{
  "id": 19076349,
  "title": "As Magnus Carlsen and 23 others await, Total Chess chief defends fast classical stage",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/as-magnus-carlsen-and-23-others-await-total-chess-chief-defends-fast",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-11-09T02:40:58.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Times of India",
    "slug": "times-of-india",
    "url": "https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/chess/as-magnus-carlsen-and-23-others-await-total-chess-chief-defends-fast-classical-only-group-stage-good-way-to-do-it-exclusive/articleshow/135668698.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen and 23 other chess grandmasters are preparing to compete in the Total Chess World Championship Tour pilot in Budapest, Hungary. However, the event's format has been met with questions due to the fact that only the top four players from each of the four groups will qualify for the semi-finals, while the remaining 20 players will not compete in the rapid or blitz stages. Total Chess World Championship chief Kjell Madland defended the format, explaining that the fast classical stage is relatively new and the pilot stage allows for testing and evaluation of the new time control. The tournament begins on November 10 at the Anantara New York Palace in Budapest.",
  "summary": "Total Chess chief Kjell Madland has defended the pilot tournament’s fast classical-only group stage, insisting all 24 players will compete across formats until the final day. The Budapest event opens with a nine-round blitz tournament, followed by a fast classical group stage that decides the four semi-finalists, with all three formats used in the knockouts. Madland said the format aims to…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}