More World Championships, Less Problems

Devalue, deschmalue

Chess has been held back for too long by having just “one” World Champion. FIDE has bravely made attempts to rectify the situation by introducing Rapid & Blitz World Champions but it’s just not enough. There are just too many very, very good players to fight over a measly 3 titles.

FIDE’s plan to allow chess.com to hold its own World Championship (rapid & over the board) is perfect. It opens the door to as many World Championships as the chess world can handle - ideally, even more than that. My understanding is that some of the following suggestions may become reality very soon.

The British World Championship

The British Championships is a long-running and well-respected tournament. It’s been going for over 100 years (I am not checking) but it’s 2022 now. It needs a revamp, it needs a boost, and what better way than to declare the top British player as the British World Champion?

The <insert crappy opening> World Championship

This is already happening. And whilst the chess world has waited a long time for the first Damiano Petroff World Championship, we must do more. We need a Mighty Budapest World Championship, we need a 1. b3 World Championship. Eventually, if the right funding can be secured, we need the holy grail - the Bongcloud World Championship.

The Twitter World Championship

This is a pretty simple format. You get 1 point for a win, 1 point for the best pre-game tweet, and 1 point for the best post-game tweet. Magnus is still the favourite, so this is a logical format.

The Cheaters World Championship

People like chess. (Some) people like engines. Why not rehabilitate our engine-attracted players by letting them compete in their own World Championship? Who wouldn’t watch?!

The Indian World Teen Championship

You might think this is just the same idea as the British World Championships but the keen-eyed reader would realize immediately that it’s not. There are too many incredibly strong Indian teenagers to fight over 1 title, so we must give them their own. Alternatively, this tournament could be known as “the Candidates, 2024”.

Tune in next week when I discuss my top 5 favourite FIDE politicians.