12 American Chess Players Headline the 2026 World Team Rapid and Blitz Championships

The 2026 World Team Rapid and Blitz Championships will take place in Hong Kong from June 16 to June 22, 2026. This event follows the 2025 edition held in London, United Kingdom. A total of 43 teams and over 300 players appear on the registration list for the 2026 tournament. Among these participants are 12 players from the United States, including several of the highest-rated Grandmasters in the world.

The 12 American players represent the United States across six different teams:

• WR Chess: Fabiano Caruana and Wesley So.
• Endgame.AI: Leinier Dominguez Perez and Hans Moke Niemann.
• Mr Birdie and friends: Samuel Sevian, Awonder Liang, and Carissa Yip.
• Sky Chess: Andrew Hong and Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova.
• Global Ramblers: Anna Zatonskih.
• Blue Bulldogs: Maximillian Lu and Ashvin Sivakumar.

This participation count differs from the 2025 tournament in London, which featured 54 teams. In 2025, the American presence included Hikaru Nakamura, who played for the WR Chess Team and helped them win the Blitz title. However, Nakamura does not appear on the 2026 registration list.

Americans on Top-Rated Teams

WR Chess enters the 2026 competition as a leader in rating and history. The team won the inaugural Rapid Championship in 2023 and the Blitz titles in both 2024 and 2025. For the 2026 event, they field two Americans: Fabiano Caruana (rated 2727) and Wesley So (rated 2705). Caruana and So join a lineup that includes Magnus Carlsen, the only player in the world with a rating of 2800, and other Grandmasters such as Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, and Hou Yifan.

Another team with high-rated Americans is Endgame.AI. This team is led by Captain Hans Moke Niemann (rated 2646) and features Leinier Dominguez Perez (rated 2706). Their teammates include Alexey Sarana, Denis Lazavik, and Zhu Jiner. In 2025, Dominguez played for the Hexamind Chess Team, which took silver in the Rapid and bronze in the Blitz events.

The “Mr Birdie and friends” and Collegiate Squads

The team Mr Birdie and friends consists of a majority of American players. Awonder Liang serves as the captain with a rating of 2511. He is joined by Samuel Sevian (rated 2667) and Carissa Yip (rated 2351). Their roster also includes international players Vladislav Artemiev and Quang Liem Le.

Sky Chess features two Americans: Andrew Hong (rated 2557) and Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova (rated 2314). In 2025, Hong played for the FIDE MB Team, and Tokhirjonova played for Uzbekistan.

The Blue Bulldogs team also includes American representatives Maximillian Lu (rated 2263) and Ashvin Sivakumar (rated 2124). Anna Zatonskih (rated 2280) returns to play for the Global Ramblers, the same team she represented in the 2025 edition.

Changes from the 2025 London Edition

The 2026 event introduces several modifications compared to the 2025 tournament. While the 2025 edition in London hosted 54 teams, the 2026 edition in Hong Kong has 43 teams. A major addition for 2026 is the inaugural FIDE World Team Amateur Rapid Chess Cup, which runs alongside the main championship to bridge the gap between elite and recreational players.

The venue also shifts from the Novotel London West to the Queen Elizabeth Stadium in Hong Kong. Despite these changes, the prize fund remains at €500,000.

Competition and Rivals

The American players face competition from international squads. Team MGD1 from India returns as a contender after winning the 2025 World Rapid Team title in London with 21 match points. Their 2026 lineup features Arjun Erigaisi, Nihal Sarin, Pranav V, and Leon Luke Mendonca.

A new factor in 2026 is the Dragon Chilling squad from China. This team is led by Ding Liren, the former World Champion, who returns to international play after a period of absence following his 2024 loss to Gukesh. The Chinese team also includes Wei Yi, Yu Yangyi, Ju Wenjun, and Lei Tingjie.

Hexamind, a rival to WR Chess, features Alireza Firouzja, Levon Aronian, Anish Giri, and Vidit Gujrathi. In 2025, Firouzja played for WR Chess, but he has moved to Hexamind for the 2026 event.

Tournament Format and Rules

The competition consists of two parts: Rapid and Blitz.

