The Total Chess World Championship Tour unveiled a unified rating system on 14 October, combining classical, rapid, and blitz ratings into a single Elo-based measure to assess players’ overall strength across formats.
The Total Chess Rating, developed by Dr Mehmet Mars Seven of King’s College London in collaboration with Norway Chess, uses a mathematical formula to average players’ FIDE classical, rapid, and blitz ratings. Unlike a simple average, the system accounts for the logarithmic nature of Elo ratings, ensuring a more accurate representation of playing strength. Magnus Carlsen leads the initial pilot ranking with 2830 points, followed by Hikaru Nakamura (2779) and Nodirbek Abdusattorov (2774). Alireza Firouzja occupies fourth place with 2765, while Javokhir Sindarov completes the top five on 2753. Arjun Erigaisi, the highest-placed Indian, ranks sixth with 2751 points.
Unifying Chess Ratings
The system converts each rating into a strength value, averages those, and converts the result back into an Elo rating. For example, Carlsen’s ratings of 2823 (classical), 2801 (rapid), and 2860 (blitz) yield a Total Chess Rating of 2830. This is slightly higher than his arithmetic average of 2828. The method ensures equal weight for all three formats while reflecting the exponential growth of strength on the Elo scale. Arjun Erigaisi’s classical rating of 2746, rapid of 2740, and blitz of 2766 produce a Total Chess Rating of 2751, matching his 1 October 2026 listing. His plain average of 2751 (8252 ÷ 3 = 2750.7) aligns with the formula because his ratings are closely clustered.
The Total Chess Rating is separate from official FIDE ratings and does not affect them. It is calculated using a formula that addresses the logarithmic nature of Elo gaps, ensuring consistency across formats. A 100-point difference in Total Chess Ratings corresponds to an expected score of approximately 64% for the higher-rated player. The pilot phase includes the top 100 players based on FIDE ratings as of 1 October 2026, with the system’s methodology detailed in the official proposal.
Public feedback is invited until 6 November. Broader consultation is open until 24 December. FIDE will observe the pilot during the Budapest event (10–21 November), where players and stakeholders will discuss the system. The ranking is separate from official FIDE ratings and does not alter them. The pilot aims to refine the methodology. Individuals, including players, mathematicians, and chess enthusiasts, are invited to provide feedback to Dr. Mehmet Mars Seven via mehmet.mars.seven@kcl.ac.uk, with a copy sent to info@totalchess.com.
Pilot Launch and Feedback
Total Chess has released an initial list of 100 players. These players are determined by their FIDE ratings as of 1 October 2026. The full top 100 list is available on the Total Chess website, with additional details on the formula and its mathematical reasoning. The system’s pilot stage includes the Budapest event, with the goal of gathering input to inform future adjustments.
Arjun Erigaisi’s placement as the highest-placed Indian in the pilot ranking highlights the system’s focus on global participation. Other Indian players include Praggnanandhaa at tenth, Nihal Sarin and Anand at 15th and 16th, Gukesh at 26th, and Vidit at 35th. The system’s formula, which converts each rating into a strength value before averaging, ensures that disparities in performance across formats are accurately represented.
After the pilot and consultation phase, Total Chess plans to issue review findings and any major changes to the calculation process by early 2027. The Total Chess World Championship Tour emphasizes that the new rating is not an official FIDE rating and will not interfere with existing FIDE lists. Instead, it aims to complement them by offering a unified metric for multi-format performance.