2025 FIDE Rapid & Blitz Team Championships: Erigaisi’s MGD1 in knockouts, chases historic double

Arjun Erigaisi’s Team MGD1 and Viswanathan Anand’s Freedom powered into the knockouts on Day 1 of the Blitz leg at the 2025 FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Team Championships. Freedom advanced from Pool B along with Hexamind Chess Team, Theme International Trading, and Malcolm’s Mates.

MGD1, which won the Rapid leg in historic fashion, made it through a challenging Pool D, joined by KazChess, Hetman GKS Katowice, and Barys.kz. Pool A qualifiers were WR Chess, Ashdod Elit Chess Club, Knight Dance, and FIDE Management Board. Pool C saw Uzbekistan, Germany and Friends, Rookies, and Generation XYZA make the cut.

Also read | Indian boxer Nishant Dev wins second pro bout by unanimous decision

What happens next?

With the pool stage complete, the tournament now enters the knockout phase. Here’s what lies ahead:

– The 16 qualified teams (top four from each pool) will battle it out in a single-elimination format.

– Each encounter consists of two games, with players alternating colours.

– The time control is 3+2.

And if teams are tied?

– If a match ends level, teams will play up to three additional matches at 3+2, alternating colours each time, until a match is decided.

– If still tied after three matches, a sudden-death game follows: a random pair of players (who’ve already faced each other) contest a bidding Armageddon game starting at 4+2.

The tournament is taking place at the Novotel London West in London, England. WR Chess. The Blitz title last year was won by WR Chess, led by Magnus Carlsen, who is absent this year.