• Rapid Championship (June 17–19): Played as a Swiss event over 12 rounds. The time control is 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move.
• Blitz Championship (June 20–21): Begins with pools followed by a 16-team knockout stage. The time control is 3 minutes plus 2 seconds per move.

Every match occurs over six boards. Team composition rules require each squad to include at least one female player and at least one recreational player. A recreational player is defined as someone who has never achieved a FIDE rating of 2000 in standard, rapid, or blitz chess.

Prize Money Distribution

The €500,000 total prize fund is divided between the two formats.

• Rapid Prizes (€310,000 total):
  • 1st Place: €110,000
  • 2nd Place: €70,000
  • 3rd Place: €50,000
  • 4th Place: €30,000
  • 5th Place: €20,000
  • 6th Place: €15,000
• Blitz Prizes (€190,000 total):
  • 1st Place: €75,000
  • 2nd Place: €50,000
  • 3rd Place: €30,000
  • 4th Place: €20,000
  • 5th Place: €15,000

Additional prizes are available for the top teams with ratings under 2400 and under 2200 in the Rapid event.

#	Team Name	Players (Title & Rating)
1	WR Chess	Magnus Carlsen (GM, 2832), Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (GM, 2735), Fabiano Caruana (GM, 2727), Wesley So (GM, 2705), Hou Yifan (GM, 2529), Gombojav Zandanshatar (1400), Jan-Krzysztof Duda (GM, 2683), Alexandra Kosteniuk (GM, 2451), Wadim Rosenstein (1721)
2	Hexamind Chess Team	Alireza Firouzja (GM, 2755), Levon Aronian (GM, 2731), Anish Giri (GM, 2689), Santosh Gujrathi Vidit (GM, 2638), Kateryna Lagno (GM, 2435), Platon Panarin (1400), Volodar Murzin (GM, 2602), Divya Deshmukh (GM, 2416), Murat Omarov (1963)
3	Dragon Chilling	Ding Liren (GM, 2737), Wei Yi (GM, 2726), Yu Yangyi (GM, 2671), Lu Shanglei (GM, 2601), Ju Wenjun (GM, 2484), Wang Zihao (1763), Bai Jinshi (GM, 2560), Lei Tingjie (GM, 2494), Xie XiaoYang (1400)
4	Kazchess	Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (GM, 2707), Alexander Grischuk (GM, 2673), Richard Rapport (GM, 2673), Wang Hao (GM, 2667), Bibisara Assaubayeva (GM, 2439), Kumar Tyulyupov (1850), Kazybek Nogerbek (GM, 2538), Aldiyar Ansat (IM, 2421), Meruert Kamalidenova (IM, 2368)
5	Endgame.AI	Leinier Dominguez Perez (GM, 2706), Alexey Sarana (GM, 2660), Hans Moke Niemann (GM, 2646), Denis Lazavik (GM, 2603), Zhu Jiner (GM, 2479), Anh Dung Nguyen (1805), M. Amin Tabatabaei (GM, 2593)
6	Team MGD1	Erigaisi Arjun (GM, 2741), Nihal Sarin (GM, 2682), V Pranav (GM, 2564), Leon Luke Mendonca (GM, 2544), Harika Dronavalli (GM, 2410), Aryan Abhijeet Shah (1903), Abhimanyu Puranik (GM, 2539)
7	Uzbekistan	Javokhir Sindarov (GM, 2727), Nodirbek Abdusattorov (GM, 2703), Nodirbek Yakubboev (GM, 2568), Shamsiddin Vokhidov (GM, 2527), Afruza Khamdamova (WGM, 2367), Akjol Rakhmatullaev (1600), Mukhiddin Madaminov (GM, 2500), Umida Omonova (WGM, 2276)
