"VAN" (Sports Desk - 07.01.2025) :: Based on the qualification criteria approved by FIDE, the group already includes the top 13 players in the January classical rating list, the Women’s World Champion, plus additional elite qualifiers from the World Rapid and World Blitz Championships – a more than respectable lineup for the 2026 pilot.
Formal invitations to the qualified players will be sent out in the coming days and within the next week.
The pilot tournament is scheduled to take place from October 3–15, 2026. The host destinations/locations will be announced at a later date.
The 2026 event is officially a pilot, testing the full concept, format, and regulations of the Total Chess World Championship Tour. The inaugural full Tour season, with the official crowning of the first Total Chess World Champion, will start in 2027.
FIDE and Norway Chess are pleased to announce the first 16 players who have earned the right to receive an invitation to the 2026 Total Chess World Championship Tour pilot tournament (“Total Chess 2026 Pilot”), the new combined competition across Fast Classic, Rapid, and Blitz.
Players who have earned the right to receive an invitation
1–2. World Champions
GM Gukesh Dommaraju – World Champion
GM Ju Wenjun – Women’s World Champion
3–5. World Rapid Championship 2025 (three places)
The three medalists of the 2025 World Rapid Championship have earned the right to be invited:
- GM Magnus Carlsen
- GM Vladislav Artemiev
- GM Arjun Erigaisi
6–7. World Blitz Championship 2025 (two places)
The two qualifiers from the 2025 World Blitz Championship are:
- GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov
- GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (qualified via the lowest average sum of placements)
8–16. Top-9 Rated Players (January 2026 list, with replacements)
Based on the classical rating list as of 1 January 2026, and applying the agreed replacement rules (to account for players already qualified via World Championships and World Rapid/Blitz), the following players have earned the right to receive an invitation via rating:
- GM Hikaru Nakamura
- GM Fabiano Caruana
- GM Vincent Keymer
- GM Anish Giri
- GM Alireza Firouzja
- GM Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa
- GM Wei Yi
Two further places are filled according to the replacement criteria:
- GM Wesley So – first replacement (lowest average sum of placements)
GM Viswanathan Anand – first replacement according to rating
A star-studded field and the road ahead
In summary, the right to receive an invitation to the 2026 Total Chess pilot tournament has currently been granted to 16 chess players, comprising:
- The top 13 players in the January classical rating list
- GM Vladislav Artemiev
- GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, and
- The Women’s World Champion, GM Ju Wenjun
The 2026 pilot tournament will be held from October 3–15, 2026, with destinations/locations to be announced later. The inaugural full Total Chess World Championship Tour season will then launch in 2027.
The next two players who will earn the right to receive invitations will become known in April 2026, following the conclusion of the FIDE Candidates Tournament and the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament, whose winners will also qualify for the Tour.
Regulations of the Total Chess World Championship Tour
FIDE and Norway Chess are also announcing that the official Regulations of the Total Chess World Championship Tour have now been published. They define in detail:
The full qualification system
Event structure and scoring system across Fast Classic, Rapid, and Blitz
Tie-break and replacement rules
Prize fund distribution and tour standings
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