The full ten-player line-up for the 2026 XTX Markets London Chess Classic has been announced, bringing together some of the biggest names in world chess for the UK’s most prestigious international tournament.
Defending champion GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov, the Uzbek world number five, will return to London seeking to become the first player since GM Magnus Carlsen in 2010 to win back-to-back Classic titles.
The 22-year-old heads an outstanding international field which includes former world number two GM Levon Aronian, legendary Ukrainian GM Vasyl Ivanchuk, India’s GM Nihal Sarin and 16-year-old American rising star GM Andy Woodward.
At stake is a £100,000 prize pot, including £50,000 for the winner.
Flying the flag for England will be former world championship finalist GM Michael Adams, three-time British champion GM Gawain Maroroa Jones, London-born GM Luke McShane and newly crowned British champion, 17-year-old GM Shreyas Royal.
Completing the line-up is Ukraine’s GM Ihor Samunenkov, another exciting 17-year-old talent making his mark on the international stage. Samunenkov arrives in London fresh from winning individual gold for Ukraine at this month’s Chess Olympiad.
The 16th edition of the XTX Markets London Chess Classic will take place from November 24 to December 7, with an elite ten-player Masters tournament forming the centrepiece of a festival of chess across the capital.
Organised by the charity Chess in Schools and Communities, the event will also feature a new ten-player Challengers tournament, with the winner earning a place in the 2027 Masters.
A defending champion in ominous form
Abdusattorov returns to London following a remarkable year. He dominated the 2025 Classic, winning with a round to spare and finishing on 7.5 points from nine games.
Since then, he has won the prestigious Tata Steel Masters tournament in Wijk aan Zee and helped Uzbekistan claim gold at the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, where he also secured an individual gold medal on board one.
He will face formidable competition from Aronian, one of the most celebrated players of his generation, and Ivanchuk, whose extraordinary career has spanned five decades.
Now 57, Ivanchuk will be making his London Chess Classic debut. The Ukrainian, who famously defeated the legendary GM Garry Kasparov to win the celebrated Linares tournament in 1991, remains a formidable opponent and one of the game’s most popular figures.
Another player to watch is Woodward, the 16-year-old American who won the 2026 Tata Steel Challengers tournament and is regarded as one of the brightest prospects in world chess.
English stars take on the world’s best
Home interest will centre on Adams, Maroroa Jones, McShane and Royal.
Adams, a nine-time British champion and former world number four, has competed in every London Chess Classic since its inaugural edition in 2009. He won the tournament in 2023.
Maroroa Jones lifted the trophy in 2024, while McShane famously defeated Carlsen at the 2010 Classic.
They will be joined by Royal, one of England’s most promising young players, who will relish the opportunity to test himself against some of the world’s leading grandmasters.
Bodhana Sivanandan joins the Open
Another major attraction will be 11-year-old English record-breaker FM Bodhana Sivanandan, who is set to compete in the London Chess Classic Swiss tournament.
The north-west London schoolgirl has enjoyed an extraordinary year, becoming the youngest-ever British Women’s Champion in August before making history at the Chess Olympiad in Uzbekistan, where she became the youngest female player to achieve the Woman Grandmaster title, and this month broke the record by becoming the youngest woman ever to qualify for the International Master title.
One of the brightest young talents in world chess, Sivanandan will test herself against experienced international opposition in the nine-round Swiss.
2026 London Chess Classic Masters – full line-up
GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov Uzbekistan 2780
GM Levon Aronian USA 2725
GM Nihal Sarin India 2709
GM Gawain Maroroa Jones England 2630
GM Vasyl Ivanchuk Ukraine 2628
GM Andy Woodward USA 2619
GM Luke McShane England 2607
GM Ihor Samunenkov Ukraine 2607
GM Michael Adams England 2597
GM Shreyas Royal England 2533
A festival for chess lovers of all ages
The 2026 XTX Markets London Chess Classic will extend far beyond the elite Masters.
An opening ceremony and blindfold tournament will take place at the historic Tower of London, while the main festival at the Novotel London West in Hammersmith will offer opportunities for players of all ages and abilities to compete.
The programme also includes a nine-round FIDE-rated Swiss, rapidplay and blitz competitions, and events aimed at introducing more people to the game.
Chess in Schools and Communities will also stage its schools festival, bringing together more than 1,000 children as part of its mission to make chess accessible to young people across Britain.
The 16th London Chess Classic is organised by the charity Chess in Schools and Communities (CSC). Previous winners include legends of the game such as former world champions Magnus Carlsen, Vishy Anand and Vladimir Kramnik.
Further information, including spectator tickets and opportunities to participate, is available at https://www.londonchessclassic.com/.
