The Speed Chess Championship 2026 Finals starts tomorrow in London, UK, running from February 7 to 8. First match begins at 1:00 PM UTC. The Semifinal, Consolation and Final parts feature a combined $95,000 prize fund. The championship features 4 players who advanced through the Quarterfinals in late 2025.

Participants:

• Magnus Carlsen
• Denis Lazavik
• Alireza Firouzja
• Hikaru Nakamura

Event features Match clock system with Blitz & Bullet games: 90 minutes of 5+1, 60 minutes of 3+1, and 30 minutes of 1+1. Players who lose the Semifinals play a match to determine the third-place winner.

The Speed Chess Championship is a premier online/live hybrid, single-elimination tournament organized by Chess.com. This event follows the 2024 edition held in Paris, where the Title was won by Magnus Carlsen with the score 23.5-7.5 against Runner-up Alireza Firouzja.

Credit: Maria Emelianova/chess.com