Budapest, November 10, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Indian grandmasters R Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi, along with leading Indian woman player Vaishali Rameshbabu, are among 24 elite competitors assembling in Budapest for the pilot edition of the Total Chess World Championship Tour, an ambitious new tournament designed to test a format combining three major time controls.
The event has attracted some of the biggest names in international chess, including world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, who arrived in the Hungarian capital late on Monday. Carlsen’s participation is a major attraction, given his 15 consecutive years at the top of the world rankings.
The star-studded field also features Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So, Anish Giri, Levon Aronian, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Alireza Firouzja and Vincent Keymer. Young talents include American grandmaster Abhimanyu Mishra and Andrew Hong, described by the organisers as the world’s youngest grandmaster. Women’s World No. 7 Bibisara Assaubayeva is also part of the line-up.
Other confirmed participants include Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Liem Le, Richard Rapport, Hans Moke Niemann, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Jorden van Foreest, Haik M. Martirosyan and Vladislav Artemiev.
With a total prize pool of $650,000, the pilot tournament will test a new championship format aimed at identifying the most complete player across Fast Classical, Rapid and Blitz chess.
The 24 competitors will initially be divided into four groups of six. Each group will play a double round-robin over five days, with every player contesting 10 Fast Classical games of 45 minutes plus a 30-second increment. A win will earn three points, while a draw will be worth one point.
A nine-round Blitz Swiss tournament held before the group stage will determine tie-break rankings.
Players will then advance to knockout brackets according to their group-stage positions. Each knockout match will be spread over two days and comprise four Blitz games (3+2), two Rapid games (15+10) and one Fast Classical game (45+30). The scoring system will give greater weight to performances in the longer formats.
Organisers said the pilot is intended not only to crown a champion but also to assess a more dynamic competitive structure and an enhanced broadcast experience, featuring expert commentary, live insights and post-match analysis.
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