FIDE World Blitz Chess Championship to kick off today

In Chess, the highly anticipated FIDE World Blitz Chess Championship, alongside the Women’s World Blitz Chess Championship, will kick off tonight in New York. World No. 1 Grand Master (GM) Magnus Carlsen is set to return to the Championships after a brief but controversial exit. 

Carlsen, who held the World Chess Champion title from 2013 to 2023, initially quit the tournament on Friday after the governing body, FIDE, barred him from competing in a round for wearing jeans, a violation of the tournament’s dress code. FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich addressed the incident yesterday, calling it regrettable and praising Carlsen’s pivotal role in promoting chess worldwide.

In response, Dvorkovich announced



a trial of more flexible dress code rules for the World Blitz Championships, allowing minor deviations. The Blitz will begin with 13 rounds in the Open section and 11 rounds in the Women’s section. The top eight players from each category will advance to Stage 2, which will follow a traditional knockout format to determine the champions. 

As the name suggests, Blitz games are faster, featuring 3-minute time controls with a 2-second increment per move starting from the first move. For India, GM Arjun Erigaisi and GM R. Praggnanandhaa will compete in the Open section, while Humpy Koneru, fresh off her second World Rapid Chess Championship victory, will participate in the Women’s section.