European Chess Union

The European Chess Union (ECU) is an independent association for the interests of European chess. The European Chess Union was founded on August 30, 1985, with the organization's founding meeting taking place in Graz, Austria.

Board

The European Chess Union Board is elected for a four-year term. Its members for the 2022–2026 term are the following:

Zurab Azmaiparashvili – President
Dana Reizniece-Ozola – Deputy President
Gunnar Bjornsson – Vice President
Malcolm Pein – Vice President
Alojzije Jankovic – Vice President
Eva Repková – Vice President
Jean-Michel Rapaire – Vice President
Theodoros Tsorbatzoglou – Secretary General
Ion-Serban Dobronauteanu – Treasurer
Vanja Draskovic – Honorary Vice President
Johann Poecksteiner – Honorary Vice President

ECU presidents

1985-1986: Rolf Littorin, Sweden
1986-1998: Kurt Jungwirth, Austria
1998-2010: Boris Kutin, Slovenia
2010-2014: Silvio Danailov, Bulgaria
2014–present: Zurab Azmaiparashvili, Georgia

Member federations

The Bulgarian Chess Federation was expelled on 10 September 2016.

Belarus was suspended on 5 March 2022 in response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russia (Russian Chess Federation) withdrew from the European Chess Union on 14 April 2022, and later joined the Asian Chess Federation on 23 February 2023. Both countries were banned from attending the 2022 Chess Olympiad.