Announcing The 2022 FIDE Fischer Random World Chess Championship

Chess.com is excited to announce that the FIDE Fischer Random World Championship is back, brought to you by the Government of Iceland and the City of Reykjavik! Top players from around the world will compete in a series of classical Fischer Random games for their share of the $400,000 prize fund and the title of FIDE Fischer Random World Champion.

The first qualifier starts on August 22 at 9 a.m. PT/18:00 CEST on Chess.com. Any titled player can participate in the qualifiers for a spot at the championship, which will happen on October 25-30 in Reykjavik, Iceland, and their share of the $2,500 qualifier prize fund.

Fischer Random (also known as Chess960) is one of the most popular chess variants in the world. In it, all standard chess rules are the same, except for the starting position of the pieces, which can be in one of 960 semi-random setups. Heavily endorsed by the 11th world champion GM Bobby Fischer, the variant sidesteps opening preparation to highlight players' true understanding of chess.

The last time a Fischer Random world championship happened was in 2019. During that event, GM Wesley So defeated GM Magnus Carlsen to become the first official Fischer Random world champion.

Now, both super-grandmasters are returning to play in the championship in Reykjavik alongside Iceland's number-one player GM Hjorvar Steinn Gretarsson. While So will be fighting to keep his crown, Carlsen will be playing to win the only FIDE world title missing in his illustrious career.

Make sure you tune in to Chess.com/TV, our Twitch channel, or to YouTube.com/ChesscomLive to enjoy our live broadcast of the qualifiers, with expert commentary and a live camera feed from the playing hall. And if you're a FIDE-titled player, make sure you play in the qualifiers right here on Chess.com for your chance to play in Reykjavik against Gretarsson, So, and Carlsen.