{"id":4374,"date":"2026-07-22T18:43:53","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T16:43:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/skolasachu.com\/?p=4374"},"modified":"2026-07-22T18:43:53","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T16:43:53","slug":"a-classic-check-for-sale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/skolasachu.com\/en\/klasicky-sach-na-prodej\/","title":{"rendered":"Classical chess for sale?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sometimes it pays off to leaf through old chess magazines. Sometime in the mid-nineties, I read an interview with the then young Kazakh grandmaster Vladislav Tkachev, who was just entering the world elite. I remember only one thought from it \u2013 but it was absolutely precise.<\/p>\n

At that time, Tkachev declared that classical chess should give way to a faster, more dynamic format. Back then, rapid was called active chess<\/strong> and games lasted about thirty minutes per game. In his opinion, this format should become the new form of top-level chess, while blitz would actually take over the role of rapid.<\/p>\n

To the objection that such a shortening of time would inevitably lead to a decline in the quality of games, he replied with disarming certainty: \u201eNot at all. Higher concentration during the game will compensate for the lost time!\u201c<\/strong><\/p>\n

I do not hide that at the time I considered this opinion a whim of a talented youngster. And I was not alone. Few people then thought that such considerations could one day become part of FIDE\u2019s official policy.<\/p>\n

About thirty years have passed. And suddenly we find ourselves almost in the same place.<\/p>\n

I do not consider FIDE\u2019s decision to include the time control 45 minutes + 30 seconds per move<\/strong> (of course for the entire game) among classical time controls as a mere rule adjustment. In my opinion, it is a step that can fundamentally change the very essence of classical chess \u2013 a game that for more than a hundred years has been regarded not only as a sport but also as a form of science and art.<\/p>\n

So what does the FIDE leadership and President Arkadij Dvorkovich plan?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Changes in the competition system<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

The competition system for the World Championship title 2026-2028 will undergo the following changes:<\/p>\n

Qualification for the 2028 Candidates Tournament<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

The eight participants of the 2028 Candidates Tournament will come from these four qualification paths:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Qualification path<\/strong><\/td>\nNumber of places<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
FIDE Grand Swiss 2027<\/td>\n2<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Total Chess World Championship Tour 2026\u20132027<\/td>\n2<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
FIDE World Cup 2027<\/td>\n2<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
FIDE Circuit 2026\u20132027<\/td>\n2<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Total: 8 players<\/strong><\/p>\n

What has changed compared to the 2024\u20132026 cycle?<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

Overview of the most important changes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
2024\u20132026 cycle<\/strong><\/td>\n2026\u20132028 cycle<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Grand Swiss \u2013 2 places<\/strong><\/td>\n2 places<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
World Cup \u2013 3 places<\/strong><\/td>\n2 places<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
FIDE Circuit \u2013 2 places<\/strong><\/td>\n2 places<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Rating place \u2013 1 player<\/strong><\/td>\ncancelled<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Total Chess Tour \u2013 did not exist<\/td>\n2 new places<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

This results in four fundamental novelties:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • the qualifying place by rating was cancelled<\/strong>,<\/li>\n
  • World Cup lost one qualifying place<\/strong> (from three to two),<\/li>\n
  • FIDE Circuit \u2013 the 2 best results over a two-year period count<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • a completely new qualification path<\/strong> became Total Chess World Championship Tour 2026\u20132027<\/strong>, from which the two best players in the overall ranking will qualify.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    This last change \u2013 the so-called absolute world champion \u2013 will be the most significant in the long term. For the first time, FIDE has created a separate two-year series, which becomes one of the main pillars in the fight for the world championship title.<\/p>\n

    In the next step, let us take a detailed look at the new definition of classical time control<\/strong>, because it is closely related to the functioning of this \u201eTour\u201c and represents the second major change simultaneously approved by FIDE.<\/p>\n

    New time control<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

    Below I present the text in a deliberately descriptive and neutral form. The evaluation of the system and criticism can be found by the reader below<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    FIDE introduces a new classical time control 45 + 30<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

    By decision of the FIDE Council, one of the most significant changes in classical chess rules in more than a century has taken place. Alongside adjustments to the World Championship qualification system, the definition of classical (standard) time control, i.e. so-called serious games, has been newly expanded.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Until now, the classical time control was considered to be primarily<\/strong> a time control of the type 90 minutes + 30 minutes until move 40, a time control with an additional 30 minutes + 30 seconds increment per move<\/strong>, or other time controls meeting the minimum time limits set by FIDE.<\/p>\n

    However, the new rules allow games played at the time control<\/p>\n

    45 minutes for the entire game plus 30 seconds increment per move (45 + 30).<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    to be considered classical (standard-rated) games. This time control represents approximately half the time of the previously minimum classical controls used, yet the results of these games will be included in the FIDE classical (Standard) rating. FIDE refers to this format as Fast Classical \u2013 rapid classical<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    Why did FIDE accept this change?<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

    According to published materials, FIDE pursues several goals:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • to shorten the length of top-level tournaments,<\/li>\n
    • to increase the attractiveness of competitions for spectators and organisers,<\/li>\n
    • to enable more rounds to be played in a shorter time,<\/li>\n
    • to unify the rules for newly emerging elite competitions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
      Where will the new time control appear?<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

      FIDE's decision was not only a change in rating regulations. The new time control has also been incorporated into top-level world chess competitions. The most important examples are:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • Total Chess World Championship Tour<\/strong>, whose classical section will be played at the time control 45 + 30<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
      • FIDE World Cup 2027<\/strong>, and the newly introduced initial \u201eSwiss phase\u201c will also use the time control 45 + 30<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Thus, the 45 + 30 time control is not just an experiment, but part of the official system of top-level world chess!<\/span><\/p>\n

        Practical significance<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

        The new 45 + 30 time control is therefore not an isolated change in rating rules. On the contrary, it directly affects qualification for the World Championship.<\/p>\n

        Of the four main qualification paths, two will either directly use the time control 45 + 30<\/strong>, or will include tournaments played at this time control. In other words, the new definition of classical chess becomes one of the fundamental building blocks of the entire 2026\u20132028 championship cycle.<\/p>\n

        The changes were well summarised in a short video on ChessBase India by Sagar Shah:<\/p>\n