"VAN" (Sports Desk - 28.04.2026) :: The fourth edition of the FIDE World Team Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships will take place from 16 to 22 June in Hong Kong, marking the event’s first appearance in East Asia. Since its inaugural edition in Düsseldorf in 2023, this championship has grown into one of the most anticipated events on the calendar, bringing together world-class grandmasters and rising talents in a format unlike any other in competitive chess. It is one of the rare occasions in international chess where world-class players can be seen forming their own squads and playing as a team, something that is almost never seen outside of the Chess Olympiad.
Top teams have already confirmed their participation, featuring some of the biggest names in the game, including world number one Magnus Carlsen, alongside the most recent FIDE Candidates and Women’s Candidates winners, Javokhir Sindarov and Vaishali Rameshbabu.
The Rapid Championship will be played as a 12-round Swiss tournament across three days, with four rounds per day and a time control of 15 minutes plus a 10-second increment. The Blitz Championship follows on 20 and 21 June, beginning with pool stages before moving to a knockout format for the top 16 teams, with a time control of 3 minutes plus a 2-second increment. The total prize fund across both championships is €500,000, with the Rapid champion team receiving €110,000 and the Blitz champion team taking home €75,000.
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