Almaty – Following its victory at the 2026 Italian University Championships held in Milan last March, the Unipd Chess Club is preparing to represent the University of Padua at the first FIDE World University Team Chess Championship, the global university team chess competition that will bring together the world’s top university teams. The finals are scheduled to take place in Almaty, Kazakhstan, from August 3 to 10. The University of Padua team secured the national title in Milan by outperforming the other 19 university teams in the competition, giving this year’s Italian championship victory even greater significance. Although every university may enter the world competition, each national federation designates one team as its official representative, exempting it from participation fees. This year, Italy’s designated representative will be the Unipd Chess Club. The international competition marks another important step forward for both the club and the wider university chess movement in Padua. The championship will unfold in three stages: two online qualifying rounds followed by the in-person finals. The journey begins with the Online Swiss Qualifiers and continues with an online knockout stage, after which the top teams will advance to the over-the-board finals in Almaty. For the Unipd Chess Club, the first appointment is scheduled for Saturday, May 9 at 12 p.m. with the opening online qualifying stage, hosted on Lichess and streamed live. The second stage will take place during the weekend of May 16–17, with times still to be confirmed. (9colonne)