Magnus Carlsen leads 24-player field at Total Chess World Championship Tour pilot
The Budapest tournament features a $650,000 prize fund and a format combining blitz, rapid, and fast classic time controls.
The Total Chess World Championship Tour pilot has begun in Budapest, featuring a 24-player field led by world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen. The tournament, which runs at the Anantara New York Palace Hotel until November 20, carries a prize fund of $650,000, according to The Hindu.
The competition includes three Indian players: R. Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, and R. Vaishali.
Vaishali and Erigaisi are in the same group, which also includes Kazakhstan’s Bibisara Assaubayeva. Other participants include Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Anish Giri, and Ian Nepomniachtchi.
The format uses three time controls. Following a nine-round blitz opening on Tuesday, the group stage runs from November 11 to 15. Players will compete in four groups of six, playing two fast classic games per opponent with 45 minutes per player and 30 seconds added per move.
Only the four group winners will advance to the knockout stage.
Knockout matches will run over two days, consisting of four blitz games, two rapid games, and one fast classic game each day. An Armageddon game will settle any tied matches. Ian Nepomniachtchi described the tour as interesting due to its blend of formats.
The full tour is scheduled to begin in the first half of 2027. The top four players in the standings will qualify for a Grand Final to play for the FIDE World Combined Championship.