FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship 2026

From February 13 to 15, 2026, the first official FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship will take place in Weissenhaus, Germany.

Participants:
GM Magnus Carlsen
GM Levon Aronian
GM Fabiano Caruana
GM Vincent Keymer
GM Javokhir Sindarov
GM Arjun Erigaisi
GM Hans Moke Niemann
GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov

Tournament format:
• In the first stage, participants compete in a round-robin tournament, and the top 4 players from this stage advance to the semifinal stage. Time control: 10 minutes plus 5-second increment.
• In the semifinals, participants play in a knockout format, and the winners advance to the final stage. Time control: 25 minutes plus 10-second increment.
• The winner of the final stage is crowned world champion. Time control: 25 minutes plus 10-second increment.

The first game will start on February 13 at 18:00 Armenian time.

You can follow the games here.