Sixteen players qualify for the 2026 Total Chess pilot event
FIDE and Norway Chess have announced the first 16 players who have earned the right to receive invitations to the 2026 Total Chess World Championship Tour pilot event. This new competition will combine Fast Classical, Rapid, and Blitz chess into one unified format.
The 2026 event is a pilot tournament. Its purpose is to test the concept, format, and regulations of Total Chess. The first full season, which will crown the first-ever Total Chess World Champion, will begin in 2027.
The pilot tournament will be held from October 3 to October 15, 2026. The host cities and venues will be announced later. Official invitations will be sent to the qualified players within the next few days.
How the players qualified
According to the qualification rules approved by FIDE, the initial list includes:
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The top players from the January 2026 classical rating list
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The Women’s World Champion
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Elite performers from the World Rapid and World Blitz Championships
This creates a strong and balanced lineup for the pilot event.
World Champions
Two players qualify automatically as reigning champions:
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GM Gukesh Dommaraju – World Champion
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GM Ju Wenjun – Women’s World Champion
World Rapid Championship 2025 qualifiers
The three medalists from the 2025 World Rapid Championship have earned invitations:
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GM Magnus Carlsen
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GM Vladislav Artemiev
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GM Arjun Erigaisi
World Blitz Championship 2025 qualifiers
Two players qualify from the World Blitz Championship:
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GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov
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GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (qualified via the lowest average sum of placements)
Top-rated players (January 2026 list)
Based on the January 2026 classical ratings, and after applying replacement rules, the following players qualify:
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GM Hikaru Nakamura
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GM Fabiano Caruana
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GM Vincent Keymer
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GM Anish Giri
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GM Alireza Firouzja
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GM Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa
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GM Wei Yi
Two additional spots are filled through replacement criteria:
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GM Wesley So – first replacement
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GM Viswanathan Anand – replacement by rating
A star-studded field
So far, 16 players have earned the right to receive invitations. They include:
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The top 13 players from the January classical rating list
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GM Vladislav Artemiev
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GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
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Women’s World Champion GM Ju Wenjun
More names will be added soon. After the FIDE Candidates Tournament and the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament conclude in April 2026, their winners will also qualify.
Additional spots will go to:
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The top three players from the June 1, 2026 standard rating list (excluding those already qualified)
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Three FIDE Open Circuit qualifiers
This will complete the 24-player lineup for the 2026 pilot tournament.
What comes next
The 2026 Total Chess pilot event will take place from October 3–15, 2026. Locations will be announced later.
Following this pilot, the full Total Chess World Championship Tour will officially launch in 2027, marking a new era in elite chess competition.
Total Chess Tour regulations released
FIDE and Norway Chess have also published the official regulations of the Total Chess World Championship Tour. These regulations clearly define:
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The complete qualification system
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The event format and scoring across Fast Classical, Rapid, and Blitz
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Tie-break and replacement rules
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Prize fund distribution and tour standings
The Total Chess concept aims to reward all-round excellence and redefine how world champions are crowned.
Photos: FIDE_Chess
Source: FIDE CHESS NEWS
