11/12/2026 – The group stage of the Total Chess Pilot is underway in Budapest, and only the group winners will advance to the knockout final to compete for the tournament title. The 24 participants are divided into four groups of six, playing a double round-robin in each group. From Wednesday to Sunday, each participant plays two games per day with a Fast Classic time control (45+30). On Thursday, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave faces Wesley So, while Fabiano Caruana (pictured) faces Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu. | Follow the action live, starting at 15.00 CET (9.00 ET, 19.30 IST) | Photo: Michal Walusza
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Total Chess – Group Stage, Day 2 (12 November 2026)
On each day of the group stage, the players face each other twice, with colours reversed in the second game. The first game starts at 15:00, the second at 18:30.
Keep it simple. Stay objective. Watch the clock. Sometimes take the risk. GM Loek van Wely explains the ten principles that decide real games. They aren’t about theory. They’re about what you do at the board when it counts. Opening theory gets all the attention. But according to GM Loek van Wely, a player who has played in 14 Olympiads, is eight-time Dutch champion, and has decades of experience against Karpov, Kasparov, Anand, and Carlsen, most of what separates strong players from the rest has nothing to do with memorised lines.
Free sample video: Introduction
Free sample video: Don't Bluff the Donkey
How grandmasters win without fireworks: GM Jan Markos shows you 11 very practical tips from "How to play in a lost position" to "Be patient like Carlsen" that will improve your tournament chess. Most chess books teach you what to think about. This series teaches you what to actually do when the clock is running and the result is on the line. Compiled from GM Jan Markos's acclaimed "Practical Tips for the Tournament Player" column in ChessBase Magazine, Volume 1 covers the decisions every tournament player faces before the position ever gets complicated: how you use your time, how you handle pressure, and how you think when the stakes are real.
Free Video Sample: How to use your time effectively
The Total Chess World Championship Tour Pilot takes place from 10 to 20 November at the Anantara New York Palace Hotel in Budapest. Developed by Norway Chess and approved by FIDE, the competition combines three different time controls. The event serves as a test for the Total Chess World Championship Tour, which is scheduled to begin in 2027.
The 24 participants include Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, Vincent Keymer, Wesley So, Anish Giri, Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Hungary's Richard Rapport.
The tournament consists of three stages:
Blitz tournament (10 November): The event begins with all 24 participants playing nine rounds of blitz chess (3+2) under the Swiss system. The final standings will later serve as a tiebreak and influence the pairings in the knockout stage. Magnus Carlsen won ahead of Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Levon Aronian.
Group stage (11–15 November): The players are divided into four groups of six. Within each group, everyone plays everyone else twice, once with White and once with Black. The time control is 45 minutes plus 30 seconds per move. A win earns three points and a draw one point. The games are rated and count towards the FIDE rating list.
Knockout stage (17–20 November): After a rest day, the players are divided into six separate knockout competitions according to their group-stage standings. Only the four group winners compete for the overall tournament victory. Each knockout match lasts two days. On each day, the players contest four blitz games, two rapid games (15+10) and one game with 45 minutes plus 30 seconds per move. Games played at longer time controls carry more weight than blitz games. If the match remains tied after the two days, an Armageddon game decides the winner.
11/7/2026 – Born in Latvia, Aaron Nimzowitsch was one of the most important players and theorists of the first third of the 20th century, influencing generations of chess players with his strategic ideas. His life, however, was far from easy and sadly cut short. Today marks the 140th anniversary of his birth. | Photo: J. Graudenz
11/5/2026 – Chennai has given GM Alisher Suleymenov a title and a reason to return. After winning the 1st Chola Chess International GM Round Robin earlier this year, the Kazakh grandmaster is back for the 1st Chola Chess GM 2026. In this interview with Devansh Singh, he recalls beating a 12-year-old Gukesh Dommaraju and explains why he considers Javokhir Sindarov the favourite in the World Championship match. He also speaks about his ambitions in chess and the importance of staying psychologically strong. | Photo: ChessBase India
What to do against the Pirc? Many players find it difficult to play against Black’s set-up. Try the Austrian Attack! It is a solid but dangerous weapon and guarantees White an effective attack from the very start! Learn the key tricks of this deadly line and crush the Pirc with ease!
YOUR PERSONAL CHESS COACH - Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before.
Keep it simple. Stay objective. Watch the clock. Sometimes take the risk. GM Loek van Wely explains the ten principles that decide real games. They aren’t about theory. They’re about what you do at the board when it counts.
2026 Chess Olympiad with analyses by Abdusattorov, Donchenko, Duda, So and many more – ‘Rooks love open files’: Tactics training with Oliver Reeh – ‘Don’t underestimate it’: Caruana’s blitz weapon 1.e4 e5 2.d3 – Total Video playing time: over 6 hours!
Most players don’t lack the urge to attack, they just strike at the wrong moment, and GM Sipke Ernst shows you which signals tell you to go for the king and which tell you to choose another plan.
How grandmasters win without fireworks: GM Jan Markos shows you 11 very practical tips from "How to play in a lost position" to "Be patient like Carlsen" that will improve your tournament chess.
The Nimzo-Indian has stood the test of time for over a century: Still a top choice for elite players today, from Magnus Carlsen to Praggnanandhaa, it remains one of Black's most reliable ways to fight for real chances against 1.d4 2.c4 3.Nc3.
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