The new championship, titled the Total Chess World Championship Tour, will consist of four events each year and crown a combined champion across three disciplines – Fast Classic, Rapid, and Blitz chess. “We expect this to become one of the most prestigious events in the entire chess Calendar,” says Kjell Madland, CEOof Norway Chess and of the new championship.
Key Highlights:
- A brand-new World Championship format in chess, organized by Norway Chess, has been officially approved by the International Chess Federation, FIDE.
- The Total Chess World Championship Tour will crown an overall champion across three disciplines: Fast Classic, Rapid, and Blitz. The winner will be crowned FIDE World Combined Champion.
- The tour will consist of four tournaments per year in various global cities.
- Minimum $2.7M annual prize pool across the Tour ($750k per event for the first three events; $450k for the Finals), plus performance bonuses.
- A pilot tournament is planned for fall 2026, with the first full championship season in 2027.
The initiative comes from the organizers of the prestigious Norway Chess tournament, and the official World Championship status agreement was signed with the International Chess Federation (FIDE) in early October. The vision of the Total Chess World Championship Tour is to find the player who best masters the disciplines Fast Classic, Rapid and Blitz combined. Fast Classic is an innovation of classical chess, featuring a time limit as short as 45 minutes plus a 30-second increment per move. This will receive rating as classical chess.
“We are looking for “The Total Chess Player” – a versatile, tactically intelligent, and technically skilled athlete who seamlessly adapts to multiple time controls,” says Kjell Madland.
The tour will take place in various cities across the globe and during the final stop an overall winner will be crowned: the official FIDE World Combined Champion. A one-tournament pilot version will kick off during fall 2026, to test the new tour format, with the full official tournament to follow in 2027.
“We want to create an entertaining tournament using cutting-edge technology, innovative and engaging TV and streaming broadcasts, and faster formats to open up the sport of chess to a broader audience than ever before. We expect this to become one of the most prestigious events in the entire chess Calendar. We are very honored by the strong trust FIDE has shown in the project. From the very beginning, the federation has been an active and engaged partner — ensuring the project aligns with FIDE’s vision and standards. We want to thank them, and especially the FIDE President, for their close involvement and support,” says Kjell Madland.
Prize Pool and Bonuses
The Total Chess World Championship Tour features a robust prize pool: a minimum of $750,000 for each of the first three events. The Finals, which crown the FIDE World Combined Champion, will award at least $450,000 to a four-player field. Additional performance bonuses will be available for the highest point total at each tournament and for the top overall score across the Tour.
“For the fans”
FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich expresses strong support for the initiative.
“We are always looking for ways to innovate and push the boundaries of what chess can be. Although chess is already one of the most popular games in the world, its growth potential is still enormous. With the Total Chess World Championship Tour, we give players a new title to compete for, and the audience a faster tournament format, and we hope the tournament can captivate both the existing chess fans and new audiences,” says FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich.
“We see this as a great addition to the traditional and prestigious World Chess Championship, where we crown the undisputed champion of classic chess. The championships will complement each other and offer even more excitement for the fans. This is not a short-term initiative, but a long-term agreement between FIDE and Norway Chess,” he added.
Norway Chess is now inviting potential host cities, investors, and partners to engage in discussions about joining the Total Chess World Championship.
For more details on the tournament format, see the separate document (PDF).
Facts about Norway Chess:
- Founded in 2013, Norway Chess has quickly become a fixture on the elite chess calendar.
- It’s regarded as one of the world’s most prestigious and innovative international chess tournaments.
- The event helped professionalize chess, treating it as a modern sport and viable commercial product.
- Norway Chess introduced the world’s first women’s tournament with prize money equal to the open sections.
Facts about FIDE:
- The International Chess Federation (FIDE) is the governing body of the sport of chess, and it regulates all international chess competitions.
- It was recognized by the International Olympic Committee as a Global Sporting Organization in 1999.
- Initially founded in 1924 in Paris under the motto “Gens una Sumus” (Latin for “We are one Family”), it was one of the very first International Sports Federations, alongside the governing bodies of the sports of Football, Cricket, Swimming, and Auto Racing.
- It is now one of the largest, encompassing 201 countries as affiliate members, in the form of National Chess Federations.