Zitat von Conrad Schormann am 30. März 2026, 15:03 Uhr

2026-03-30 FIDE World Team Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships 2026: Registration now open The fourth edition of the FIDE World Team Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships will take place in Hong Kong from 16 to 22 June 2026, and team registration is now open! Following three successful editions in Düsseldorf (2023), Almaty (2024), and London (2025), the championship returns with an exciting format: mixed teams where elite professionals and recreational players compete side by side across rapid and blitz events. Every match is played on six boards, and each team must include at least one female player and at least one recreational player, defined as someone who has never achieved a FIDE rating of 2000 or higher in standard, rapid, or blitz.  This unique team composition has consistently produced some of the most compelling chess of recent years. In 2024, Al-Ain ACMG UAE claimed the Rapid title in Almaty, while WR Chess Team, led by Magnus Carlsen, took the Blitz crown. Last year in London, Team MGD1, featuring Arjun Erigaisi, won the Rapid championship, and WR Chess successfully defended their Blitz title for the second consecutive year, with Alireza Firouzja, Hikaru Nakamura, and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave all delivering decisive performances. It is very rare to witness and play alongside such Super Grandmaster teams on the chess calendar and the 2026 edition in Hong Kong is already shaping up to be the strongest yet. WR Chess Team have confirmed a formidable roster, with Magnus Carlsen returning to board 1 alongside Fabiano Caruana on board 2 and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave also joining the lineup, while their women’s boards remain unchanged with Hou Yifan and Alexandra Kosteniuk. With reigning Rapid champions MGD1, Hexamind, and other leading teams expected to return, the competition promises to be fierce across both formats. Format and regulations

The FIDE World Team Rapid Chess Championship will be played as a 12-round Swiss tournament across three days (June 17-19), with four rounds per day and a time control of 15 minutes for the whole game plus a 10-second increment per move. The FIDE World Team Blitz Chess Championship follows on June 20 and 21, beginning with pool stages before moving to a knockout format for the top 16 teams, with a time control of 3 minutes plus a 2-second increment per move. The total prize fund across both championships is €500,000. The Rapid Champion team will receive €110,000, with the Blitz champion team taking home €75,000.  Here’s how the prize money is allocated:

Additional category prizes are available for teams in the “Under 2400” and “Under 2200” average rating brackets. Full regulations, including the playing schedule, time controls, and prize fund details, have been published and are available on the official website. How to register Registration deadline: May 15, 2026, 12:00 pm Lausanne time Entry Fee: €1,000 per team, payable by the registration deadline. Each registration must include the team name, the captain’s full name and FIDE ID, the full names and FIDE IDs of all team members, and any visa-related information required by the Organiser.  Teams and federations are encouraged to register early, as interest in the championship continues to grow with each edition. The playing venue capacity is limited and only 42 teams can take part – 10 based on their highest ratings and 26 based on earliest registration, with six wild card teams provided by the organizers. Registration form: https://formdesigner.pro/form/view/243338  Regulations (PDF)   Official website: https://worldrapidblitzteams2026.fide.com/ Contact: hkchessevent@gmail.com

Zitat von Conrad Schormann am 17. Juni 2026, 21:06 Uhr

2026-06-17   KazChess and Dragon Chilling lead after day one of World Rapid Team Championship in Hong Kong   KazChess and Dragon Chilling emerged as the early leaders after the first day of the FIDE World Team Rapid Championship in Hong Kong, with both teams winning all four of their opening matches. They are followed by nine teams on three match wins, including defending champions Team MGD1 and strong favorites WR Chess. The fourth edition of the FIDE World Team Rapid and Blitz Championships kicked off in Hong Kong today at Queen Elizabeth Stadium. As is tradition, the World Team Rapid Championship is the first competition to begin.

KazChess – traditionally one of the heavyweights in the field – finished the day at the top of the scoreboard without losing a single game on the top boards. But things did not go entirely smoothly. In round one, the team struggled against local side Chongqing Kylin Chess Club, as Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Alexander Grischuk were held to draws by players rated around 300 points lower. Still, KazChess won the match 4:2 thanks to wins by Kazybek Nogerbek and WGM Aldiyar Ansat on boards three and four. In the following three rounds, KazChess faced exceptionally strong opposition. In round two, they defeated Sky Chess – featuring strong Armenian players Shant Sargsyan and Aram Hakobyan, as well as American GM Andrew Hong – by 4.5:1.5. In round three, they outplayed the star team of Uzbekistan, striking a major blow against World Championship Challenger Javokhir Sindarov and Nodirbek Abdusattorov. In the final round of the day, KazChess overcame the all-star Indian squad Chessgurukul, led by Praggnanandhaa R.

