Magnus Carlsen, “Total Chess World Championship seems like a well-thought-out step”
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. It will consist of four events each year and crown a combined champion across three disciplines – Fast Classic, Rapid, and Blitz chess. See what is Fast Classic here
Rarely we see Magnus Carlsen and Hans Niemann agree, but in this case both approve the Total Chess World Championship. Yesterday Hans Niemann praised the event, saying, “There has never been a better time to be a chess professional, kudos to FIDE”. Magnus Carlsen joined the approval voices, stating, “This seems like a well-thought-out step to further develop chess. Bringing multiple formats together under a single title will provide a more complete view of the players’ strengths, while the time controls suit today’s players and audience.”
Total Chess World 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…”
15.10 Hans Niemann, “There has never been a better time to be a chess professional, kudos to FIDE”
15.10 Anish Giri, “Very messy”
16.10. Hikaru Nakamura, “Interplanetary Galactic Total World Chess Championship”
16.10. Magnus Carlsen, “Total Chess World Championship seems like a well-thought-out step”
16.10 Nakamura says no mention of Total Chess World Championship in the Norway Chess 2026 invitation
According to organisers, a pilot version of the Total Chess World Championship Tour will be tested in the autumn of 2026, with the first full season set for 2027.