Maria Anistoroaei won bronze at the World Youth and Junior Chess Championships / Romania achieved good results in Roquetas de Mar

Romania won a bronze medal at the World Youth and Junior Chess Championships, held from October 13 to 21, 2026, in Roquetas de Mar, Spain. Maria Anistoroaei finished third in the Girls U13 category, with 7.5 points.

The competition organized by FIDE and the Spanish Chess Federation brought together 721 players from 82 countries. The games were played at the Evenia Zoraida Beach Resort complex, in 12 categories divided into the U7, U9, U11, U13, U15, and U17 age groups, each with Open and Girls sections.

The tournaments consisted of 11 rounds, using the Swiss system, with a time control of 45 minutes plus 30 seconds for each move. FIDE stated that the format was used for the first time at an official youth championship, and the results counted toward the international rating coefficient.

Alexia-Andreea Iordache placed fourth in Girls U17. Teodor-Nicolas Haimana and Matei Zlate-Ion took fifth place in Open U9 and Open U13, respectively, while Maria-Ioana Rămureanu finished in the same position in Girls U9.