Sharing first place, but with weaker tiebreaks, is China’s Dragon Chilling, led by former World Champion Ding Liren. Ding, who is gradually returning to more active chess play, was held to a draw in round one by Mongolia’s Dambasuren Batsuren, rated around 300 points lower. Ding won in round two, drew again in round three, but finished the day with a defeat in round four. Playing Black against Nikolas Theodorou, he miscalculated in a complicated position and lost.

Day two will open with a headline matchup between the two leaders. Other notable developments on day one include Praggnanandhaa’s loss in the game with Mongolia-Adlar’s first board, Sumiya Bilguun, who is rated around 300 points lower. Rating favorites WR Chess – featuring world number one Magnus Carlsen and top players such as Fabiano Caruana and Wesley So – also started strongly but survived a setback in round two against Chessnut Nova after Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Alexandra Goryachkina both lost their games.

In a clash of two chess titans, Magnus Carlsen beat Vasyl Ivanchuk in round three. In the same round, defending champions Team MGD1 lost to Team International Trading from Singapore. In the final moments of the match, MGD1’s board two, Nihal Sarin, slipped against Rinat Jumabayev, handing the Singapore team the victory. In round four, the mixed Armenian-Uzbek squad Sky Chess delivered a major surprise against Hexamind, one of the favorites. With five games finished, the score was level at 2.5:2.5. But on board three, despite having White, Anish Giri found himself in trouble against Andrew Hong and lost, giving Sky Chess the match victory.

The World Team Rapid Championship continues on Thursday with four more rounds. Results and pairings of Day One can be found here: http://worldrapidblitzteams2026.fide.com. Written by Milan Dinic Photos: Michal Walusza

Zitat von Conrad Schormann am 22. Juni 2026, 7:39 Uhr

2026-06-21   Dragon Chilling complete golden double at the FIDE World Team Blitz Championship   China’s Dragon Chilling crowned a remarkable week in Hong Kong by winning the FIDE World Team Blitz Chess Championship, defeating Endgame.AI in the final and adding the blitz title to their rapid gold. The victory earned the Chinese squad the €75,000 first prize from the €190,000 Blitz Championship prize fund. The final day at Queen Elizabeth Stadium delivered everything expected from elite blitz: upsets, tie-breaks, sudden swings and several favourites falling before the medal matches. Dragon Chilling survived a difficult quarterfinal against Mr Birdie and Friends, edged Uzbekistan in the semifinals, and then dominated the final against Endgame.AI. This is the first time a team from China has won the WTRBСС event. Endgame.AI took second place and €50,000, while Uzbekistan won bronze and €30,000 after a dramatic third-place match against Hexamind. Fourth place went to Hexamind who took €20,000, while WR Chess, the top-rated team and defenders of the 2025 Blitz crown, had to settle for fifth place and €15,000 after being knocked out by Uzbekistan in the quarter-finals.

At the closing ceremony, FIDE Deputy President Viswanathan Anand praised Hong Kong’s role as host, saying: “Hong Kong did not simply host the event – it embraced it, lifted it, and gave it a stage worthy of the world’s best players.” He also underlined the broader message of the event: “Chess does not belong only to the elite. It belongs to clubs, schools, families, local communities and every player who loves the game.”

Geoffrey Kao, Honorary President of the Hong Kong China Chess Federation, said Hong Kong had made a statement: “We proved that Hong Kong is not just a hub of finance and commerce. We are also a stage of international chess.” Prize winners: FIDE World Team Blitz Championship 1st: Dragon Chilling – €75,000 2nd: Endgame.AI – €50,000 3rd: Uzbekistan – €30,000 4th: Hexamind – €20,000 5th: WR Chess – €15,000 A closer look at the final day The day began with the traditional first move ceremony on the top boards. Alpha Lau, Director General of Investment Promotion of Hong Kong, and Dr Eliza Chan Ching-har, Member of the Board of Directors of Hong Kong Science and Technology began with the traditional first move ceremony on the top boards. Alpha Lau, Director General of Investment Promotion of Parks, made the ceremonial move in the game between Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Magnus Carlsen, part of the Uzbekistan vs WR Chess quarter-final clash.

