Brian Karen: “There are tours within tours, finals after finals, and some “Grand” something every other week”
The chess world has a World Chess Championship 2026, where Gukesh will battle with the winner of Candidates 2026. It also has a World Rapid & Blitz Championships that will take place in December. There used to be a Fisher Random / Freestyle / Chess960 World Championship as well.
Now the chess world will have a new Total World Chess Championship format. Norway Chess launches New World Championship format in 2026, approved by FIDE, and titled Total World Chess Championship. will consist of four events each year and crown a combined champion across three disciplines – Fast Classic, Rapid, and Blitz chess. “We expect this to become one of the most prestigious events in the entire chess Calendar,” says Kjell Madland, CEO of Norway Chess and of the new championship. See what is Fast Classic here
In the timeline below, you can see the official press release, the latest news, and reactions from the chess world, including the fact that now the Total World Chess Championship will put two players in the Candidates. Brian Karen from the World Chess Championship facebook community say, I follow chess avidly, but it has become so confusing. “There are tours within tours, finals after finals, and some “Grand” something every other week. I need a flowchart just to follow the quarterfinal of a sub-tour of a mini-championship. It’s great there’s so much sponsorship and prize money, but honestly, insurance policies are easier to explain than the modern chess circuit.”
Total World Chess Championship timeline
15.10 Total World Chess Championship announced
15.10 Reuters: Norway Chess gets approval for combined Total World Chess Title
15.10 Indian Express: Total Chess will be the fourth World Chess Championship
15.10 Two players from the Total World Chess Championship qualify for Candidates
15.10 Brian Karen: “There are tours within tours, finals after finals…”
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