The latest additions to the field are Levon Aronian, Liem Le, Jorden van Foreest, Abhimanyu Mishra, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Andrew Hong, further strengthening an elite line-up featuring some of the biggest names in world chess.
They join a field led by World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, alongside World No. 3 Fabiano Caruana and a host of leading players from across the global chess community.
Hosted at the iconic Anantara New York Palace Budapest Hotel, the pilot will showcase the unique Total Chess format, bringing together Fast Classic, Rapid and Blitz in a single championship. The event serves as the official pilot ahead of the inaugural global Total Chess World Championship Tour season in 2027.
Expressing his eagerness to compete in this format, World No. 20 Levon Aronian said:
As one of the more experienced players in chess, I’m excited to be part of this new and innovative format. Bringing Fast Classic, Rapid and Blitz together creates a very different challenge for players. I’m looking forward to seeing how the Total Chess World Championship Tour develops and what it can bring to the future of elite chess.
Kjell Madland, CEO of Total Chess World Championship Tour, said:
The addition of these six exceptional players makes an already outstanding field even stronger. Their experience, personalities and different approaches to the game reflect exactly what Total Chess is about. It brings the very best of chess together across formats and creates a championship that can engage a new generation of fans. Budapest is an important first step as we build towards the global tour in 2027.
The Total Chess World Championship Tour is designed to determine the FIDE World Combined Champion, bringing together performance across the three principal formats of elite chess - Fast Classic, Rapid and Blitz.
The Budapest pilot will provide the first competitive showcase of the concept before the Tour launches its inaugural global season in 2027, with elite events planned across leading international cities.
The Budapest field brings together 24 elite players, representing a diverse mix of established world champions, leading contenders, rising stars and some of the most exciting young talent in the game.
Players confirmed (ranked by their September 2026 FIDE standard rating)
Magnus Carlsen (Norway) — World No. 1
Fabiano Caruana (United States) — World No. 3
Wesley So (United States) — World No. 5
Vincent Keymer (Germany) — World No. 6
Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzbekistan) — World No. 7
R Praggnanandhaa (India) — World No. 8
Arjun Erigaisi (India) — World No. 9
Anish Giri (Netherlands) — World No. 10
Alireza Firouzja (France) — World No. 11
Jan-Krzysztof Duda (Poland) — World No. 13
Liem Le (Vietnam) – World No. 18
Richard Rapport (Hungary) — World No. 19
Levon Aronian (USA) – World No. 20
Hans Moke Niemann (United States) — World No. 21
Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan) – World No. 22
Ian Nepomniachtchi (FIDE) — World No. 23
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France) — World No. 24
Jorden van Foreest (Netherlands) – World No. 30
Haik M. Martirosyan (Armenia) — World No. 50
Vladislav Artemiev (FIDE) — World No. 65
Abhimanyu Mishra (USA) – World No. 96 – World’s Youngest Grandmaster
Andrew Hong (USA) – World No. 152
Bibisara Assaubayeva (Kazakhstan) — Women's World No. 5
Vaishali Rameshbabu (India) — Women's World No. 16
About the format
The Total Chess World Championship Tour Pilot introduces a ground-breaking competition format designed to identify the world’s most complete chess player by combining Fast Classic, Rapid and Blitz into a single championship. The pilot event will bring together 24 elite players, who will begin the tournament in a group stage comprising four groups of six players each. Every group follows a double round-robin format over five days, with players contesting ten Fast Classic games (45 minutes plus a 30-second increment). Victories earn three points, while draws are worth one point. A nine-round Blitz Swiss tournament held before the competition determines tie-break rankings.
Following the group stage, players progress into knockout brackets based on their finishing positions. Each knockout match is played over two days and tests competitors across all three disciplines—four Blitz games (3+2), two Rapid games (15+10) and one Fast Classic game (45+30)—with weighted scoring rewarding success in longer formats.
The four highest-ranked players across the Tour qualify for the Grand Final, where semifinals and the championship match determine the inaugural FIDE World Combined Champion. Should a knockout match remain tied, an Armageddon game is used to decide the winner, ensuring every contest produces a definitive result. The format rewards consistency, versatility and excellence across every major discipline of elite chess.
Three disciplines. One champion. One global tour.
The journey begins in Budapest.
About Total Chess
Total Chess is a global championship platform established to redefine elite competitive chess for the modern era. Developed by Norway Chess and approved by FIDE, the Total Chess World Championship Tour introduces a unified format that crowns the world’s ultimate champion by testing excellence across three disciplines: Fast Classic, Rapid and Blitz. The Tour will bring together the world’s top 24 men and women players to compete across four premier international events hosted in leading global cities.
Designed to elevate the sport’s commercial appeal and fan engagement, Total Chess combines world- class competition with innovation, technology and immersive spectator experiences to create a new benchmark for professional chess.
With a vision to make chess one of the world’s most engaging and commercially sustainable sports, Total Chess aims to expand the game’s global footprint, inspire the next generation of players, and connect millions of fans through a dynamic championship that celebrates intelligence, strategy and sporting excellence.