Interview with Kjell Madland, CEO of Norway Chess, about the Total World Chess Championship
This week the chess world learned about the creation of the new Total Chess World Championship format. Norway Chess will launch the 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
Chessdom.com spoke by email to the CEO of Norway Chess Mr. Kjell Madland, who kindly agreed to share all available details around the Total Chess World Championship and answered some hard questions that circulate in the chess community. “It is important to clarify that we are currently working on the details of the regulations, and not everything has been fully decided yet, as part of the process has involved asking several chess experts for feedback so that we can optimize the concept,” Kjell Madland noted. Here is the full version of the interview of Kjell Madland with Chessdom.com
Dear Kjell Madland, congratulations on launching the Total Chess World Championship! How did the idea come about? Who was the first person or organization to come up with the concept?
The idea originated from me (Kjell Madland) at Norway Chess. It has always been important for both me and Norway Chess to find a development we believe is beneficial for chess and for public interest. We are in regular contact with all the top players in the chess world, and we always try to pick up signals about what they like and what they care about. A unified World Championship title feels to us like an optimal goal to achieve.
When did you contact FIDE with the idea? What was the process of the World Chess Champion title application? Which were the organs of FIDE that approved the new title?
I first presented the idea to Arkady Dvorkovich in August 2024. Since then, we have held regular meetings and spent time formalizing a contract. The FIDE board has reviewed the matter in two separate processes, the latest taking place once the agreement had been fully negotiated.
At what stage did Magnus Carlsen get involved? And how much is he indeed involved in the organization?
Magnus Carlsen and his team were not aware of any of this until after we had signed the contract with FIDE. He and a few other players were informed a couple of days before we made it public. Magnus is not involved in any aspect of this or in Norway Chess.
Many have linked the Total Chess World Championship to the desire of FIDE and organizers to see Magnus Carlsen enter the fight for the highest title again. Carlsen’s relationship with FIDE quickly deteriorated after the jeans scandal, and he has stated he will not participate in many FIDE events, citing a destroyed relationship with the current FIDE administration. But now there is TCWC, awarding spots for the Candidates and thus the Classical title. To what extent the creation of the TCWC tour was driven by the desire to see Magnus back in the race? The harder version of this question that circulates online: Was the Total Chess World Championship designed for and by Magnus Carlsen?
This has nothing to do with the relationship between Magnus and FIDE. Norway Chess’s relationship with Magnus has always been good because we have always respected him as a player and never involved him in any of our work. We have designed this new concept in this way because we genuinely believe it is something the chess world wants, and that new formats are important to further increase interest in chess.
We can see solid support of the Total Chess World Championship right from the start. Among the ardent supporters of the project are FIDE. They backed the championship with official approval of the title, inclusion in the cycle, massive press release and media contacts, statements from officials including Deputy President Viswanathan Anand. We also see Magnus Carlsen’s strong support, as well as support from ex-World Champion Ding Liren. Can you reveal more names (players, chess officials etc.) and organizations that have shown support to the new championship?
We have received a lot of support for this concept from many chess fans, players, and media outlets since it became public. During the development process, only a few individuals were consulted and aware of it, so we were very curious to see how it would be received when we launched it on Wednessday.
Let’s talk about the format of the event. There will be three host cities/locations for the Total Chess World Championship. Is Norway Chess one of the guaranteed events to be in the tour? How close are you to announcing the other two locations? We hear one of the host cities may be in India, is this correct?
Since this has been confidential, we haven’t actively worked on host cities until now, after the news became public. We aim to have multiple host cities across different continents, and we’ve already been approached with strong interest from India. It would be natural to try to establish something in India, where chess interest is high and there are many talented young players. We haven’t decided what will happen with Norway Chess from 2027 onward, but Norway Chess will be held as usual in May/June next year.
There will be qualification events. We suppose some of them will be online qualifiers. At least one of them will be at Chess.com due to the close ties of Magnus Carlsen and FIDE with the platform? Have talks with Lichess also been initiated?
There are no qualification tournaments planned on online platforms, and we will most likely not pursue that option. We are planning qualification through rating and other strong over-the-board tournaments. The first players to qualify will be the winners of this year’s World Rapid and Blitz Championships.
