One of the biggest chess events, the FIDE World Team Rapid and Blitz Championship 2026, is currently going on in Hong Kong. This fourth edition of the tournament started on June 17 at Queez Elizabeth Stadium, Hong Kong.
This is the first time the rapid and blitz chess tournament is going on in East Asia. It was started in Düsseldorf in 2023 with 36 teams, and then moving forward, the number of teams and players increased, with 38 teams in Astana. 2024 and approx 60 teams in London in 2025.
Now, this time, the tournament has 48 teams with nearly 400 players.
What makes this tournament different
This rapid and blitz chess tournament is one of the rare occasions where world-class players form their own squads and compete as a team, something that we rarely see outside the Chess Olympiad.
Every team must follow two specific lineup rules: at least one female player, and one recreational player (someone who has never reached 2000 Elo in standard, rapid, or blitz as of recent).
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Each team can have between six and nine players, plus a captain who can also play. All matches are played across six boards.
World Team Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship Full Schedule
| Date | Round / Stage | Time (HKT / GMT / IST) |
| June 17 | Rapid Round 1 | 2:00 PM / 6:00 AM / 11:30 AM |
| June 17 | Rapid Round 2 | 3:40 PM / 7:40 AM / 1:10 PM |
| June 17 | Rapid Round 3 | 5:20 PM / 9:20 AM / 2:50 PM |
| June 17 | Rapid Round 4 | 7:00 PM / 11:00 AM / 4:30 PM |
| June 18 | Rapid Round 5 | 2:00 PM / 6:00 AM / 11:30 AM |
| June 18 | Rapid Round 6 | 3:40 PM / 7:40 AM / 1:10 PM |
| June 18 | Rapid Round 7 | 5:20 PM / 9:20 AM / 2:50 PM |
| June 18 | Rapid Round 8 | 7:00 PM / 11:00 AM / 4:30 PM |
| June 19 | Rapid Round 9 | 2:00 PM / 6:00 AM / 11:30 AM |
| June 19 | Rapid Round 10 | 3:40 PM / 7:40 AM / 1:10 PM |
| June 19 | Rapid Round 11 | 5:20 PM / 9:20 AM / 2:50 PM |
| June 19 | Rapid Round 12 | 7:00 PM / 11:00 AM / 4:30 PM |
| June 20 | Blitz Pool Round 1 | 2:00 PM / 6:00 AM / 11:30 AM |
| June 20 | Blitz Pool Round 2 | 2:25 PM / 6:25 AM / 11:55 AM |
| June 20 | Blitz Pool Round 3 | 2:50 PM / 6:50 AM / 12:20 PM |
| June 20 | Blitz Pool Round 4 | 3:15 PM / 7:15 AM / 12:45 PM |
| June 20 | Blitz Pool Round 5 | 3:40 PM / 7:40 AM / 1:10 PM |
| June 20 | Blitz Pool Round 6 | 4:05 PM / 8:05 AM / 1:35 PM |
| June 20 | Blitz Pool Round 7 | 4:30 PM / 8:30 AM / 2:00 PM |
| June 20 | Blitz Pool Round 8 | 4:55 PM / 8:55 AM / 2:25 PM |
| June 20 | Blitz Pool Round 9 | 5:20 PM / 9:20 AM / 2:50 PM |
| June 20 | Blitz Pool Round 10 | 5:45 PM / 9:45 AM / 3:15 PM |
| June 20 | Blitz Pool Round 11 | 6:10 PM / 10:10 AM / 3:40 PM |
| June 20 | Round of 16 – Match 1 | 7:00 PM / 11:00 AM / 4:30 PM |
| June 20 | Round of 16 – Match 2 | 7:30 PM / 11:30 AM / 5:00 PM |
| June 21 | Quarter-Finals | 2:00 PM / 6:00 AM / 11:30 AM |
| June 21 | Semi-Final 1 | 3:15 PM / 7:15 AM / 12:45 PM |
| June 21 | Semi-Final 2 | 4:30 PM / 8:30 AM / 2:00 PM |
| June 21 | 3rd Place Match | 5:45 PM / 9:45 AM / 3:15 PM |
| June 21 | Final | 7:00 PM / 11:00 AM / 4:30 PM |
Format
- Rapid Championship (June 17-19): A 12-round Swiss system, four rounds each day. Time control is 15 minutes plus a 10-second increment per move. Here, win = 2 match points, draw = 1 and loss = 0.
- Blitz Championship (June 20-21): It has two stages: a pool stage (round-robin), followed by a knockout from the Round of 16 through to the Final. Time control is 3 minutes plus 2 seconds per move.
Teams
This year, 48 teams are participating in the FIDE World Team Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship. Here is the full list-
- Barys
- Beijing Yijia Chess Club
- Blue Bulldogs
- C.A. Silla Integrant Col-lectius
- Caissa Hong Kong Chess Club
- Chess In Shanghai
- Chess Thulir
- Chess United
- Chessgurukul
- Chessnut Nova
- Chongqing Kylin Chess Club
- Davao Chess Eagles
- Dragon Chilling
- Duobeniajan Costa Calida Esj
- Endgame.AI
- Farm – Valera Chess Training
- Fearless Knights of Hong Kong China Chess Sch
- Global Ramblers
- Hexamind Chess Team
- Indonesia
- InstAdapt
- Interstellar Club
- Kazchess
- Kidult Chess Academy Hong Kong
- Kindness On Board Infinite Team
- Malaysia Chess Hub
- May Wind Newbies
- Mongolia-Aldar
- Mr Birdie and friends
- Odlar Yurdu (Azerbaijan)
- Perfect
- Qatar Chess Team
- Qingdao Wanyun Chess Club
- Quadcore+
- Red Pseudodragon
- Schnappi Krokodil Team
- Scholastic Anichess HK
- Shenzhen Qiyu Chess Club
- Sky Chess
- Street Chess Canberra
- Team MGD1
- The Chess Academy Hong Kong Team A
- The Chess Academy Hong Kong Team B
- The MongolZ
- Theme International Trading
- Uzbekistan
- Wizard Manpower – Pilipinas
- WR Chess
Prize Money
Total prize fund across both events: €500,000
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| Event | Total Prize Fund | Winner’s Share |
| Rapid | €310,000 | €110,000 |
| Blitz | €190,000 | €75,000 |
Day 1 Update
After four rounds of Rapid play on June 17, KazChess and Dragon Chilling are the only teams with a perfect record.
Top seeds WR Chess dropped a match as early as round two. Hexamind lost twice, including a defeat to the mixed Armenian-Uzbek side Sky Chess, when Anish Giri lost a crucial board as White.
