because the previous deadline for launching a new licensing procedure, December 31, 2025, was not met. If no changes occur by June 1, the Union warned that additional sanctions may follow.
The dispute surrounding Bulgarian chess has persisted for several years due to divisions within the chess community. The Bulgarian Sports Chess Federation, led by Grandmaster Milen Vasilev, is recognized as a member of both the European Chess Union and the International Chess Federation (FIDE), but does not hold a national license to govern the sport in Bulgaria. Such a license has instead been granted to Bulgarian Chess Federation 2022, headed by former MP Vasil Antonov. The license was initially issued by former caretaker Youth and Sports Minister Vesela Lecheva’s team and later reaffirmed by the administration of former Youth and Sports Minister Ivan Peshev.
The lack of a universally recognized governing body has resulted in Bulgarian players being left without state financial support and facing uncertainty over participation in international competitions. The conflict has escalated into a power struggle affecting top players, including cases where prominent competitors have missed major events due to the ongoing divisions. European Chess Union to Sanction Bulgarian Players over Licensing Dispute 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-03-23 17:08:18 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law