Alice Lee wins a close match and advances to the Quarterfinals against Ju Wenjun! #SpeedChess

Congratulations to Dragon Chilling and everyone involved in organising the FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Team Championship in Hong Kong. ♟️🇭🇰 This event has a special meaning for me because it started as my idea in 2022. I believed there was space in chess for a different kind of team competition: international, dynamic, attractive for players, and engaging for fans. At the time, not everyone was convinced that a global Rapid & Blitz Team Championship could become an important event in world chess. Some felt the concept was too ambitious. I saw it differently. In 2023, we brought the first edition to life in Düsseldorf, turning that vision into reality. Today, it is inspiring to see how the event continues to grow and establish itself on the international chess calendar. For me, this is exactly what WR Chess is about: creating serious, high-level chess projects that respect the sport, support the players, and bring chess closer to new audiences. Chess has enormous tradition, but it also has still room for new ideas. I am proud to see this event continue its journey and grateful to everyone helping it develop further. Now it’s time to fly back home! P.S. WR Chess Team - thank you for making sure nobody accuses us of winning every tournament. 😉 Next year, let’s return to normal, please)

We arrived! 🇭🇰🌏 WR Chess Team is ready to fight for the World Championship in Hong Kong. On 16 June at 09:45 AM, the Rosewood Hotel will host the only official press conference featuring Magnus Carlsen during his stay in Hong Kong. For the first time ever, World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen and World Championship Challenger Javokhir Sindarov will appear together at the same press conference. In addition, the entire WR Chess Team will be present: ♟️ Magnus Carlsen – Five-time World Champion and the highest-rated player in chess history. ♟️ Fabiano Caruana – Former World Championship Challenger and one of the strongest players of his generation. ♟️ Javokhir Sindarov – Official World Championship Challenger and one of the brightest young stars in world chess. ♟️ Wesley So – Fischer Random World Champion and one of the world’s leading grandmasters. ♟️ Maxime Vachier-Lagrave – Former World Blitz Champion and one of the most dynamic attacking players in modern chess. ♟️ Jan-Krzysztof Duda – World Cup winner and one of the strongest players in the world. ♟️ Alexandra Kosteniuk – Former Women’s World Champion and one of the most recognizable ambassadors of chess. ♟️ Aleksandra Goryachkina – Women’s World Championship Challenger and one of the strongest female players in the world. ♟️ H.E. Zandanshatar Gombojav – 34th Prime Minister of Mongolia and member of the WR Chess Team. ♟️ Jan Gustafsson – Team Captain, Grandmaster, commentator, and former second to Magnus Carlsen in World Championship matches. ♟️ Wadim Rosenstein – Founder of WR Chess and Chairman of WR Group Holding. Hong Kong is set to become the global capital of chess as the world’s best players gather for the FIDE World Team Rapid & Blitz Chess Championships 2026. We look forward to welcoming media representatives, partners, and chess fans from around the world. See you in Hong Kong. 🇭🇰🌏♟️ @MagnusCarlsen @FabianoCaruana @GMJSindarov @Zandanshatar @Vachier_Lagrave @GMJanGustafsson @chessqueen @WesleySo_ @GM_JKDuda

【女性限定・連盟会員限定】 元女子世界チャンピオンのGM Alexandra Kosteniuk @chessqueenによる同時対局イベントを開催します。 世界のトップ選手と直接対局できる貴重な機会です。ぜひご参加ください！ 定員16名となっておりますので、お早めにお申し込みください。 詳細：japanchess.org/2026/05/simul…

Strategy. Precision. Competition. Check out the 64 Chess direct invitations through the ENC rankings.

June 6–7. Tokyo, Japan. We are proud to confirm the first three players for the WR Women's Chess Tour. Vaishali Rameshbabu, fresh from winning the Candidates Tournament. Alexandra Kosteniuk (@chessqueen), former World Champion. Antoaneta Stefanova, former World Champion in classical and rapid chess. Japan is hosting a top-tier women's chess event for the first time. We plan to make it count. More announcements to follow.

June 6–7. Tokyo, Japan. Mark your calendars. The first edition of the WR Chess Women’s Tour 2026 is coming to Japan. Four invited players, three top-rated players from Asia, and one winner of the online qualifier will compete for the title. More details about the qualifier will follow shortly. We are proud to bring our chess initiative to Japan 🇯🇵 - a country we are already connected to through our own presence. Chess offers a unique platform that aligns closely with the philosophy and discipline behind many of Japan’s leading companies. We would be honored to engage with leaders such as @ToyotaMotorCorp @Sony @SoftBank @panasonic @Nintendo @RakutenJP @Hitachi @Fujitsu_Global @Honda @NissanMotor @Canon @Kirin_Company @asahigroupjapan @UNIQLO_JP @MHI_Group @mitsuiandco @Sumitomo_SA @official_kddi @docomo to explore the potential of chess as a global platform. We welcome you to join us for this event in Tokyo. Feel free to contact me directly. Let’s build something meaningful together and unite chess worldwide.

We are happy to introduce the beginning of a new chapter for women in chess – the WR Women’s Chess Tour! This initiative is inspired by the 12th Women’s World Chess Champion, Alexandra Kosteniuk, and supported by the 13th Women’s World Chess Champion, Hou Yifan, two leading figures in modern chess. A global system. A unified calendar. Qualification open to all. Year-round competition. We are building a global system that promotes women in chess. We are ready to invest, organize, and develop it sustainably. Mark your calendars for the inaugural events of the WR Chess Women’s Tour 2026: •Asia: June 5-8, 2026 •The Americas: June 30 -July 3, 2026 •Africa: August 20-23, 2026 •Europe: August 24-27, 2026 Followed by the Grand Final at the end of the year. The specific locations will be announced at a later stage. The total prize fund for the 2026 Tour is $200,000. If a country wishes to host one of the five tournaments next year 2027, please send me a direct message. This is not a short-term project. Nothing like this has existed in a truly global format. We are making a change right now! We invite top women streamers and all those who want to support women in chess to reach out and join this initiative. The more support it receives, the stronger it becomes – for all of us. Let’s build it together! Visit the link below for more information and tournament regulations. wr-chess.com/news/wr-women-s…