Gukesh v. Sindarov at first leg in Poland

The 2026 edition of the Grand Chess Tour will begin next week with a revised lineup, as a pair of withdrawals and replacements have altered the composition of the field ahead of the opening events. The tour retains its established structure, featuring a mix of classical tournaments alongside rapid and blitz competitions, with a total prize fund of $2 million and the season culminating in the finals at the Saint Louis Chess Club.

As in previous years, full-tour participants are scheduled to compete in both classical events and two of the three rapid and blitz legs, while wildcard players complete individual tournament lineups. Consistency across formats remains key, as only the top four performers over the course of the season qualify for the knockout-format finals in Saint Louis. The circuit continues to be supported by the Saint Louis Chess Club and the Super Foundation, whose partnership underpins the tour's long-term continuity - this is the 11^th edition of the series.

Attack like a Super Grandmaster

In this Fritztrainer: “Attack like a Super GM” with Gukesh we touch upon all aspects of his play, with special emphasis on how you can become a better attacking player.

The 2026 tour schedule:

• Super Rapid & Blitz Poland: May 3-10, 2026, Warsaw, Poland
• Super Chess Classic Romania: May 12-24, 2026 Bucharest, Romania
• Super Rapid & Blitz Croatia: Jun. 29-Jul. 6, 2026 Zagreb, Croatia
• Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz: Jul. 31-Aug. 7, 2026 Saint Louis, USA
• Sinquefield Cup: Aug. 8-21, 2026 Saint Louis, USA
• GCT Finals: Aug. 21-28, 2026 Saint Louis, USA

Gukesh Dommaraju will play in Warsaw and Zagreb | Photo: ChessBase / Nils Rohde

The most notable adjustment concerns the withdrawal of Gukesh Dommaraju from the full tour. The reigning world champion has opted to reduce his competitive schedule following a series of underwhelming results, citing the need for focused training. While stepping back from the longer classical events, he will remain involved as a wildcard participant in the rapid and blitz tournaments in Warsaw and Zagreb.

Javokhir Sindarov has been named as Gukesh's replacement among the full-tour participants. The Uzbek grandmaster was included in the field before winning the Candidates Tournament with a resounding performance. He is expected to take part in events in Warsaw, Bucharest and both Saint Louis tournaments. Sindarov's presence in Poland ensures an early encounter with Gukesh, the first one since the Uzbek star became the challenger for the world crown.

A further change has been prompted by the withdrawal of Levon Aronian from the Super Chess Classic Romania in Bucharest due to illness. Aronian, who reported that he is recovering from pneumonia and expects to be away from competition for several weeks, will instead return later in the season as a wildcard participant.

Understanding Middlegame Strategy Vol.14 Reversed Colour Systems – Benoni, Blumenfeld and Benko Gambit

You will learn how Black's dynamic piece activity and structural counterplay more than compensate for White's extra tempo in the colour-reversed setups.
The Benoni family of openings has toppled world champions, decided match games under the highest pressure, and rewarded those brave enough to play them with some of the most electrifying chess imaginable. In this Fritztrainer, Grandmaster Ivan Sokolov -  continuing his successful series "Understanding Middlegame Structures" - takes you deep inside the complexities of the Colour-Reversed Benoni, the Colour-Reversed Benko Gambit, and the Colour-Reversed Blumenfeld Gambit.
Free sample video: Introduction
Free sample video: Colour Reversed Banoni - Game 1

Aronian shared on X:

Dear friends, the good news is that I am currently safe and everything is under control. Pneumonia and complications from it are not a joke, thank God I am doing much better now, and as the doctors said, with the progress we are making, there will not be any impact on my general health. My expected time off chess will be from 4 to 7 weeks.

In his absence, Jorden van Foreest has been called up to join the tour as a full participant.

Participants - Super Rapid & Blitz Poland

* Wildcards

Links

• Grand Chess Tour website
• Nihal wins Menorca Masters, Gukesh finishes in fourth place
• Javokhir Sindarov: "The quarantine changed my life"