World Team Rapid 2026 Day 1: Kazchess and Dragon Chilling lead a day of Wild Upsets
The FIDE World Team Rapid Chess Championship 2026 opened with thrilling action and major upsets at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium, Hong Kong. Out of all the competing powerhouses, only Kazchess and Dragon Chilling survived Day 1 undefeated, leading the pack with a perfect 8/8 match points after four intense rounds. Viswanathan Anand had a grueling test of resilience, narrowly escaping a completely lost position against prodigy Ilamparthi to salvage a vital draw after his team. Photos: Michal Walusza/FIDE
Round 1: Ding Liren’s Return and an Early Shock
World Champion Ding Liren made his highly anticipated return to a FIDE event. This marks his first major FIDE appearance since the 2024 World Championship. Overall it was a good day for Ding as he scored some important points for his team Dragon Chilling who scored a perfect 8/8 after day 1.
Clash of Titans: The opening round featured a massive board-one battle between veterans Levon Aronian and Vasyl Ivanchuk, which ultimately ended in a hard-fought draw.
Early Deficit for Anand's Squad: Viswanathan Anand’s team, Chess United, was shockingly held to a draw by the underdogs May Wind Newbies. The biggest upset of the match saw the prodigy Roman Shogdzhiev suffer a loss, putting the favorites on the backfoot early on.
Replay Games of May Wind Newbies vs Chess United
Round 2: Pragg Upset, Carlsen Held, and Top Seeds Fall
Pragg Stunned by Sumiya: In the biggest shock of the round, Mongolia's Bilguun Sumiya defeated India's Praggnanandhaa. Sumiya played a brilliant game, launching a bold exchange sacrifice right out of the opening to completely unbalance and win the game.
Top Seeds WR Chess Toppled: In a massive leaderboard shake-up, the star-studded tournament favorites WR Chess were defeated by Chessnut Nova, blowing the tournament wide open.
Sadhwani Holds Carlsen: India's young Grandmaster Raunak Sadhwani put up a phenomenal defensive performance to hold world number one Magnus Carlsen to a draw.
Replay Chessnut Nova vs. WR Chess Games
Anand’s Great Escape: In a highly tactical battle, young talent Ilamparthi took Viswanathan Anand to the absolute brink, but ultimately accepted a draw from a completely winning position against the legend.
Round 3: Kazchess Outlasts Uzbekistan; Defending Champions Go Down
Richard Rapport’s Kazchess pulled off a brilliant comeback against a formidable Uzbek side. Despite an early disadvantage out of the opening, Rapport turned the tables completely as Javokhir Sindarov faltered, securing a massive match victory.
Chessgurukul Bounces Back: Chessgurukul clinically defeated Hexamind. Praggnanandhaa redeemed his previous round's loss by defeating Alireza Firouzja. On the lower boards, Divya Deshmukh defeated R Vaishali, but it wasn't enough to save Hexamind.
Defending Champions Defeated: Singapore’s Team International Trading pulled off a monumental upset by defeating the defending champions, Team MGD1. The match was highlighted by an incredibly sharp pawn endgame between Nihal Sarin and Jumabayev.
Replay Round 3 Games
Round 4: Ding Falls But Team Wins; Anish Giri Suffers Late Heartbreak
World Champion Ding Liren suffered his first defeat of the event in round four, but his teammates rallied together to win the match and maintain their perfect record.
Giri Fails to Save Hexamind: Hexamind suffered a heartbreaking loss to Sky Chess. With the match deadlocked at 2.5–2.5, the decisive blow came when Anish Giri lost a tense battle to Andrew Hong, sealing his team's defeat.
Standings
Round 5 Pairings
No. | SNo | Team | Pts. | MP | Res. | : | Res. | MP | Pts. | Team | SNo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 3 | Kazchess | 16½ | 8 | : | 8 | 18 | Dragon Chilling | 4 | ||
2 | 7 | Mr Birdie and friends | 19 | 7 | : | 6 | 17 | WR Chess | 1 | ||
3 | 5 | Endgame.AI | 17 | 6 | : | 6 | 15½ | Uzbekistan | 12 | ||
4 | 6 | Team MGD1 | 17½ | 6 | : | 6 | 13½ | Chessnut Nova | 13 | ||
5 | 9 | Barys | 15 | 6 | : | 6 | 13½ | Theme International Trading | 17 | ||
6 | 15 | Sky Chess | 14 | 6 | : | 6 | 13 | Chessgurukul | 11 | ||
7 | 10 | Global Ramblers | 15 | 5 | : | 6 | 13½ | May Wind Newbies | 32 | ||
8 | 8 | Chess United | 14½ | 5 | : | 5 | 13½ | Interstellar Club | 20 | ||
9 | 21 | Red Pseudodragon | 13½ | 5 | : | 4 | 13½ | Hexamind Chess Team | 2 | ||
10 | 24 | Chess Thulir | 12 | 4 | : | 4 | 13 | Schnappi Krokodil Team | 14 |
Photo Gallery: ChessBase India, FIDE
Video Gallery: Here
Regulations
The FIDE World Team Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships 2026 take place in Hong Kong, between June 16 and 22, 2026. The event is open to teams from all over the world. Teams can be made of club members, members of different federations, or any other chess players.
Team composition
Each team shall be composed in accordance with the following requirements:
1. At least six and not more than nine players, including at least:
1.1. one female player,
1.2. One recreational player, other than the one indicated in the previous point, who never achieved a FIDE Standard, Rapid, or Blitz Rating of 2000 Elo points (or unrated) up to and including the March 2025 rating lists.
2. A captain, who may also be one of the players.
Each match is played on six boards. In each match, teams shall have at least:
a. one female player,
b. one recreational player.
Format
The championship consists of 2 events - Rapid, played on June 17-19, and Blitz on June 20-21.
Rapid
Swiss, 12 rounds. The time control: 15 minutes for the first, with an increment of 10 seconds per move starting from move 1.
Blitz
Round robin tournament in the Pools stage and 16 best teams Play-off stage (June 20).
Quarter Finals, Semi Finals, and Final (June 21). The time control: 3 minutes for the whole game with an increment of 2 seconds per move starting from move 1.
Prize Fund
The cumulative prize fund of the tournament is €500,000, where €310,000 goes to the rapid event and €190,000 for blitz.
Schedule
Venue: The Queen Elizabeth Stadium, Hong Kong
Opened in 1980, the Queen Elizabeth Stadium is Hong Kong's premier multi-purpose venue located in the heart of Wan Chai that provides the public with a chance to view and participate in sports, recreation, and culture, all under the same roof.
Important Links
Official Site, Regulations, Pairings and Results, Tickets