Norway tour gets approval for combined chess world title

PARIS (Agencies): The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has approved a new global competition set up by Norway Chess that will crown a “World Combined Champion” across three time formats — Fast Classic, Rapid and Blitz, organisers said on Wednesday. The tournament series, called the Total Chess World Championship Tour, will feature four events a year in cities around the world, with the overall winner taking the FIDE title. A one-off pilot event is scheduled for late 2026 before the full championship season begins in 2027. “We are looking for the total chess player — a versatile, tactically intelligent and technically skilled athlete who adapts to multiple time controls,” Norway Chess CEO Kjell Madland said. “It will be a game-changer, both for the players and the fans.”

GAMES SHORTENED TO 45 MINUTES:

The Fast Classic format shortens traditional games to 45 minutes plus a 30-second increment per move — part of an effort to make chess more appealing for broadcasters and online audiences. The launch comes months after former world champion Magnus Carlsen, also Norwegian, unveiled a separate “Freestyle Chess” tour, which uses a randomised starting position inspired by Fischer Random chess. That tour has not been sanctioned by FIDE, highlighting tensions between the world governing body and independent organisers seeking to modernise the sport. World number one Carlsen, the undisputed world champion from 2013-23, opted out of defending his title citing a lack of motivation and focused more on Freestyle chess and faster time controls, winning the Esports World Cup title this year. FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich welcomed the initiative. “We are always looking for ways to innovate and push the boundaries of what chess can be,” he said. “This new tour complements the traditional World Chess Championship and will attract both existing fans and new audiences.” Carlsen also reacted positively to the move. “This seems like a well-thought-out step to further develop chess. Bringing multiple formats together under a single title will provide a more complete view of the players’ strengths, while the time controls suit today’s players and audience,” he said. Norway Chess said it was inviting potential host cities, investors and partners to join what it called a long-term collaboration with FIDE. The Total Chess World Championship Tour will offer a prize pool of a minimum of $750,000 for each of the first three locations while the fourth event will award at least $450,000 to a four-player field.