The 2026 FIDE World Team Rapid Championship finished in thrilling fashion in Hong Kong, with the title decided by the smallest of margins. With three teams tied for first place on 18 match points, Dragon Chilling emerged on top thanks to superior tiebreaks. Defending champions Team MGD1 finished second, while Hexamind took third place.
The final day of the FIDE World Team Rapid Championship opened with symbolism and ended in drama.
In a reminder of where much of today’s chess power is coming from, representatives from three Asian countries made ceremonial first moves on the leading boards. Bauyrzhan Dosmanbetov, Consul General of Kazakhstan, Rajesh N. Naik, Consul General of India, and Utut Adianto, President of the Indonesian Chess Federation, opened play as the teams entered the decisive rounds in Hong Kong.
China’s Dragon Chilling entered the day as sole leaders and the only undefeated team after eight rounds. In Round 9 they scored a dominant 5:1 victory over Barys. But in the following two rounds, the tables were turned on the Dragons. In round 10, they lost 4:2 to Hexamind, with Alireza Firouzja and Volodar Murzin winning their games. Even after this loss, Dragon Chilling were still in the lead. But then came another shock: the team captained by experienced Chinese GM Ni Hua lost again, suffering a narrow 3.5:2.5 defeat to Mr Birdie and Friends.
Going into the 12th and final round, the squad made up of chess pals – Mr Birdie and Friends – had emerged as the surprise leaders of the tournament. Chasing them were three teams packed with chess superstars: Dragon Chilling, Hexamind and defending champions Team MGD1.
Ding Liren sets the tone in the final round
When it was needed most, the goddess of chess Caissa smiled on Dragon Chilling. Their board one, former World Champion Ding Liren, finally broke a six-game drawing streak and defeated Zhao Jun of Interstellar Club in just 20 moves. This victory set the tone for the rest of the match, which ended 5:1 in Dragon Chilling’s favor. This meant the other title contenders had to push even harder.
In another direct duel for first place, Hexamind edged out Mr Birdie and Friends 3.5:2.5, tying Dragon Chilling for first place. With Team MGD1 also winning their match against Barys 5:1, three teams finished on 18 match points.
Everything then depended on tiebreaks. Dragon Chilling had the strongest tiebreak score – 647.5, ahead of Team MGD1’s 632 – and clinched first place. Third place went to Hexamind, who had a tiebreak score of 611.5.
Grandmaster Ni Hua, captain of Dragon Chilling, summed up the tension of the final rounds: “It was very tense. It reminded me of Arsenal vs Manchester City. We lost in the previous match, but this round we won. You can see that Ding started very slow and then he became better and better. In the last round we asked him to push, and he made it.”
In honour of friendship
Despite missing out on a medal, Mr Birdie and Friends deserve credit for one of the surprise performances of the tournament.
Named in homage to friendship and dedicated to a pet bird that died exactly a year ago, the team took a different approach from most of the other leaders. While many top teams relied on strong GM coaches and detailed preparation, Carissa Yip, who played on the women’s board for Mr Birdie and Friends, said her team prepared in a more relaxed way – through blitz games, friendship and time spent together.
WR Chess fall short in the Rapid
Despite a stellar lineup of top world grandmasters and exceptionally strong preparation, WR Chess finished in 17th place, winning only half of their matches, drawing one and losing five.
Their star player, world number one Magnus Carlsen, appeared in just two games today – and lost both. In total, Carlsen lost four games in a row in Hong Kong: to Arjun Erigaisi, Shant Sargsyan, Javokhir Sindarov and Aydin Suleymanli. It was an exceptionally rare losing streak for the world’s top-rated player.
With the Rapid now concluded, the focus shifts to the FIDE World Team Blitz Championship which starts on Saturday, June 20.
Five leaders in the FIDE World Team Amateur Rapid Chess Cup
Three more rounds were played on the second day of the FIDE World Team Amateur Rapid Chess Cup. After six rounds – three on day one and three on day two – three teams share the lead in Pool A on 10 match points: Golden Stars, Team Sky and day-one co-leaders Le Petit Prince.
In Pool B, Hong Kong Young Dragons and Bosoo Noyon lead the standings, also on 10 match points.
All of the leaders have five match victories and one defeat.
On day three, the final rounds of the pool stage will decide which teams advance to the finals of the inaugural FIDE World Team Amateur Rapid Chess Cup.
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
