Dragon Chilling were crowned champions of the 2026 FIDE World Team Rapid Championship after a dramatic final-day battle in Hong Kong. The Chinese side, led by Ding Liren and featuring top grandmasters Wei Yi, Yu Yangyi, Lu Shanglei, Bai Jinshi, reigning Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun, Lei Tingjie, Wang Zihao, Xie Xiaoyang and team captain Ni Hua, clinched the title on tie-breaks after finishing level on 18 match points with Team MGD1 and Hexamind.
Ding Liren delivered a crucial victory in the final round as Dragon Chilling secured the result they needed to stay in the title race. Defending champions Team MGD1, powered by Indian stars Arjun Erigaisi, Nihal Sarin, Pranav V, Leon Luke Mendonça, Abhimanyu Puranik, Harika Dronavalli and Aryan Abhijeet Shah, finished second.
Hexamind, featuring a star-studded line-up of Alireza Firouzja, Levon Aronian, Anish Giri, Vidit Gujrathi, Volodar Murzin, Kateryna Lagno, Divya Deshmukh and Daria Panarina, claimed third place after also ending the tournament on 18 match points.
One of the biggest surprises of the championship was the performance of Mr Birdie and Friends, who remained in contention for the title until the final round. Meanwhile, WR Chess, despite fielding a formidable squad that included Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Hou Yifan and Alexandra Kosteniuk, endured a disappointing campaign. Carlsen’s four-game losing streak became one of the most unexpected stories of the tournament.
With the Rapid Championship concluded, attention now turns to the FIDE World Team Blitz Championship.
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