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The Turkish Chess Federation, based in Ankara, said it will not raise referee, coach, or club visa fees for the 2026-2027 season and will fully exempt athletes registered in 23 provinces across Türkiye's Eastern Anatolia and Southeastern Anatolia regions from the annual license visa fee, an annual registration payment that players renew to hold an active competition license.
The exemption covers athletes based in a group of provinces the federation designated as a priority category for the season.
The provinces lie in Türkiye's eastern and southeastern regions, along the country's borders with Iran, Iraq and Syria, several hundred kilometers from Ankara and Istanbul.
Federation President Enes Efendioglu said the governing board decided against any fee increases for the 2026-2027 season and confirmed that licensed athletes in the 23 priority provinces will not pay the license visa fee this season.
Efendioglu said the measure is meant to expand chess participation and increase the number of actively licensed athletes in the eastern and southeastern regions.
Athletes registered in those 23 provinces currently make up 12% of Türkiye's total licensed chess players, he said. The federation aims to raise that share to 20% this season.
The fee freeze on referee, coach and club visas applies nationwide, while the license fee exemption is limited to athletes based in the 23 designated eastern and southeastern provinces.
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