8	Chess United	Viswanathan Anand (GM, 2729), Jose Eduardo Martinez Alcantara (GM, 2625), Jorden Van Foreest (GM, 2595), Faustino Oro (IM, 2513), Humpy Koneru (GM, 2445), Turgay Seckin Serpil (1855), Roman Shogdzhiev (IM, 2396), Martha L. Fierro Baquero (IM, 2298), Tunde Onakoya (2165)
9	Barys	Peter Svidler (GM, 2680), Dmitry Andreikin (GM, 2673), Denis Makhnev (GM, 2537), Ramazan Zhalmakhanov (GM, 2437), Alua Nurman (IM, 2289), Ailin Zarkym (1935), Daniyal Sapenov (IM, 2406), Ergali Suleimen (IM, 2369), Xeniya Balabayeva (WGM, 2295)
10	Global Ramblers	Alexei Shirov (GM, 2610), Alexander Motylev (GM, 2602), Maksim Chigaev (GM, 2596), Gleb Dudin (GM, 2515), Olga Badelka (IM, 2318), Bagrat Verdiyan (1918), Anna Zatonskih (IM, 2280)
11	Mr Birdie and friends	Vladislav Artemiev (GM, 2735), Samuel Sevian (GM, 2667), Quang Liem Le (GM, 2636), Awonder Liang (GM, 2511), Carissa Yip (IM, 2351), Yunlong Ning (1927)
12	Chessgurukul	Praggnanandhaa R (GM, 2663), Chithambaram VR Aravindh (GM, 2576), Murali Karthikeyan (GM, 2522), Pranesh M (GM, 2521), Rameshbabu Vaishali (GM, 2387), Vishruth B (1827), Rakshitta Ravi (WGM, 2153), Varsha Ramesh (1798)
13	Theme International Trading	Nikolas Theodorou (GM, 2600), Rinat Jumabayev (GM, 2541), Jingyao Tin (GM, 2526), Tuan Minh Le (GM, 2501), Qianyun Gong (WGM, 2134), Changjie Zhang (1606), Yihan Meng (IM, 2476), Wei Ming Kevin Goh (GM, 2348), Teodora Injac (IM, 2299)
14	Odlar Yurdu (Azerbaijan)	Rauf Mamedov (GM, 2594), Aydin Suleymanli (GM, 2535), Ahmad Ahmadzada (GM, 2432), Vugar Manafov (IM, 2400), Nataliya Buksa (IM, 2231), Murad Hashimov (1914), Khazar Babazada (IM, 2396), Gunay Mammadzada (IM, 2307)
15	Qatar Chess Association	Nigel D Short (GM, 2535), Pavel V. Tregubov (GM, 2502), Victor Bologan (GM, 2484), Mohd Al-Mudahka (GM, 2455), Chen Zhu (GM, 2260), Erfan Mohamad Firdaus (CM, 1843), Husain Aziz (IM, 2325), Hamad Al-Kuwari (CM, 1782), Ibrahim Al-Janahi (1727)
16	Schnappi Krokodil Team	Xiangyu Xu (GM, 2605), Di Li (GM, 2432), Changren Dai (GM, 2405), Yuxin Song (IM, 2378), Shengxin Zhao (WFM, 2164), Yingzhou Mao (1980), Yuanhe Zhao (IM, 2352)
17	Shenzhen Qiyu Chess Club	Yunguo Wan (GM, 2495), Chongsheng Zeng (GM, 2484), Qi b Chen (IM, 2444), Haowen Xue (GM, 2442), Yunqing Zhao (WIM, 2008), Liming Zhao (1934), Yiping Lou (IM, 2435), Tony Zhou (1581)
18	Chessnut Nova	Raunak Sadhwani (GM, 2576), Casper Schoppen (GM, 2574), Daniel Dardha (GM, 2569), MarcAndria Maurizzi (GM, 2526), Miaoyi Lu (IM, 2288), Tim Letoret (1759)
19	Sky Chess	Shant Sargsyan (GM, 2616), Andrew Hong (GM, 2557), Aram Hakobyan (GM, 2542), Mukhammadzokhid Suyarov (IM, 2414), Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova (IM, 2314), Akbar Mustafakulov (1696)
