 "Total Chess World Championship: Why so-called 'Magnus Tour' could undermine FIDE’s crown jewel")
The World Chess Championship is without a doubt the most prestigious event there is in chess, with the modern version having existed since 1948 and informal world championships having taken place since the late 19th century. On Thursday, FIDE took things to another level by offering its stamp of approval to the ‘ Total Chess World Championship Tour’ – a brand new multi-format tour that will crown chess’ world champion across formats.
The governing body had recently fought a pitched battle with Freestyle Chess over the usage of the term “world champion”, in which the latter – backed by world No 1 Magnus Carlsen – had to eventually concede defeat. However, the organisers of the prestigious Norway Chess – the brains behind the Total World Championship – appear to have achieved success by adopting a more diplomatic approach with FIDE, resulting in the introduction of a fourth world championship.
FIDE endorses ambitious project branded by some as ’total fluff’
The tournament and its unique format have drawn mixed reactions so far; while FIDE has endorsed it as a “great addition to the traditional and prestigious World Chess Championship”, American Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura – second in the FIDE Classical ratings behind Carlsen described the ambitious project as a “total fluff”.
Then there’s Carlsen, someone who hasn’t been seeing eye-to-eye with FIDE lately, with Freestyle Chess and its right to host a world championship being the primary source of hostility. It would therefore come as a pleasant surprise for chess fans to see the 34-year-old chess legend from Norway give his thumbs up to an event that also has the backing of FIDE.
“This seems like a well-thought-out step to further develop chess. Bringing multiple formats together under a single title will provide a more complete view of the players’ strengths, while the time controls suit today’s players and audience. I’m looking forward to the pilot in 2026 and to seeing how the first season in 2027 unfolds. It’s impressive that Norway Chess has achieved this,” Carlsen was quoted as saying by Norway Chess.
Another attempt to woo Carlsen back?
Now it’s no secret that FIDE has been trying to woo their biggest star of the current generation and one of the greatest to have ever played the game back into their fold. Carlsen has reigned as the World No. 1 continuously since 2011 and was also the World Champion for a decade, from defeating Indian legend Viswanathan Anand in 2013 to voluntarily opting against defending his title a decade later, citing a lack of interest in the Classical format.
And the Norwegian GM’s absence from the World Championship cycle, along with other major events, would have negatively impacted FIDE in terms of the level of competition as well as marketability of their events.
What if there were a World Chess Champion across all time controls? 🤔
— Norway Chess (@NorwayChess) October 15, 2025
Fast Classic. Rapid. Blitz.
That is what we imagined, and we are making it a reality. ♟️
Introducing the Total Chess World Championship Tour, a new FIDE-recognised series that will crown the FIDE World… pic.twitter.com/sBVcX65l81
Some, including Nakamura, had even speculated that the rating spot in the Candidates Tournament – reserved for the highest-rated player during a qualifying period – was to try and lure Carlsen back into the World Championship cycle. Carlsen, however, steered clear of it by reiterating his disinterest in the prestigious tournament recently, which cleared the way for Nakamura to try and capture the spot, even if by questionable means.
One therefore can’t help but imagine that the Total Chess World Championship Tour is nothing but another attempt to have Carlsen associate himself with a FIDE-backed world championship, even if it isn’t a world championship in the traditional sense. And what helped him join the bandwagon was the fact that it is being co-created by the same people responsible for his home event, in which he is a seven-time winner and the defending champion.
The idea of such an event, which carries a total prize money of $2.7 million, has led to some concerns as well beyond Nakamura’s rant, with Dutch GM Anish Giri describing the brand new world championship as a “Magnus Tour”.
The legendary American-Hungarian GM Susan Polgar too questioned the need for a combined world championship when the sport was doing just fine with the existing formats, citing the example of the existing Grand Slams in tennis and how each event is unique but equally important to the calendar.
What is the difference between World Classical Championship, World Rapid Championship, and World Blitz Championship and the winner of all 3 is World Triple Crown Champion, something which was achieved by only 3 players in history (2 women and 1 man), and a Total World… https://t.co/OQIglUSbQy
— Susan Polgar (@SusanPolgar) October 16, 2025
Why could such an event undermine the Classical World Championship
The Total World Championship is by no means the first chess tour comprising events in multiple formats. The Grand Chess Tour has a similar setup, wherein players compete in all three time controls in events held across the world throughout the year, with the top players then competing in the Finals to be crowned the ultimate champion.
There are two key differences, however – A) The GCT comprises events that are played in the actual Classical format, and B) It does not term itself a World Championship. And that is where FIDE will have to understand the fact that the introduction of such a tournament could ultimately undermine its existing championships – especially the Classical World Championship.
Sports usually have signature events, tournaments or leagues that are steeped in history and tradition, which more often than not become synonymous with the sport itself. It could be international events such as the FIFA World Cup (football) and the ICC World Cup (cricket) or leagues such as the NBA (basketball) or the MLB (baseball).
FIDE needs to recognise the fact that the existing Classical World Championship is that event in chess, with a tournament like the Tata Steel Chess coming closest in terms of matching its prestige and legacy. And the introduction of the Total Chess World Championship could undermine that legacy down the road, if not right away.
That is certainly a price not worth paying simply to have the best player in the world back on board.
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