KazChess and Dragon Chilling Take Early Lead at FIDE World Team Rapid Championship 2026
The FIDE World Team Rapid and Blitz Championships 2026 started in Hong Kong with an exciting first day of action. After four rounds, KazChess and Dragon Chilling emerged as the joint leaders, winning all of their matches.
Nine teams are close behind with three match victories each. Among them are defending champions Team MGD1 and tournament favorites WR Chess.
KazChess Makes Strong Start
KazChess finished day one at the top of the standings without losing a single game on the top boards. However, their opening match was not easy.
They faced local team Chongqing Kylin Chess Club in round one. Star players Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Alexander Grischuk were both held to draws by lower-rated opponents. Despite this, KazChess secured a 4-2 victory thanks to important wins from Kazybek Nogerbek and WGM Aldiyar Ansat.
The team then faced tougher challenges. In round two, they defeated Sky Chess 4.5-1.5. Sky Chess featured strong players such as Shant Sargsyan, Aram Hakobyan, and American Grandmaster Andrew Hong.
KazChess continued their impressive form by defeating the powerful Uzbekistan team in round three. They followed it up with another big win over Chessgurukul, led by Indian star Praggnanandhaa R, in round four.
Dragon Chilling Shares First Place
Chinese team Dragon Chilling also won all four matches and shares first place with KazChess. The team is led by former World Champion Ding Liren, who is gradually becoming more active in competitive chess again.
Ding started the event with a draw against Mongolia’s Dambasuren Batsuren, despite being rated nearly 300 points higher. He won his game in round two and drew again in round three.
In round four, however, Ding suffered a defeat. Playing with the black pieces against Nikolas Theodorou, he misjudged a complex position and eventually lost the game. The biggest match of day two will see KazChess and Dragon Chilling face each other.
Surprises and Upsets on Day One
There were several surprising results throughout the day. Indian star Praggnanandhaa lost his game against Mongolia-Adlar’s top board, Sumiya Bilguun, who was rated significantly lower.
Tournament favorites WR Chess, featuring Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, and Wesley So, also faced difficulties. In round two, Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Alexandra Goryachkina both lost their games against Chessnut Nova, but WR Chess still managed to recover.
One of the most anticipated games of the day took place in round three when Magnus Carlsen defeated legendary Ukrainian Grandmaster Vasyl Ivanchuk.
Meanwhile, defending champions Team MGD1 suffered a surprise defeat against Team International Trading from Singapore. The decisive moment came when Nihal Sarin lost to Rinat Jumabayev in the final stages of the match.
Sky Chess Stuns Hexamind
Another major upset came in round four. Sky Chess faced one of the tournament favorites, Hexamind. After five games, the score was tied at 2.5-2.5.
Everything came down to board three, where Anish Giri had the white pieces against Andrew Hong. Despite the advantage of playing White, Giri ran into trouble and eventually lost. His defeat gave Sky Chess a memorable team victory.
Day Two Awaits
The World Team Rapid Championship continues on Thursday with four more rounds scheduled.
With several top teams still in contention and many exciting matchups ahead, fans can expect another thrilling day of rapid chess action in Hong Kong.
Photos: Michal Walusza
Source: FIDE CHESS NEWS
