World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen will headline the Super Rapid tournament at the 2026 London Chess Classic (LCC), scheduled for December 5 and 6 at Novotel London West. The five-time classical World Champion will use the event as preparation for the defence of his World Rapid and Blitz titles in Istanbul after Christmas.Carlsen has a strong record at the London Chess Classic, having won the Masters title four times, more than any other player. He will face a competitive field featuring France’s Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Dutch No. 1 Anish Giri and India’s Nihal Sarin.They will be joined by the nine Grandmasters competing in the LCC Masters, led by World No. 5 Nodirbek Abdusattorov, as well as players from the Challengers and several top seeds from the LCC Swiss. English chess prodigy Bodhana Sivanandan, who recently became the youngest Woman Grandmaster in history, is also set to compete.
Open event offers chance to face Carlsen
Unlike invitation-only competitions, the Super Rapid is an open event, allowing players of different skill levels to enter and potentially face Carlsen.“The Super Rapid tournament offers amateur chess players of all standards a unique chance not only to play in the same event as a true chess legend, but also to possibly play against Carlsen in one of the early rounds. The Swiss format for the draw means that in the first couple of games Carlsen is likely to be playing a much lower-rated opponent,” the organisers of LCC informed on Monday.The Super Rapid will be the final competitive event of this year’s London Chess Classic.The festival will begin with an opening ceremony and draw at the historic Tower of London, while most matches will take place at Novotel London West in Hammersmith.
What else is on at the London Chess Classic?
The LCC features several events for players of different levels.The Masters is an invitation-only round-robin tournament involving 10 top Grandmasters, including defending champion Abdusattorov, Levon Aronian and Nihal Sarin.The Challengers is another invitation-only event, giving emerging players an opportunity to qualify for next year’s Masters.Meanwhile, the nine-round classical LCC Swiss is open to players seeking International Master and Grandmaster norms.
