FIR Student Lucia Ševčíková Wins Silver at the World University Chess Championship

Lucia Ševčíková, a student at the Faculty of International Relations of the Prague University of Economics and Business, has won a silver medal at the FISU World University Championship in Liaocheng, China. She scored 6.5 points from nine games in the women’s tournament and also achieved a norm towards the Woman International Master title.

The championship ran from 11 to 16 October 2026 and brought together more than 200 student athletes from 21 countries. Ševčíková, who is studying on the bachelor’s programme International Trade, represented Slovakia. The women’s tournament featured 31 of the world’s best university chess players.

The Road to Silver

The tournament was played over nine rounds. Ševčíková collected her decisive points in the second half: she beat Seraphina Bosc of France in round six, won again in round seven, and drew her final two games against Liwia Jarocka of Poland and Lara Schulze of Germany.

Her 6.5 points left her tied for second place with four other players. Silver was decided on tiebreak, which takes into account the strength of each player’s opponents, and Ševčíková’s was the best of the group. Only the winner, Jana Schneider of Germany, finished ahead of her. She achieved the result against several opponents with a considerably higher rating, the score used to measure a chess player’s strength.

A Step Towards an International Title

She also brings home a second success from China. Her performance earned her a norm towards the Woman International Master (WIM) title, one of the results that the International Chess Federation (FIDE) requires before awarding the title. After the main event she also played in the blitz tournament, finishing 23rd.

Chess and International Trade

Her success shows that studying at VŠE can be combined with top-level sport. Chess also builds strategic thinking, the analysis of complex situations and quick decision-making under pressure, skills that are just as valuable in international trade.

Congratulations to Lucia Ševčíková on her silver medal, and we wish her every success in her studies and at the chessboard.

You can read more in the report by the Slovak Chess Federation (in Slovak) and see the full results.