Charlize van Zyl Leaves FIDE in September

Charlize van Zyl

Presenter and events host

“After much thought, I have decided to step away from my full-time role at FIDE.

The past two and a half years have given me some of the greatest opportunities of my life. I have had a front-row seat to extraordinary moments, travelled the world, and worked alongside a small but incredibly hardworking media team that I am so proud of.

I am deeply grateful to FIDE for trusting me with such a visible role and allowing me to work at the heart of some of the biggest events in chess.

This is not about unhappiness or leaving chess behind. Quite the opposite. I am simply ready to make space for some long-held ambitions of my own.

Going forward, I will continue as a freelance presenter and interviewer, travelling to tournaments and creating content around the game I love, alongside some personal projects I am excited to share soon.

The chess Olympiad in Samarkand will be my final event as a full-time member of the FIDE team, and I cannot think of a more special way to close this chapter.

This is not goodbye. It is the beginning of a different relationship with the game, and I hope you will still see me holding a microphone at many events to come.”