Today's Edition
KUUMAR SHYAM (ABU DHABI)
The creme de la creme of the global chess fraternity is set to compete in the inaugural Total Chess World Championship Tour Pilot in Budapest, with a $650,000 (Dh2.38 million) prize fund.
Twelve of world's top 20 male chess players, led by Norwegian world No.1 Magnus Carlsen, are taking part in the tournament.
The tournament also has a notable connection to another Norwegian sporting icon, Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, who is an investor in the project from Norway Chess, the organisation behind the tournament.
The involvement of Haaland and the participation of Carlsen bring together two of Norway's most prominent sporting figures in the new venture which is trying to enhance the sport's global appeal.
Carlsen, who has occupied the world No. 1 position for 15 consecutive years, heads a 24-player field that includes former world championship challengers, established grandmasters and emerging talents from across the world.
American Fabiano Caruana, ranked No. 3, leads the challengers alongside Uzbekistan's Nodirbek Abdusattorov (No. 5), Wesley So (No. 6) of the United States and India's R Praggnanandhaa (No. 7).
Germany's Vincent Keymer (No. 9), France's Alireza Firouzja (No. 10), Netherlands' Anish Giri (No. 11), India's Arjun Erigaisi (No. 12) and Poland's Jan-Krzysztof Duda (No. 13) further strengthen the field.
The remaining participants, in order of their world rankings, are Vietnam's Liem Le (No. 16), American Levon Aronian (No. 20), Ian Nepomniachtchi (No. 22), Hungary's Richard Rapport (No. 23), Netherlands' Jorden van Foreest (No. 24), Azerbaijan's Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (No. 27), France's Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (No. 28), American Hans Moke Niemann (No. 32), Armenia's Haik M Martirosyan (No. 48), Vladislav Artemiev (No. 66), American Abhimanyu Mishra (No. 76) and Andrew Hong (No. 134). Mishra is the youngest grandmaster in chess history.
The women's contingent comprises Kazakhstan's Bibisara Assaubayeva, ranked seventh in the world, and India's Vaishali Rameshbabu, ranked 24th.
A highlight of the Championship is a new format that combines three disciplines – fast classical, rapid and blitz – to determine the most complete player across different time controls.
The initiative, developed by Norway Chess and approved by the International Chess Federation (FIDE), is intended to make elite chess more accessible to wider audiences. The full championship tour is scheduled to begin in 2027, with four tournaments annually in different cities.
Seeing this as an opportunity to take the game to a larger audience, Haaland had said in March on his coming on board: "Chess is an incredible game. It sharpens your mind, and there are clear similarities to football. You have to think quickly, trust your instincts, and think several moves ahead. Strategy and planning are everything."
The Budapest pilot will also place considerable emphasis on television and digital coverage, with organisers targeting audiences in more than 200 countries and territories.
