Come 2027, there will be a fourth World Championship in chess, one that crowns the world’s best player across all three existing formats as the FIDE World Combined Champion. The organisers of Norway Chess announced the Total Chess World Championship Tour on Wednesday, with the new World Championship having the approval of the global governing body of chess, FIDE.
In an interview with The Indian Express, Norway Chess organisers said that they had already spoken to a handful of players about the concept — such as world champions Magnus Carlsen, D Gukesh and Ding Liren — who gave positive feedback and expressed their intention to play in the event.
“We are trying to build something for the future,” Kjell Madland, the CEO of Norway Chess, who is also the brains behind the new championship, told The Indian Express on Wednesday. “We have discussed this with FIDE for a while. The first meeting with Arkady was in August last year.”
“A great addition to the traditional and prestigious World Chess Championship. The championships will complement each other and offer even more excitement for the fans.”
— Arkady Dvorkovich, FIDE President
Classical World Championship
Every 2 Years
Existing
FIDE World Rapid Championship
Annual
Existing
FIDE World Blitz Championship
Annual
Existing
Total Chess World Championship
Annual (from 2027)
New
How They Work Together
No replacement of traditional formats
Adds new competitive dimension
More excitement for fans
Expanded championship calendar
Strategic Partnership
Long-term agreement between FIDE and Norway Chess
Indian Express InfoGenIE
Madland explained that with FIDE on board, not only will the new event be an official world championship, the four additional tournaments will also get a window in a packed annual chess calendar.
Presently, there are three world championships in chess: classical world championship held every two years while the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championship crown the World Rapid Champion and the World Blitz Champion each year. The new Total Chess World Championship Tour, which will come into effect from 2027, will feature four events as part of the tour each year across various cities: there will be three events with 24 players while the fourth event will be the finale with four players. Besides the classical Norway Chess event, there will also be a pilot tournament next year to fine tune the playing format of the Total Chess World Championship Tour for 2027.
Format for the Total Chess World Championship Tour
The format used at the events will be fast classic (45-minute games with increment of 30 seconds per move), rapid, and blitz chess. While the fast classic format will be much shorter than regular classical games, games played in the format will be rated as per the classical section.
Championship Format
3
Time Controls in Semis & Finals
Group Stage
Format: Fast Classic only
Schedule: Two games per day
Time Control: 45 min + 30 sec increment
Semis & Final
Format: All three time controls
Purpose: Decide overall winner
Test: Complete versatility
Three Time Control Formats
Finding the “Total Chess Player” — versatile, tactically intelligent, and technically skilled across all formats
Indian Express InfoGenIE
It is learnt that in the group stage, players will play fast classic games. Since the games are much shorter than regular classical chess games, there will be two games per day. Then, in the semis and the final, players will face off in in all three formats to decide an overall winner.
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“We are looking for the ‘total chess player’ — a versatile, tactically intelligent, and technically skilled athlete who seamlessly adapts to multiple time controls,” said Madland.
“We see this as a great addition to the traditional and prestigious World Chess Championship, where we crown the undisputed champion of classic chess. The championships will complement each other and offer even more excitement for the fans. This is not a short-term initiative, but a long-term agreement between FIDE and Norway Chess,” FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich was quoted as saying in the press release to announce the new tour.
“We are always looking for ways to innovate and push the boundaries of what chess can be. Although chess is already one of the most popular games in the world, its growth potential is still enormous. With the Total Chess World Championship Tour, we give players a new title to compete for, and the audience a faster tournament format, and we hope the tournament can captivate both the existing chess fans and new audiences”, added Dvorkovich.