That match immediately produced the day’s first major shock. Uzbekistan defeated WR Chess 3.5:2.5 in the opening match, helped by strong results on the lower boards. WR pushed hard in the return match, but Carlsen lost to Abdusattorov, and the match ended 3:3, sending Uzbekistan through and eliminating one of the tournament favourites from the medal race. Endgame.AI also caused an upset, knocking out Team MGD1. Led by Hans Niemann, Endgame.AI won the first match 3.5:2.5 and then held the return match to secure a place in the semi-finals. Hexamind advanced by defeating Chessgurukul 3.5:2.5 in both matches, while Dragon Chilling had to survive the only quarter-final playoff, coming from behind against Mr Birdie and Friends before winning the tie-break 4:2.

The 5th–8th place playoffs produced an unusual sight: Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, Praggnanandhaa R and Arjun Erigaisi all playing in matches for 5th to 8th place. WR Chess eventually won fifth place after defeating Team MGD1 in a tie-break, but their day was marked by disappointment. Despite being the strongest-rated team in the field, WR Chess finished without a medal, with Carlsen suffering three defeats on the final day. In the semi-finals, Dragon Chilling and Uzbekistan traded heavy blows. Dragon Chilling won the first match 4.5:1.5, only for Uzbekistan to respond with the same score in the return match. In the tie-break, however, Dragon Chilling again found their rhythm, winning 4.5:1.5 to reach the final.

The second semi-final was equally tense. Hexamind edged the first match against Endgame.AI after Volodar Murzin defeated Leinier Dominguez in a bishop endgame. But Endgame.AI responded with a crushing 5:1 victory in the return match, then won the tie-break 4:2 to book their place in the final.

Uzbekistan then secured bronze in spectacular fashion. After losing the first match to Hexamind 4:2, they struck back 3.5:2.5 to force tie-breaks. There, Uzbekistan dominated, winning 5.5:0.5 to claim third place and the €30,000 prize. Dragon Chilling dominate the finals The final between Dragon Chilling and Endgame.AI opened with a powerful statement from former World Champion Ding Liren, who defeated Hans Niemann on board one. Dragon Chilling followed through across the match, winning 5:1 and putting Endgame.AI under immediate pressure. The second match confirmed the direction of the final. Ding drew his game, but his teammates took over: Ju Wenjun, Wei Yi, Lu Shanglei and Wang Zihao all scored victories, while Yu Yangyi drew the last game against Alexey Sarana. Dragon Chilling sealed the match and completed a golden double in Hong Kong.

“We prepared for a long time and played as a family; we are a family,” said Grandmaster Ni Hua, captain of Dragon Chilling, after the victory. Champions crowned in the inaugural Team Amateur Rapid Chess Cup Golden Stars from Vietnam won first place after a dramatic Armageddon showdown with Pool B winners Bosoo Noyon. The first match between the two finalists ended in a draw. This meant that the winner was decided in an Armageddon match on board one. According to Armageddon rules, a draw means victory for Black, however, Black has less time than White. Following the rules, the teams placed their secret bids for the lowest time for Black. Mongolian team Bosoo Noyon had the lowest bid (four minutes) and were awarded Black pieces. Unfortunately for them, their top board lost the match, handing the first place to Golden Stars from Vietnam.

That Nhu Tung, team captain of Golden Stars, said he was exceptionally happy with the result “especially given that we came here just for fun.” “In Vietnam amateur chess is very big, but we don’t have a lot of professionals. The parents clubbed together and organised this team made up of children from across the country. We came here just for fun, to enjoy the games,” the team captain said. “We think this will make the news in Vietnam, and it will help boost chess in our country. Chess in Vietnam is very developed at the amateur level, and we hope it will grow even more,” said That Nhu Tung.” Local stars Hong Kong Young Dragons defeated Team Sky 3.5:2.5 to take the bronze, while Le Petit Prince defeated Aton Chess in the match for fifth place. Whitten by Milan Dinic Photos: Michal Walusza and Hong Kong Chess Federation