20	Interstellar Club	Zhao Jun (GM, 2596), Xiao Tong (GM, 2441), Xu Yi (GM, 2419), Huang Renjie (2415), Gu Xiaobing (WGM, 2130), Xue Kang (1924), Zhang Xiao (WIM, 1987), Luo Zixuan (1673)
21	Indonesia	Utut Adianto Wahjuwidajat (GM, 2566), Susanto Megaranto (GM, 2515), Novendra Priasmoro (GM, 2404), Gilbert Elroy Tarigan (IM, 2284), Laysa Latifah (WIM, 1960), Arjuna Satria Pamungkas (1629), Chelsie Monica Ignesias Sihite (WIM, 2236), Satria Duta Cahaya (IM, 2132), Nayaka Budhidharma (IM, 1988)
22	Red Pseudodragon	Arkadij Naiditsch (GM, 2528), Adelard Bai (IM, 2407), Polina Shuvalova (IM, 2382), Prin Laohawirapap (IM, 2329), Christian Gian Karlo Arca (IM, 2277), Jamison Edrich Kao (CM, 1978), Puxuan Wang (1844), Tian Yi Liu (WCM, 1521)
23	Chess Thulir	Sundar M. Shyam (GM, 2469), Srihari L R (GM, 2383), Ilamparthi A R (GM, 2369), S Aswath (IM, 2352), Prishita Gupta (FM, 2067), Femil Chelladurai (1898), Raahul V S (GM, 2254), Sunyuktha C M N (WFM, 1886), Aadith R (1710)
24	Mongolia-Aldar	Sumiya Bilguun (GM, 2470), Ganzorig Amartuvshin (IM, 2405), Sumiya Chinguun (IM, 2342), Bat-Erdene Mungunzul (WIM, 2334), Batkhuyag Munguntuul (IM, 2298), Batlut Tsogtbayar (1816)
25	Duobeniajan Costa Calida Esj	Jose Carlos Ibarra Jerez (GM, 2535), Jose Fernando Cuenca Jimenez (GM, 2470), Marcos Camacho Collados (IM, 2365), Maria Florencia Fernandez (WIM, 2166), Adhara Rodriguez Redondo (WFM, 2121), Rafael Pujante Martinez (1830), Lucas Torres (1958), Alexandra Aguilera Quiztke (1898), Gabriele Gaviano (1400)
26	Farm – Valera Chess Training	Vasyl Ivanchuk (GM, 2618), Alvar Alonso Rosell (GM, 2503), Daniel Garcia Ramos (IM, 2410), Gines Perez Epinin (2088), Rebeca Jimenez Fernandez (WFM, 2048), Javier Valera Espejo (1921), Javier Valera Aznar (1610)
27	Chongqing Kylin Chess Club	Yan Liu (GM, 2436), Xiongjian Peng (GM, 2384), Xinyang Nie (IM, 2340), Yiyi Xiao (WGM, 2244), Peilin Ye (2039), Yinzhe Zhang (1913), Hongyan Liu (1981), Bei Liu (1963), Hongrui Zhang (1400)
28	Kidult Chess Academy Hong Kong	Nikita Petrov (GM, 2539), Zaur Tekeyev (IM, 2372), Chenxi Zhao (GM, 2333), Xueyi Li (WGM, 2166), Daniel King Wai Lam (FM, 1966), In Hei Henry Ho (FM, 1888), Pui Yin Brandon Chan (CM, 1806), Xuejing Xia (1750), Robinson Yucheng Li (1589)
29	Caissa Hong Kong Chess Club	Alexander Ipatov (GM, 2584), Matthew Tan (IM, 2423), Nomindalai Tumurbaatar (CM, 2179), Emile Boucquet (CM, 2139), Brandon Jun Qiao Fang (1936), Wing Ki Kwong (1922), Kyle Chen (1696), Chi Ngo Chan (1581), Hoi Ting Leung (WCM, 1577)
30	Fearless Knights of Hong Kong China Chess School	Yang-Fan Zhou (IM, 2454), Rui Gao (GM, 2443), Mo Zhai (WGM, 2355), Ho Cheung Wong (FM, 1968), Lin Zhaochen (1954), Chun Yung Samuel Lam (FM, 1948), Ho Man Tong (1677), Kwan Yat Calix Leung (1643), Nathaniel Sheung Him Wong (1590)
31	May Wind Newbies	Yanbin Wang (IM, 2373), Tao Pang (GM, 2333), Tianqi Yan (WIM, 2237), Wenxiang Li (IM, 2174), Yukun Wang (FM, 2033), Xuhui Bai (1958), Hanxue Gao (1899)
