London is set to host the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships from 10th to 16th June, bringing together top world players, chess legends and emerging talents.
Launched in 2023 by The International Chess Federation (FIDE), the event has grown quickly, attracting companies and organisations from around the world that have assembled teams made up of players of all levels, from die-hard professionals to recreational enthusiasts. In 2024, the World Blitz Teams championship was added to the event, which resulted in more teams taking part and an increased prize pool.
The third edition of the event will see 54 teams take part, with each numbering nine players, including one female player and one amateur (with a FIDE rating of under 2000 ELO).
The total prize fund is €500,000 (£421,000), €310,000 will go to the Rapid tournament, €190,000 is earmarked for the Blitz.
Who is playing?
The lineup for the event includes many of the world’s top players, with 116 Grandmasters.
The field is led by the WR Chess Team – winners of the 2023 Rapid and the 2024 Blitz Championship. Steered by the experienced German coach and GM, Jan Gustafsson, WR Chess has assembled the world’s strongest GMs. Starting with World No 2 rated Hikaru Nakamura (pictured below), WR Chess also has Alireza Firouzja, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Wesley So, Jan-Krzysztof Duda as well as former women’s world champions, Alexandra Kosteniuk and Hou Yifan. For the third year in a row, team owner Wadim Rosenstein will take charge of the non-professional board. With an average rating of nearly 2700, they are the absolute favourites.
Hexamind, a new entrant, fields chess heavyweights such as Levon Aronian, Leinier Dominguez Perez, Anish Giri and Vidit Santosh Gujrathi. The team has focused on the future of chess, with the inclusion of 18-year-old Volodar Murzin (who won the 2024 World Rapid Chess Championship) and brothers Platon (9) and Mark (5) Panarin.
KazChess from Kazakhstan has Richard Rapport, Alexander Grischuk and Parham Maghsoodloo on the top three boards, while Freedom – who won second place in the 2023 Rapid – will have the former world champion Vishwanathan Anand on board one. Captained by GM Emil Sutovsky, the team also includes Le Quang Liem, Samuel Sevian, Rauf Mamedov and former women’s world Rapid and Blitz champion, Anna Muzychuk (pictured below).
Team MGD1, a strong contender in the previous two editions (securing third place in 2023), has restructured to adopt a more international lineup. While Arjun Erigaisi is still on board one, with Pentala Harikrishna on board two, Spain’s David Anton is on board three while Stavroula Tsolakidou from Greece is on the women’s board. Another strong contender is the team of Uzbekistan, fielding the strongest Uzbek players – Abdusattorov, Sindarov and Kasimdzhanov.
Other world-class players participating in the event include former world champion candidate Boris Gelfand, England’s 2700-player Luke McShane as well as former world champion candidate Nigel Short and world-class players, Alexei Shirov and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov.
The schedule: First the Rapid, then the Blitz
The event will start on Wednesday, 11th June, with the World Rapid Teams Championship. The 12-round Swiss tournament will span three days, with four rounds played daily, and a time control of 15 minutes plus a 10-second increment per move.
Then, the World Blitz Teams will then take place – on 14-15th June, featuring a two-phase structure: a round-robin group stage followed by knockouts. The teams will be divided into pools of approximately the same strength, with 16 squads qualifying for the knockout stage. The time control in the Blitz is sharp: three minutes for the whole game, with a two-second increment per move.
A step in the right direction
The London event follows successful editions in Düsseldorf (2023) and Astana (2024).
“FIDE and our partners are proud to bring the third edition of the World Rapid and Blitz Teams tournament to London, an important global hub for chess. After the Global Chess League in October 2024, this is another major international chess event we are hosting in London,” FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich said.
“With nearly 60 teams – not just from chess organisations but also private companies – taking part, this event is a step in the right direction to promote chess globally and build bridges among people”, Dvorkovich added.
How to watch/attend
The event will be streamed live on FIDE’s YouTube channel with expert commentary by GMs Daniel King and Jovanka Houska, while tickets for the rounds can be purchased here: tickets.fide.com/.
The tournament is taking place in Novotel London West, located in Hammersmith in West London.
Official website: worldrapidblitzteams2025.fide.com/
