Ukrainian grandmaster Ivanchuk to be induced into World Chess Hall of Fame

Ukrainian grandmaster Vasyl Ivanchuk has been selected for induction into the World Chess Hall of Fame.

Source: Kyiv Chess Federation, citing the International Chess Federation (FIDE)

Details: The induction ceremony will take place in St Louis in October 2026, with five new members joining the Hall of Fame.

Alongside Ivanchuk, this year's inductees are Boris Gelfand (Israel), Ulf Andersson (Sweden), Nana Ioseliani (Georgia) and Alexandra Kosteniuk (Switzerland, formerly representing Russia until 2022).

The World Chess Hall of Fame currently includes 56 grandmasters. Ivanchuk will become the first Ukrainian to be inducted since the country gained independence. Previously honoured players born in present-day Ukraine include Liudmyla Rudenko (Lubny, Poltava Oblast), David Bronstein (Bila Tserkva, Kyiv Oblast, but he became a Russian citizen after the collapse of the Soviet Union), and Kira Zvorykina (Mykolaiv, she also acquired Russian citizenship after 1991).

Background: It was previously reported that Ivanchuk had also been nominated for one of FIDE Excellence Awards.

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