32	Malaysia Chess Hub	Li Tian Yeoh (GM, 2421), Yinn Long Wong (FM, 2257), Kavin Mohan (FM, 2240), Hafizulhelmi Mas (IM, 2201), Ainul Mardhiah Mohd Afif (WFM, 1796), Mohd Adam Hafiz Jafri Malim (1786), Jun Ying Tan (IM, 2123), Yi Chen Chow (CM, 1928)
33	The Chess Academy Hong Kong Team B	David Shengelia (GM, 2458), Manuel Pena Gomez (GM, 2387), Ulysse Bottazzi (FM, 2161), Niilo Man Nissinen (FM, 2120), Jenny Astrid Chirivi C (WIM, 2038), Justin Hong-Chen Cheng (1844), Xuqian Ben Han (1731)
34	Ashgabat	Maksat Atabayev (GM, 2436), Amanmuhammet Hommadov (FM, 2241), Shahruh Turayev (2167), Karen Grigoryan (IM, 2043), Lala Shohradova (WFM, 2035), Ahmet Odeyev (1864), Leyla Shohradova (WCM, 2014), Vepaly Halynyazov (2011), Iskendershyh Agalyyev (1816)
35	Perfect	Valery Atlas (IM, 2410), Andrey Alekseev (IM, 2276), Victor Kurochkin (2247), Gennadie Slavin (2151), Elena Nekrasova (WFM, 1906), Valerii Myndru (1400), Mikhail Pleshkov (1860)
36	The Chess Academy Hong Kong Team A	Jaime Alexander Cuartas (GM, 2441), Andres Felipe Gallego Alcaraz (GM, 2370), Andres F Escobar Medina (FM, 2205), Melissa Castrillon Gomez (WIM, 2065), Yiheng Li (CM, 1942), Paul Ashton Nguyen (1732), Krishiv Shah (1763), Chloe Hailey Lau (1676)
37	Blue Bulldogs	Sandeep Sethuraman (IM, 2418), Tom OGorman (IM, 2272), Maximillian Lu (IM, 2263), Ashvin Sivakumar (FM, 2124), Alice OGorman (1966), Ching Yin Law (1517)
38	Wizard Manpower – Pilipinas	Michael Jr. Concio (IM, 2397), Alekhine Nouri (FM, 2253), Phil Martin Casiguran (2180), Io Aristotle Nikolai Calica (1942), Vincent Ryu Dimayuga (1910), Mhage Gerriahlou Sebastian (1823)
39	Scholastic Anichess HK	Olexandr Bortnyk (GM, 2609), Aleksandr Shimanov (GM, 2584), Pavel Martynov (FM, 2258), Marco Da Silva (1697), Ozias Avdian (1587), Jayendra Saloni Anandpara (WCM, 1556), Amartya Shiv Agarwal (1640), Chung Kiu Lau (1608), Lincoln Or (1524)
40	Street Chess Canberra	Heather S Richards (WIM, 2140), Harry Press (2124), Frederick Litchfield (FM, 2107), Ryan Lane (CM, 1972), Chao Xin Cheng (WFM, 1940), Miles Patterson (1881), Matt Radisich (1782), Lee Forace (1683)
41	C.A. Silla Integrant Col-lectius	Ruben Domingo Nunez (IM, 2423), Jose Antonio Garcia Domingo (CM, 2144), Alejandro Yuste Valenzuela (2116), Ruben Gonzalvez Tamarit (2044), Paula Suarez Gomez (WFM, 1802), Pablo Arres Larrosa (1625), Pedro Larrosa Sanchez (1603)
42	Chess In Shanghai	Felipe Hurtado (2102), Arnaud Plessis (2030), Yijing Yang (WCM, 2019), Alexander Karaivanov (1897), Oleksandr Prach (1893), Xiaohang Yang (1707), Rui Zhang (1795), William Ge (CM, 1776)
43	Team Pacman Chess Association	Daniel Quizon (GM, 2349), Mark Jay Bacojo (IM, 2239), Ruelle Canino (WIM, 2016), Diovic Nalam (1835), Orly Ortega (1789), Emmanuel Sr. Pacquiao (1400), Arman Arca (1400)