Budapest will become the starting point for a new international chess competition this November, as the Total Chess World Championship Tour Pilot brings together 24 leading players to compete across three different time controls. The event is designed to test a format that could reshape the way elite chess championships are contested.
The tournament will take place from November 10–20, 2026, at the Anantara New York Palace Budapest Hotel. Developed by Norway Chess and approved by the International Chess Federation (FIDE), Total Chess aims to identify a combined world champion by assessing performance in Fast Classic, Rapid and Blitz chess within a single competition.
One championship, three formats
The central idea behind Total Chess is to reward players who can excel in different playing conditions, rather than those who specialise in just one format. Longer games require sustained calculation and strategic planning, while Rapid and Blitz place greater emphasis on speed, practical decisions and tactical awareness.
The Budapest event is designated as a pilot because it will provide the first competitive test of the new championship structure. The experience gained will help inform the development of the international tour, scheduled to launch in 2027 with events in multiple cities.
The competition begins with 24 players divided into four groups of six. Each group plays a double round-robin over five days, with every competitor playing ten Fast Classic games at a time control of 45 minutes plus a 30-second increment per move. Wins earn three points, while draws are worth one point. A nine-round Blitz tournament establishes tie-break rankings.
Players then progress into knockout matches according to their group-stage positions. Each match spans two days and combines four Blitz games, two Rapid games and one Fast Classic game. If a match remains tied, an Armageddon game determines the winner.
A field packed with international talent
The 24-player line-up features established elite grandmasters, rising talents and leading women’s players. Five-time World Champion Magnus Carlsen headlines the field, alongside leading contenders such as Fabiano Caruana, Alireza Firouzja and Indian grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa.
The confirmed participants are:
- Magnus Carlsen – five-time World Champion and world number one.
- Fabiano Caruana – one of the world’s leading grandmasters.
- Wesley So – an established elite grandmaster.
- Vincent Keymer – one of Germany’s strongest players.
- Nodirbek Abdusattorov – a leading Uzbek grandmaster.
- R Praggnanandhaa – a leading Indian grandmaster and winner of Norway Chess 2025.
- Arjun Erigaisi – one of India’s top chess talents.
- Anish Giri – a consistent contender at the highest level.
- Alireza Firouzja – a leading French grandmaster.
- Jan-Krzysztof Duda – a leading Polish grandmaster.
- Liem Le – a top Vietnamese grandmaster.
- Richard Rapport – Hungary’s representative in the field.
- Levon Aronian – an experienced grandmaster representing the United States.
- Hans Moke Niemann – an American grandmaster.
- Shakhriyar Mamedyarov – an Azerbaijani grandmaster.
- Ian Nepomniachtchi – a two-time World Championship challenger.
- Maxime Vachier-Lagrave – a French grandmaster and former World Blitz Champion.
- Jorden van Foreest – a Dutch grandmaster.
- Haik M. Martirosyan – an Armenian grandmaster.
- Vladislav Artemiev – a leading player in faster time controls.
- Abhimanyu Mishra – the youngest grandmaster in chess history.
- Andrew Hong – an American grandmaster.
- Bibisara Assaubayeva – a three-time Women’s World Blitz Champion.
- Vaishali Rameshbabu – an Indian grandmaster competing among the world’s leading women players.
With Carlsen among the headline names and Hungarian grandmaster Richard Rapport competing on home soil, Budapest will provide a fitting setting for the first test of this new championship format.
The pilot is an important step towards the planned international series, with the long-term ambition of crowning the FIDE World Combined Champion through performance across all three disciplines.