Chess: Magnus Carlsen returns for Budapest battle before Sindarov targets classical crown

The world No 1, Magnus Carlsen, will be the top seed and favourite for the Total Chess championship in Budapest, where he will take the event more seriously than any since defending his world classical title in 2021. The Norwegian grandmaster has been training in Spain with world No 5 Nodirbek Abdusattorov, his coach Peter Heine Nielsen, and commentator David Howell.

Championship Calendar

The Budapest tournament runs from 10-20 November, combining fast classical, rapid and blitz segments. This will be followed by the Gukesh Dommaraju v Javokhir Sindarov Fide World Championship match in Geneva between 24 November and 12 December, featuring 14 games of classical chess.

The traditional London Classic at the Novotel West in Hammersmith will also start on 24 November and continue until 7 December. Abdusattorov is the overwhelming favourite in London, so Carlsen can comfortably share opening secrets with the Uzbek grandmaster.

Sindarov's Brilliance

Challenger Javokhir Sindarov delivered a spectacular performance at Saint Louis before the world title contest, winning a major brilliancy against world No 2 Hikaru Nakamura. He finished first in a quadrangular rapid tournament against Nakamura and world Nos 3 and 7, Fabiano Caruana and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu.

British Chess Success

GM Gawain Jones won the English Championship for a fourth time at Peterborough, after his rival IM Jonah Willow blundered in a winning position. Final scores were Jones 7.5/9, with GM Michael Adams, IM Brandon Clarke and GM Danny Gormally on 6.5.

Jones also won the English Blitz Championship, scoring 12/15, while IM Marcus Harvey won the English Rapid Championship. Other names to watch in London include India's Nihal Sarin, US talent Andy Woodward, and Ukraine's Ihor Samunenkov.

Rising Stars

England's No 3 junior Sohum Lohia, 17, is in search of his first GM norm, having begun with 4/5 in the Bavarian Open. GM Keith Arkell, who raised £3,000 via GoFundMe, shares the lead in the World Over-65 Championship after three rounds.

The chess community also mourned Bernard Cafferty, who died aged 92. The longtime British Chess Magazine editor translated Alexander Kotov's bestseller 'Think like a Grandmaster' into English and was British Lightning Champion a record four times in succession.