Total Chess has unveiled an accomplished broadcast team and a new dedicated highlight show for its upcoming pilot event in Budapest, bringing together some of the most recognised voices in chess to deliver comprehensive coverage of the competition.
Renowned chess creator and International Master Levy Rozman, popularly known as GothamChess, will lead the newly developed Total Chess Highlight Show, serving as its principal presenter. The show will feature player interviews, conversations with special guests, analysis and coverage of the tournament’s defining moments and emerging storylines.
The tournament’s main broadcast will feature an experienced presenting and commentary team comprising Anna Rudolf, Fiona Steil-Antoni, David Howell and Jovanka Houska. In addition to her broadcast role, Rudolf will report directly from the venue in Budapest, offering viewers behind-the-scenes access, exclusive on-site content and a closer look at the players and personalities shaping the competition.
The Total Chess World Championship Tour pilot, taking place from November 10–20, 2026, at the Anantara New York Palace Budapest Hotel, will bring together 24 of the world’s leading chess players for a unique competition across Blitz, Rapid and Fast Classic formats. With reigning world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen among the leading contenders, the event will showcase an innovative format that brings together the world’s best players to compete across three time controls, laying the groundwork for the Tour’s inaugural season in 2027.
Speaking about his involvement, Rozman said: “Chess is entering an incredibly exciting new era, and I’m thrilled to be part of the very first Total Chess Pilot event in Budapest. We’re bringing together the world’s best players, intense competition, and a completely new way of telling the stories behind the games. With our daily highlights show, we want to go beyond traditional chess coverage — bringing fans closer to the players, the rivalries, the drama, and the personalities that make this game so special. It’s going to be entertaining, unpredictable, and a lot of fun. I can’t wait!”
The introduction of the Total Chess Highlight Show marks a new dimension in the Tour’s content strategy. Led by Rozman, the show will complement the main tournament broadcast with a personality-driven format featuring interviews with competing players, guest appearances, discussion of the tournament’s biggest stories and analysis of the moments that matter most. The aim is to offer fans a deeper connection with the players and the narratives unfolding throughout the event.
Anna Rudolf, who will combine her broadcast responsibilities with on-site coverage from Budapest, said:
“I’m so excited to be the on-site host of the upcoming Total Chess event in Budapest — Magnus Carlsen will be challenged by the world’s very best, to prove who is the strongest at all three different time controls in chess!”
She added, “A Tour that brings Magnus Carlsen back to compete in a new format that tests the very best across three time controls? What else can we ask for! The Total Chess Tour, and the pilot event starting this November, is an absolute must to follow. I’m so honoured to bring the viewers all the action from Budapest together with my buddy Levy Rozman (aka GothamChess).”
Kjell Madland, CEO of Norway Chess and Founder of Total Chess, said:
“Total Chess is about more than determining who is the strongest player across three time controls. We want to create a global chess property that brings the game closer to audiences everywhere, combining world-class competition with compelling storytelling and fresh perspectives. Our main broadcast will bring together an outstanding team of experienced presenters and commentators, while the Total Chess Highlight Show, led by Levy Rozman, will give fans a fresh and engaging way to follow the tournament’s biggest stories and personalities. The Budapest pilot is an exciting milestone as we build towards the inaugural Total Chess World Championship Tour season in 2027.”
Together, the main broadcast and the Total Chess Highlight Show reflect the Tour’s ambition to develop a comprehensive viewing experience that appeals to established chess fans while engaging a broader global audience. By combining live tournament coverage and expert commentary with dedicated storytelling, player access and post-match insights, Total Chess aims to bring the intensity and personalities of elite chess to viewers around the world.
Conceptualised by Norway Chess and sanctioned by the International Chess Federation (FIDE), the Total Chess World Championship Tour is a new global chess property designed to identify the world’s most complete chess player across three time controls — Fast Classic, Rapid and Blitz. The Budapest pilot will serve as a test event for the format and broadcast offering ahead of the Tour’s inaugural global season, planned for March 2027.
With an elite international field, an innovative competitive format and two complementary video products, the Budapest pilot marks an important step in Total Chess’s ambition to redefine how the world’s best chess players compete — and how audiences experience the game.
About the format
The Total Chess World Championship Tour Pilot introduces a ground-breaking competition format designed to identify the world’s most complete chess player by combining Fast Classic, Rapid and Blitz into a single championship. The pilot event will bring together 24 elite players, who will begin the tournament in a group stage comprising four groups of six players each. Every group follows a double round-robin format over five days, with players contesting ten Fast Classical games (45 minutes plus a 30-second increment). Victories earn three points, while draws are worth one point. A nine-round Blitz Swiss tournament held before the competition determines tie-break rankings.
Following the group stage, players progress into knockout brackets based on their finishing positions. Each knockout match is played over two days and tests competitors across all three disciplines—four Blitz games (3+2), two Rapid games (15+10) and one Fast Classical game (45+30)—with weighted scoring rewarding success in longer formats.
The four highest-ranked players across the Tour qualify for the Grand Final, where semifinals and the championship match determine the inaugural FIDE World Combined Champion. Should a knockout match remain tied, an Armageddon game is used to decide the winner, ensuring every contest produces a definitive result. The format rewards consistency, versatility and excellence across every major discipline of elite chess.
