Call it the triathlon of chess. Or a tournament to figure out the grandmaster of all trades. Or a radical experiment to recreate chess into a fast-paced television product. Starting Tuesday, a never-seen-before chess tournament — Total Chess — will make its debut; trying to crown the one chess player who has the chops to ace all three formats of the sport: fast classical, rapid and blitz.
A veritable who’s who of the chess world — ranging from five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen to the Indian troika of Praggnanandhaa, Vaishali Rameshbabu and Arjun Erigaisi — have started to arrive in Budapest to compete in a trailer tournament of sorts. This year’s Total Chess pilot event is a testing ground to gauge player sentiments about the format before a full-scale Grand Slam-esque tour is launched in 2027 that will culminate with a Total World Champion.
At the heart of this new experiment is a shortened classical chess format, called fast classical, where players get 45 minutes on the clock with a 30-second increment per move rather than the usual two hours with increments that are in use at other events like the World Championship, the Candidates, the FIDE World Cup and Grand Swiss. The format of Total Chess in itself is particularly treacherous. So much so that even Magnus Carlsen, the greatest active chess player in the world, will not be a favourite, unlike every other event he decides to participate in.
Magnus Carlsen reacts during the Global Chess League final in Bengaluru. (Photo: GCL)
“As far as I have understood the format, I don’t think anyone has a clear way to say that they will make it to the top four. First, blitz plays a major role (because players play nine rounds of blitz on to figure out group placings and seedings). Then you have to win your group. That in itself seems like it’s not given. Even for Magnus, it’s not at all given. It’s a difficult format. Anyone can win the group stage. So I don’t think anyone is like a favorite more than anyone else,” R Praggnanandhaa told The Indian Express.
Praggnanandhaa believes that among the Indians, Arjun is the one who has better credentials in the faster time control events.
“Arjun is also really good at all formats. He’s also higher rated than me in rapid and blitz. And of course, he won bronze medals at the 2025 World Rapid Championship and the World Blitz Championship,” says Pragg.
While the rapid and blitz time controls will not be radically different at Total Chess, the fast classical format will be a venture into the unknown for most players.
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“We don’t have much experience of playing this format before. I don’t think I’ve ever played the 45-minute-plus-30 format. It’s going to be interesting. Since this is the first tournament, I don’t think anyone can come up with a good strategy,” said Pragg. “I’ve done decent prep for the tournament. But I think the first tournament in Budapest will also give us some clarity on how to go about it.”
The sport already has the Classical World Champion, which is the most prestigious title in chess, beside the World Rapid Champion and the World Blitz Champion, who are crowned each year. Starting in 2027, chess will also see a Freestyle World Champion being crowned.
Will these new world champion titles dim the luster of the Classical World Championship in the eyes of elite players?
Magnus Carlsen during the Global Chess League. (GCL)
The organisers of the Total Chess event and FIDE have both said that the new World Championship will be an addition, and not a replacement to the existing hierarchy.
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“We are trying to build something for the future,” Kjell Madland, the CEO of Norway Chess, who is also the brains behind the new championship, had told The Indian Express earlier this year.
The players agree that while the Classical World Championship is irreplaceable, the Total Chess World Championship could become an integral part of the chess calendar.
“At least among players, the Classical World Championships will still stand at the top. The focus for all the players will be looking at the Classical World Championship. Because even if you win the Total World Championship, you earn a spot at the Candidates tournament. But maybe this tournament can become a tradition in chess like the World Rapid and Blitz,” Pragg, who is sponsored by Adani Sportsline, said.
The 24 players in action at Budapest
Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So, Vincent Keymer, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Praggnanandhaa R, Arjun Erigaisi, Anish Giri, Alireza Firouzja, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Liem Le, Richard Rapport, Levon Aronian, Hans Moke Niemann, Shakriyar Mamedyarov, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Jordan van Foreest, Haik M. Martirosyan, Vladislav Artemiev, Abhimanyu Mishra, Andrew Hong, Bibisara Assaubayeva, and Vaishali Rameshbabu.
