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
About the WTRBСС and the FIDE World Team Amateur Rapid Chess Cup
The FIDE World Team Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships were launched in 2023. It is a global team competition where teams are made up of elite grandmasters, prodigies and recreational players. It consists of two tournaments – rapid and blitz. This is the first time the event is being held in Hong Kong and East Asia.
The Hong Kong event also features the FIDE World Team Amateur Rapid Chess Cup, where teams are strictly made up of amateur chess players.
The WTRBCC take place from 17-21 June, with three days for the rapid and two days for the blitz. The prize fund for the WTRBСС is €500,000, and €25,000 for the Amateur cup.
Official websites:
WTRBCC: http://worldrapidblitzteams2026.fide.com
Amateur Cup: http://worldteamamateurrapid2026.hkchessevent.com
