The Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners reached a new milestone in its sixth edition, bringing together incarcerated players from around the world for three days of competition. Organized by FIDE and the Cook County Sheriff's Office, the event featured men's, women's, and youth sections with teams competing across multiple time zones. The championship has grown substantially since its inception in 2021, now spanning six continents and using chess as an educational and social tool in correctional facilities worldwide.

Argentina's correctional system has maintained a robust chess program for over a decade across five facilities in Corrientes province. Incarcerated players receive training and competitive opportunities within prison walls, with top performers sometimes permitted to compete in outside tournaments under appropriate security arrangements. Inmates access computers and the internet in library settings during scheduled times for training and play. Many who have been released continue participating in the broader chess community, with program coordinators maintaining contact and encouraging their ongoing involvement.

Romania's participation in the international championship has been consistent, with representation from 14 penitentiary institutions competing in this year's event. The success of these participations inspired the Romanian National Administration of Penitentiaries to establish its own national online chess competition for prisoners. This national initiative, now in its second edition, provides inmates across different facilities opportunities to develop skills and prepare for future international competition while promoting chess as a tool for personal development.

Ghana expanded its Chess for Freedom initiative beyond Accra's Senior Correctional Centre to include Nsawam Male Prison and Nsawam Female Prison in 2025. Teams from these facilities competed in the African Continental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners, gaining competitive experience at the continental level. Prison officials and inmates have responded positively to the program, which emphasizes discipline, patience, critical thinking, and confidence building.

Australia's Karnet Prison Farm made its tournament debut with a team that secured eight victories in the group stage despite not advancing to the semifinals. Eight prisoners participated in twice-weekly preparation sessions before the competition. During the four and a half hour group stage, participants demonstrated self-regulation, patience, emotional control, and teamwork. The experience connected them to hundreds of incarcerated people worldwide competing simultaneously, temporarily extending their participation beyond prison walls.