July 21 (Reuters) - World number one Magnus Carlsen will compete in November's pilot event of the FIDE-approved Total Chess World Championship Tour, organisers said on Tuesday.
The November 10-21 tournament in Budapest will feature competition across three formats — blitz, rapid and fast classic chess — with results from all events combined to determine the overall champion.
The pilot event will serve as a precursor to the inaugural global season, which is due to begin in March 2027, the organisers said. The official tour will featurefour events annually in cities around the world and the overall winner will be crowned FIDE World Combined Champion.
"We are convinced that the tour will attract new audiences, commercial partners and greater media interest, helping us expand chess globally," FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich said.
"We look forward to seeing this new chapter begin in one of Europe's great chess capitals."
Organisers said the November event would provide a blueprint for the full-fledged championship circuit launching next year.
"As the official pilot of the Tour, this event will set the benchmark for the global championship that begins in March 2027," Total Chess CEO Kjell Madland said.
"Chess heritage runs deep here, making it the ideal place to write the next chapter before the Tour travels to cities around the world."
Developed by Norway Chess, the Total Chess World Championship Tour has already secured significant commercial backing, with Manchester City striker Erling Haaland and Olympic cross-country skiing champion Johannes Klaebo among its investors.
(Reporting by Karan Prashant Saxena in Bengaluru)
