Total Chess Partners with DAZN for Budapest Pilot

The Total Chess World Championship Tour, developed by Norway Chess and approved by FIDE, has announced DAZN as its official streaming partner for the upcoming Pilot which will be held in Budapest, Hungary, marking a significant milestone in the evolution of chess as a global spectator sport.

The partnership brings together a pioneering new championship concept and one of the world’s leading sports streaming platforms, creating an opportunity to showcase elite chess to a wider international audience. With DAZN available in more than 200 countries and territories, the collaboration represents an important step in Total Chess’s ambition to make the game more accessible, engaging and globally relevant.

Taking place from November 10–20, 2026, at the Anantara New York Palace Budapest Hotel, the Budapest Pilot will bring together 24 of the world’s leading players including world no.1 Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So,Vincent Keymer, Hans Niemann, R Praggnanandha to compete across Fast Classic, Rapid and Blitz. The event will test the Tour’s innovative format ahead of the inaugural global season, scheduled to begin in March 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.”