The organizers of the Total Chess World Championship Tour have announced the tour’s pilot event. The tournament will take place from November 10 to 21 at the Anantara New York Palace Hotel in Budapest, Hungary.

The tournament will feature 3 stages in the Fast Classic, Rapid, and Blitz time controls. The winner will be determined by the combined results from all three stages. Organizers confirmed Magnus Carlsen’s participation in the event.

The event in Budapest will serve as the pilot event for the new Total Chess World Championship Tour. Results from the pilot tournament will count toward the overall standings of the 2026-2027 tour. The top 2 players from the overall tour standings will qualify for the 2028 Candidates Tournament.

The Total Chess World Championship Tour is a new series created by Norway Chess and approved by FIDE combining Fast Classic, Rapid, and Blitz disciplines. The Tour aims to crown a unified World Combined Champion across all time controls. The main events of the first edition of the tour will begin in March 2027.

Credit: Tor Nilssen / Norway Chess