{"id":32276,"date":"2025-03-10T10:17:31","date_gmt":"2025-03-10T10:17:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/?p=32276"},"modified":"2025-03-14T21:52:25","modified_gmt":"2025-03-14T21:52:25","slug":"world-rapid-and-blitz-team-championships-return-with-record-prize-fund-and-new-format","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/world-rapid-and-blitz-team-championships-return-with-record-prize-fund-and-new-format\/","title":{"rendered":"World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships return with record prize fund and new format"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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The World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships are back\u2014bigger, bolder, and with a record-breaking \u20ac500,000 prize fund. After thrilling editions in D\u00fcsseldorf (2023) and Astana (2024), the event heads to London from June 10\u201316, introducing a new knockout stage in the Blitz<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

Following the addition of the Blitz format in Astana 2024, this year\u2019s edition introduces further improvements \u2013 a significantly increased prize fund and an extra day for the Blitz competition for the knock-outs.\u00a0<\/p>

The championships will take place at Novotel London West Hotel (1 Shortlands Hammersmith International Ctre, London W6 8DR, United Kingdom).<\/p>

The total prize pool for 2025 jumps to \u20ac500,000, a significant increase from last year\u2019s \u20ac350,000. The Rapid event will distribute \u20ac310,000, while the Blitz tournament\u2019s prize fund rises to \u20ac190,000.<\/p>

Here\u2019s how the prize money is allocated:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Another notable change for this year is the addition of the second day of the Blitz. After a successful run of the Blitz in 2024, FIDE has decided to expand the competition by adding the separate second day for knock-out stage.<\/p>

Blitz games will follow the standard time control of three minutes plus two seconds per move, but the competition will now feature two distinct stages instead of one.<\/p>

In the first stage, teams will be grouped into pools of similar strength. Each pool will compete in a round-robin tournament, with a maximum of 16 teams advancing to the knockout stage.<\/p>

On the second day of the Blitz, the qualifiers from stage one will play a knock-out tournament, determining the winner.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The rising interest in chess globally and in the UK<\/strong><\/p>

Chess has seen a surge in popularity in recent years, both globally but also in the UK, where in recent years the government has also provided funding for the sport. For the first time in 30 years, the public broadcaster BBC will air a TV program dedicated to chess. The show will follow 12 of Britain\u2019s rising stars of chess as they play against one another and explore the beauty of the game.<\/p>

\u201cThe growing popularity of chess in the UK and the global appeal of London as an international hub is one of the key reasons why we decided to bring the event here. The addition of another day for the Blitz competition and this substantial increase in the prize fund reflects the growing prestige of the competition and the continuing global interest in chess,\u201d FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich said.<\/p>

Team composition<\/strong><\/p>

The event is open to any team that meets the official requirements, which have been designed to ensure there is an inclusive, level-playing field.<\/p>

Each team must have at least six and no more than nine players. This has to include at least one female player.<\/p>

Additionally, each team has to have one recreational player\u2014defined as a participant who has never achieved a FIDE Standard, Rapid, or Blitz rating of 2000 Elo (or an equivalent national rating, as determined by FIDE\u2019s Global Strategy Commission) up to and including the March 2025 rating lists. This rule is designed to encourage broader participation and give aspiring players a chance to compete alongside seasoned professionals.<\/p>

Additionally, each team must have a captain, who may also be one of the players.<\/p>

How to register for the event<\/strong><\/p>

The forthcoming event in London is open to all and will see 60 teams take part \u2013 10 based on their highest ratings and 45 based on earliest registration, with five wild card teams provided by the organizers.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Teams wishing to participate need to apply by filling in a REGISTRATION FORM<\/a><\/strong> by May 10.\u00a0Teams are required to register at least six players.\u00a0<\/p>

Full event regulations and team participation requirements are available here:<\/p>

handbook.fide.com\/files\/handbook\/WRTC2025Regulations.pdf<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

The FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships have a prominent place in the chess calendar and will offer a chance for top-tier Grandmasters and chess enthusiasts to play together, giving the public a chance to see the world\u2019s best players in action.<\/p>

Official website:\u00a0https:\/\/worldrapidblitzteams.fide.com\/<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships are back\u2014bigger, bolder, and with a record-breaking \u20ac500,000 prize fund. After thrilling editions in D\u00fcsseldorf (2023) and Astana (2024), the event heads to London from June 10\u201316, introducing a new knockout stage in the Blitz Following the addition of the Blitz format in Astana 2024, this year\u2019s edition introduces further improvements \u2013 a significantly increased prize fund and an extra day for the Blitz competition for the knock-outs.\u00a0 The championships will take place at Novotel London West Hotel (1 Shortlands Hammersmith International Ctre, London W6 8DR, United Kingdom). The total prize pool for 2025 jumps to \u20ac500,000, a significant increase from last year\u2019s \u20ac350,000. The Rapid event will distribute \u20ac310,000, while the Blitz tournament\u2019s prize fund rises to \u20ac190,000. Here\u2019s how the prize money is allocated: Another notable change for this year is the addition of the second day of the Blitz. After a successful run of the Blitz in 2024, FIDE has decided to expand the competition by adding the separate second day for knock-out stage. Blitz games will follow the standard time control of three minutes plus two seconds per move, but the competition will now feature two distinct stages instead of one. In the first stage, teams will be grouped into pools of similar strength. Each pool will compete in a round-robin tournament, with a maximum of 16 teams advancing to the knockout stage. On the second day of the Blitz, the qualifiers from stage one will play a knock-out tournament, determining the winner. The rising interest in chess globally and in the UK Chess has seen a surge in popularity in recent years, both globally but also in the UK, where in recent years the government has also provided funding for the sport. For the first time in 30 years, the public broadcaster BBC will air a TV program dedicated to chess. The show will follow 12 of Britain\u2019s rising stars of chess as they play against one another and explore the beauty of the game. \u201cThe growing popularity of chess in the UK and the global appeal of London as an international hub is one of the key reasons why we decided to bring the event here. The addition of another day for the Blitz competition and this substantial increase in the prize fund reflects the growing prestige of the competition and the continuing global interest in chess,\u201d FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich said. Team composition The event is open to any team that meets the official requirements, which have been designed to ensure there is an inclusive, level-playing field. Each team must have at least six and no more than nine players. This has to include at least one female player. Additionally, each team has to have one recreational player\u2014defined as a participant who has never achieved a FIDE Standard, Rapid, or Blitz rating of 2000 Elo (or an equivalent national rating, as determined by FIDE\u2019s Global Strategy Commission) up to and including the March 2025 rating lists. This rule is designed to encourage broader participation and give aspiring players a chance to compete alongside seasoned professionals. Additionally, each team must have a captain, who may also be one of the players. How to register for the event The forthcoming event in London is open to all and will see 60 teams take part \u2013 10 based on their highest ratings and 45 based on earliest registration, with five wild card teams provided by the organizers.\u00a0 Teams wishing to participate need to apply by filling in a REGISTRATION FORM by May 10.\u00a0Teams are required to register at least six players.\u00a0 Full event regulations and team participation requirements are available here: handbook.fide.com\/files\/handbook\/WRTC2025Regulations.pdf\u00a0 The FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships have a prominent place in the chess calendar and will offer a chance for top-tier Grandmasters and chess enthusiasts to play together, giving the public a chance to see the world\u2019s best players in action. Official website:\u00a0https:\/\/worldrapidblitzteams.fide.com\/\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":32280,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[366],"regular":[],"sticky-post":[],"class_list":["post-32276","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chess-news","tag-world-rapid-and-blitz-team-championship"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32276","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32276"}],"version-history":[{"count":67,"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32276\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32480,"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32276\/revisions\/32480"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32280"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32276"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32276"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32276"},{"taxonomy":"regular","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/regular?post=32276"},{"taxonomy":"sticky-post","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sticky-post?post=32276"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}