The FIDE World Team Blitz Chess Championship kicked off today in Hong Kong, with an intense opening day featuring both the pool stage and the first elimination round.
Of 48 teams at the start of play, only eight remain in contention for the title, with most of the favourites successfully navigating the first test of the blitz event.
Unlike the Rapid Championship, which was played as a single 12-round Swiss tournament, the Blitz event has a two-stage format: pools followed by knockouts. The 48 teams were divided into four pools of 12 teams each, with every pool played as a round-robin. The top four teams from each pool advanced to the Round of 16, which was also played today. From that point, the tournament became direct elimination, with each duel consisting of two blitz matches with colours reversed. If the score is still level, tie-breaks decide who advances.
The pool phase
In Pool A, defending blitz champions WR Chess recovered from a disappointing Rapid Championship and showed why they remain one of the most dangerous teams in this format. They won every match except one: a surprising 3:3 draw against China’s Schnappi Krokodil Team. In that encounter, WR’s top boards suffered heavily, with Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana both losing, while Alexandra Kosteniuk also fell on the women’s board. Wesley So and Jan-Krzysztof Duda steadied the match in the middle boards, before team owner Wadim Rosenstein won on the final board to secure the draw.
Chess United, headed by former World Champion Viswanathan Anand and featuring the young Argentinian star Faustino Oro, finished second. Their only major setback was a heavy 5:1 defeat against WR Chess.
Barys took third place after scoring eight wins, two losses and one draw, while China’s Schnappi Krokodil Team completed an excellent pool-stage run, losing only two matches and taking the final qualifying spot.
In Pool B, Endgame.AI, led by Hans Niemann, secured the top spot after winning 10 matches and drawing one. Rapid champions Dragon Chilling also advanced comfortably, finishing second with nine wins and two draws. Indian Chessgurukul and Indonesia claimed the remaining two qualifying places. Endgame.AI and Dragon Chilling were the only two teams in Pool B to go through the pool stage undefeated.
In Pool C, Hexamind and Uzbekistan set the pace, chasing each other for first place throughout the day. Hexamind eventually came out on top, winning 10 matches and drawing one. Uzbekistan finished second, also unbeaten, with eight wins and three draws. Team MGD1, one of the strongest squads in the field, took third place, while Sky Chess secured the fourth and final qualification spot.
Pool D produced the only perfect score of the day. Mr Birdie and Friends, one of the standout teams of the Rapid Championship, won all 11 matches to take clear first. Their lower boards were especially impressive: Carissa Yip and Ning Yunlong both scored 10/11, giving the team a major advantage throughout the round-robin. KazChess finished second on 18 match points, Odlar Yurdu from Azerbaijan took third, and Interstellar Club claimed fourth place to reach the knockouts.
The first knockout round
The Round of 16 immediately raised the stakes: every pairing was played as a two-match duel, with only the winners advancing to the final day.
The favourites largely held their ground. WR Chess, Hexamind, Endgame.AI, Mr Birdie and Friends, Dragon Chilling, Team MGD1 and Uzbekistan all made it through, while Chessgurukul produced the upset of the round by eliminating Chess United.
There was still plenty of tension. Dragon Chilling were held to a draw by Barys in the first match before pulling away with a 4:2 win in the second. Uzbekistan also had to work hard, drawing the first match against Odlar Yurdu before edging the second 3.5:2.5.
Endgame.AI’s Hans Niemann had a strong run on his birthday, although the day ended on a bitter individual note as he lost his final blitz game in the knockout round to Xu Xiangyu, rated nearly 200 points lower.
The biggest surprise was the elimination of Chess United. The team led by Viswanathan Anand fell to the Indian squad Chessgurukul, losing 4:2 in the first match and then suffering a heavy 5:1 defeat in the second.
It was a major statement from Chessgurukul and a sharp reminder that, in blitz, reputation offers little protection once the clocks start ticking.
Everything will be decided tomorrow, when the quarter-finals, semi-finals, third-place match and final will determine the 2026 FIDE World Team Blitz Champions.
Six Amateur Rapid Cup finalists
The pool stage of the inaugural FIDE World Team Amateur Rapid Chess Cup concluded on Saturday in Hong Kong. After nine rounds, three first-placed teams from each group go on to fight in the finals.
The top three teams in Pool A:
Golden Stars (15 match points)
Tam Sky (14 match points)
Le Petit Prince (14 match points)
The top three teams in Pool B:
Bosoo Noyon (16 match points)
Hong Kong Young Dragons (14 match points)
Aton Chess (13 match points)
The top three teams from each pool advance to the final stage, where the pool winners play for the title, the runners-up meet for third place, and the third-placed teams contest fifth place.
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
