China’s Dragon Chilling crowned a remarkable week in Hong Kong by winning the FIDE World Team Blitz Chess Championship, defeating Endgame.AI in the final and adding the blitz title to their rapid gold. The victory earned the Chinese squad the €75,000 first prize from the €190,000 Blitz Championship prize fund.
The final day at Queen Elizabeth Stadium delivered everything expected from elite blitz: upsets, tie-breaks, sudden swings and several favourites falling before the medal matches. Dragon Chilling survived a difficult quarterfinal against Mr Birdie and Friends, edged Uzbekistan in the semifinals, and then dominated the final against Endgame.AI. This is the first time a team from China has won the WTRBСС event.
Endgame.AI took second place and €50,000, while Uzbekistan won bronze and €30,000 after a dramatic third-place match against Hexamind. Fourth place went to Hexamind who took €20,000, while WR Chess, the top-rated team and defenders of the 2025 Blitz crown, had to settle for fifth place and €15,000 after being knocked out by Uzbekistan in the quarter-finals.
At the closing ceremony, FIDE Deputy President Viswanathan Anand praised Hong Kong’s role as host, saying: “Hong Kong did not simply host the event – it embraced it, lifted it, and gave it a stage worthy of the world’s best players.” He also underlined the broader message of the event: “Chess does not belong only to the elite. It belongs to clubs, schools, families, local communities and every player who loves the game.”
Geoffrey Kao, Honorary President of the Hong Kong China Chess Federation, said Hong Kong had made a statement: “We proved that Hong Kong is not just a hub of finance and commerce. We are also a stage of international chess.”
Prize winners: FIDE World Team Blitz Championship
1st: Dragon Chilling – €75,000
2nd: Endgame.AI – €50,000
3rd: Uzbekistan – €30,000
4th: Hexamind – €20,000
5th: WR Chess – €15,000
A closer look at the final day
The day began with the traditional first move ceremony on the top boards. Alpha Lau, Director General of Investment Promotion of Hong Kong, and Dr Eliza Chan Ching-har, Member of the Board of Directors of Hong Kong Science and Technology began with the traditional first move ceremony on the top boards. Alpha Lau, Director General of Investment Promotion of Parks, made the ceremonial move in the game between Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Magnus Carlsen, part of the Uzbekistan vs WR Chess quarter-final clash.
That match immediately produced the day’s first major shock. Uzbekistan defeated WR Chess 3.5:2.5 in the opening match, helped by strong results on the lower boards. WR pushed hard in the return match, but Carlsen lost to Abdusattorov, and the match ended 3:3, sending Uzbekistan through and eliminating one of the tournament favourites from the medal race.
Endgame.AI also caused an upset, knocking out Team MGD1. Led by Hans Niemann, Endgame.AI won the first match 3.5:2.5 and then held the return match to secure a place in the semi-finals. Hexamind advanced by defeating Chessgurukul 3.5:2.5 in both matches, while Dragon Chilling had to survive the only quarter-final playoff, coming from behind against Mr Birdie and Friends before winning the tie-break 4:2.
The 5th–8th place playoffs produced an unusual sight: Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, Praggnanandhaa R and Arjun Erigaisi all playing in matches for 5th to 8th place. WR Chess eventually won fifth place after defeating Team MGD1 in a tie-break, but their day was marked by disappointment. Despite being the strongest-rated team in the field, WR Chess finished without a medal, with Carlsen suffering three defeats on the final day.
In the semi-finals, Dragon Chilling and Uzbekistan traded heavy blows. Dragon Chilling won the first match 4.5:1.5, only for Uzbekistan to respond with the same score in the return match. In the tie-break, however, Dragon Chilling again found their rhythm, winning 4.5:1.5 to reach the final.
The second semi-final was equally tense. Hexamind edged the first match against Endgame.AI after Volodar Murzin defeated Leinier Dominguez in a bishop endgame.
But Endgame.AI responded with a crushing 5:1 victory in the return match, then won the tie-break 4:2 to book their place in the final.
Uzbekistan then secured bronze in spectacular fashion. After losing the first match to Hexamind 4:2, they struck back 3.5:2.5 to force tie-breaks. There, Uzbekistan dominated, winning 5.5:0.5 to claim third place and the €30,000 prize.
Dragon Chilling dominate the finals
The final between Dragon Chilling and Endgame.AI opened with a powerful statement from former World Champion Ding Liren, who defeated Hans Niemann on board one. Dragon Chilling followed through across the match, winning 5:1 and putting Endgame.AI under immediate pressure.
The second match confirmed the direction of the final. Ding drew his game, but his teammates took over: Ju Wenjun, Wei Yi, Lu Shanglei and Wang Zihao all scored victories, while Yu Yangyi drew the last game against Alexey Sarana. Dragon Chilling sealed the match and completed a golden double in Hong Kong.
“We prepared for a long time and played as a family; we are a family,” said Grandmaster Ni Hua, captain of Dragon Chilling, after the victory.
Champions crowned in the inaugural Team Amateur Rapid Chess Cup
Golden Stars from Vietnam won first place after a dramatic Armageddon showdown with Pool B winners Bosoo Noyon.
The first match between the two finalists ended in a draw. This meant that the winner was decided in an Armageddon match on board one. According to Armageddon rules, a draw means victory for Black, however, Black has less time than White. Following the rules, the teams placed their secret bids for the lowest time for Black. Mongolian team Bosoo Noyon had the lowest bid (four minutes) and were awarded Black pieces. Unfortunately for them, their top board lost the match, handing the first place to Golden Stars from Vietnam.
That Nhu Tung, team captain of Golden Stars, said he was exceptionally happy with the result “especially given that we came here just for fun.”
“In Vietnam amateur chess is very big, but we don’t have a lot of professionals. The parents clubbed together and organised this team made up of children from across the country. We came here just for fun, to enjoy the games,” the team captain said.
“We think this will make the news in Vietnam, and it will help boost chess in our country. Chess in Vietnam is very developed at the amateur level, and we hope it will grow even more,” said That Nhu Tung.”
Local stars Hong Kong Young Dragons defeated Team Sky 3.5:2.5 to take the bronze, while Le Petit Prince defeated Aton Chess in the match for fifth place.
Whitten by Milan Dinic
Photos: Michal Walusza and Hong Kong Chess Federation
About the WTRB 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 was held in Hong Kong and East Asia.
The Hong Kong event also featured the FIDE World Team Amateur Rapid Chess Cup, where teams are strictly made up of amateur chess players.
The tournaments took place from 17-21 June, with three days for the rapid and two days for the blitz tournament in the WTRB. The prize fund for the WTRB was €500,000, and €25,000 for the Amateur cup.
Official websites:
WTRB event: http://worldrapidblitzteams2026.fide.com
Amateur Cup: http://worldteamamateurrapid2026.hkchessevent.com
