[1] The European Chess Union was founded on August 30, 1985, with the organization's founding meeting taking place in Graz, Austria.

[2] The European Chess Union Board is elected for a four-year term.

Its members for the 2022–2026 term are the following:[3][4] The Bulgarian Chess Federation was expelled on 10 September 2016.

[6][7] Belarus was suspended on 5 March 2022 in response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

[10] Both countries were banned from attending the 2022 Chess Olympiad.