--- title: "FIDE in chess" url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/fide.md" canonical_url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/fide" last_updated: "2026-11-07" type: "reference" summary: "FIDE, the Fédération Internationale des Échecs or World Chess Federation, is the international body that publishes the Laws of Chess." related: ["https://georgelichess.com/glossary/fide-rating.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/national-federation.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/rules-of-chess.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/grandmaster.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/international-master.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/title-requirement.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/category/tournaments-ratings-titles.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md"] --- # FIDE in chess > **For AI agents:** the complete index of GeorgeLiChess pages is [llms.txt](https://georgelichess.com/llms.txt). Every page is also served as markdown at its URL plus .md. FIDE, the Fédération Internationale des Échecs or World Chess Federation, is the international body that publishes the Laws of Chess. FIDE, the Fédération Internationale des Échecs or World Chess Federation, is the international body that publishes the Laws of Chess, keeps the rating lists and awards titles, working through its member national federations. FIDE sits at the top of organized chess. Its Handbook gathers the regulations that matter to players: the [Laws of Chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/rules-of-chess.md), the Rating Regulations, the Title Regulations and many rules for events. The Laws were adopted by a FIDE Congress, and the Preface notes that member federations can ask FIDE for rulings on them. The Rating Regulations and Title Regulations are maintained through FIDE's Qualification Commission under the FIDE Council, which can change them. For a player, the effects are concrete. Your [FIDE rating](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/fide-rating.md) comes from games in events registered through your [national federation](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/national-federation.md). Titles such as [International Master](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/international-master.md) and [Grandmaster](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/grandmaster.md) are awarded by FIDE, and they are valid for life once confirmed. Players listed under the code FID are accepted as opponents in norm games, but do not count as foreign players. The Handbook also holds fair-play rules, online-chess regulations and the regulations for FIDE's own competitions. To use FIDE material correctly, remember that the Handbook is a living document: regulations are dated by their effective date, and a rule that applied to last year's tournament can have changed. When you quote a number such as a rating threshold, check the current edition first. Also called: World Chess Federation. Compare it with [USCF](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/uscf.md). The USCF, now branded US Chess, is the official governing body for chess in the United States, a nonprofit that represents the country in FIDE and maintains the national rating system most American tournament players are measured by. Rating and title terms like "FIDE" matter once you know your next step, and the [improvement plans by rating band](https://georgelichess.com/improve.md) set out a weekly routine for each rating range. ## Related terms - [FIDE rating](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/fide-rating.md) - [National federation](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/national-federation.md) - [Rules of chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/rules-of-chess.md) - [Grandmaster](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/grandmaster.md) - [International Master](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/international-master.md) - [Title requirement](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/title-requirement.md) ## Guides that go further - [FIDE chess titles](https://georgelichess.com/titles.md): How the Candidate Master, FIDE Master, International Master and Grandmaster titles are earned, with every Handbook clause. - [Chess title norm calculator](https://georgelichess.com/tools/title-norm-calculator.md): Check one tournament against the FIDE norm rules, with every Handbook clause. - [How to get a FIDE rating](https://georgelichess.com/how-to-get-a-fide-rating.md): The Handbook rules for a first FIDE rating: five rated games, the 1400 floor, the two 1800 draws and a worked example. ## Sources - FIDE Laws of Chess (effective 1 January 2023) (Preface 0.1 and 0.2), read 2026-10-21: https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/E012023 - FIDE Handbook B02 FIDE Rating Regulations (effective 1 March 2024) (Articles 0.1 to 0.2 and 10.1), read 2026-10-21: https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/B022024 - FIDE Handbook B01 FIDE Title Regulations (effective 1 January 2024) (Articles 0.3 and 0.4), read 2026-10-21: https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/B012024 - FIDE Handbook B01 FIDE Title Regulations (effective 1 January 2024) (Article 1.4.2), read 2026-10-21: https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/B012024 [Book your first lesson](https://georgelichess.com/book.md) and George Li reviews your games and builds a study plan around them. Questions about lessons: write to hello@georgelichess.com. ## Related - [FIDE rating in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/fide-rating.md) - [National federation in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/national-federation.md) - [Rules of chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/rules-of-chess.md) - [Grandmaster in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/grandmaster.md) - [International Master in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/international-master.md) - [Title requirement in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/title-requirement.md) - [Chess terms: Tournaments, ratings and titles](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/category/tournaments-ratings-titles.md) - [Chess terms glossary: plain definitions](https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md)