DAZN broadcasting Total Chess pilot event

DAZN is streaming the Total Chess World Championship Tour’s pilot event in Budapest this month. 

The competition has been developed by Norway Chess and approved by FIDE, and will see world no.1 Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So,Vincent Keymer, Hans Niemann, R Praggnanandha, and more compete across Fast Classic, Rapid and Blitz. It hopes to crown an “ultimate” world chess champion by introducing a unified format to the sport. 

Its pilot event is taking place at the Anantara New York Palace Budapest Hotel from 10-20 November, and DAZN is live streaming it across over 200 territories around the globe. A full tour is planned for 2027. 

Kjell Madland, CEO of Total Chess, said: “Partnering with DAZN for our Pilot is an exciting milestone for Total Chess. We are building a new world championship that brings together three formats of chess to identify the most complete player in the world, and we want to present that competition to audiences far beyond the traditional chess community. DAZN’s global reach gives us an outstanding platform to introduce this concept to fans around the world. Budapest is the first step in our journey to create a new global spectacle for chess.”

Shay Segev, CEO of DAZN Group, said: “Chess has a passionate global following and tremendous potential to reach new audiences through innovative competition and compelling storytelling. Total Chess introduces an innovative approach to elite chess, and we are pleased to partner with the Pilot. Through DAZN’s international platform, we look forward to bringing this exciting event to fans and helping showcase the next chapter in the sport’s evolution.”