The Total Chess World Championship will involve fast classic, blitz, and rapid. Chris Bird noted that fast classic time control is still a pilot project by FIDE, but it is already adopted by TCWC awarding a world title. Do you think fast classic makes chess more appealing to wider audiences? What other pros do you see in the new time control?
An important part of developing chess is bringing it to television and other major media platforms. In that context, having optimal control over time is crucial. Fast classical is an exciting concept that we believe will increase interest in chess and classical formats even further. Naturally, we will monitor whether it proves successful and remain open to adjusting the time control if needed.
Hikaru Nakamura has published a video, where he says the format of the Total Chess World Championship is basically the same as the format of the Grand Chess Tour, with fast classic substituting classical being the main differentiation. How will you answer to this criticism?
We believe there is quite a significant difference in how the entire tournament and concept are structured. That said, it’s natural for people to have different opinions about what’s good and what’s not. We hope Nakamura will recognize that this is an exciting and forward-looking concept created for the future. We also welcome all feedback that can help make the concept even better.
With the championship carrying “Total” in its title, were other formats and time controls considered? How do you see the future of the Classical time control and the Freestyle/Fischer Random? Do you see a chance for them to be “invited” to the Total Chess World Championship in the future?
We will most likely use Armageddon as a tiebreak format, as we have done in Norway Chess. Otherwise, our focus has been on creating a concept based on the formats in chess that are officially rated. We have never discussed the possibility of including Freestyle, as there is already an established concept for that.
According to Emil Sutovsky from FIDE, the Total Chess World Championship awards two spots to the FIDE Candidates. Jacob Aagaard speculates one of the spots will substitute the qualification by rating. Is this a correct assumption? Can you reveal what is the fate and place of the second spot awarded?
We have not finalized all the details of the regulations yet; a working group has been established to handle this. It is correct that two spots in the Candidates Tournament are allocated through the TCWC, but we need to discuss the exact mechanism, since the Candidates is held every other year while our concept is annual. We expect to return with more details, likely in the first quarter of next year.
The Total Chess World Championship marks the creation of the 4th world title. At Chessdom.com, ever since the website was established in 2007, we have faced the challenge of explaining to a wider audience that the World Cup winner is not the World Champion. Now all journalists will have the additional task to explain the relation between all titles. Did you feel the necessity to have a World Title attached to the Tour?
I understand that some people may be confused by the existence of different world champion titles, but this is quite common in other types of sports as well. We believe that interest in chess will grow and the audience will broaden when it becomes clear that different players excel in different formats. A world championship title naturally makes everything much more appealing.
Related to the previous question: the chess world is used to having one FIDE World Champion for 130+ years. Now there will be more. Would you be ok with a creation of 5th, 6th, etc. World Champion Titles? Where is the limit and should there be one?
Classical chess has a strong history, and we believe and hope that its title will remain significant in the future. Increased focus on chess and other time formats makes the game even more exciting for both players and audiences. I believe it is important to have multiple titles, as chess has evolved and it’s necessary to show that some players excel in different formats and deserve to have their own title as well.
Only FIDE has the authority to award a world championship title, so it is ultimately up to them to decide.
And the same question, but in the other direction. Now that the Total Chess World Championship includes rapid and blitz, what is the point of having FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championships in December and should the world federation drop them altogether?
The World Rapid and Blitz Championships have seen a strong surge in interest, and they offer many players the opportunity to compete for a title while also facing the best players in the world. This is important for chess. The TCWC requires qualification and is a completely different concept.
Multiple chess professionals and fans online, citing FIDE traditions, say the creation of a new title devalues the existing FIDE World Chess Champion title. What will you say to them? Can you argue the opposite?
Chess has a long and rich history, and classical chess has always been the most important format. It is essential to ensure development that adapts the sport to the emerging generation and strengthens its position. I believe classical chess will continue to hold a strong place in the future.
Regarding the Total Chess World Championship, Hans Niemann says, “There has never been a better time to be a chess professional”. You have been in the chess world for a long time. Do you agree with Hans Niemann?
Yes, I agree with Niemann on this. More tournaments, increased focus on chess, and greater publicity are bringing more money into the sport, allowing more chess players to make a living from it. This helps develop chess further, and both players and audiences benefit from more and better events. Hopefully, we will also see this become the case for many more women in chess.