Reason for postponement of World Junior Chess Championships

Two Kenyan players who will take part in the World Junior Chess Championships will arrive late for the competition following the cancellation of flights in Turkey due to a snowstorm.

The tournament was initially scheduled to start on Monday and run until Saturday 8 March in Montenegro. The Kaloki siblings, Zuri and Hawi Kaloki are set to represent the country in the tournament.

On Friday, Turkish Airlines announced that it had cancelled Sunday’s flight from Istanbul to Montenegro due to force majeure something that directly affects the Kenyan players as they were booked on this flight.

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An official at Turkish Airlines said they are working round the clock to reroute all affected passengers.

“The flight was cancelled for the safety of all passengers. On Friday morning we refused to take on board 65 Kenyans who were travelling to Rome because their onward flight had been cancelled due to bad weather,” said the official.

On Friday morning, Turkish media reported that more than 150 flights had been cancelled at Istanbul airport because of heavy snow.

Organisers of the World Junior Chess Championships confirmed that they have been informed by multiple federations that flights through Istanbul on Sunday 23 February, have been cancelled and that the morning flight on Monday 24 February is fully booked.

The organizers have therefore made changes to the start of the event which will now be on Tuesday and not Monday as earlier planned.

“We recognize that the arrival of numerous guests has been seriously affected. After consultations with the FIDE Events Commission and Chief Arbiter of the World Junior Chess Championship 2025 (WJCC 2025), we have made the following decisions.

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The first round of the tournament will be postponed to Tuesday 25 February and the event will go on without a rest day,” they said in a statement.

The organizers confirmed that over 150 players have been affected by the flight disruptions.

“It is our commitment to ensure the best possible conditions for the competition and minimizing unnecessary stress for participants and have therefore taken these steps considering that more than 150 players have been affected.”