World Junior Chess Championship

The World Junior Chess Championship is the under-20 world championship of FIDE, the International Chess Federation. Under-20 does not simply mean being younger than twenty on the first playing day. Under the eligibility rule, a player must not have reached the age of twenty before January 1 of the championship year.

The regulations provide an Open event and a separate Girls event. Here, Open means that the category is not restricted by sex; it does not mean that everyone can enter without conditions. Qualification rights and places assigned through national federations still apply.

The championship is played over multiple rounds and brings together entrants from many countries. Its name identifies one particular world event, not every junior tournament or every informal competition for young players.

It must also be distinguished from the World Youth Chess Championships. Those events are divided into under-14, under-16, and under-18 categories, while the World Junior is under-20.