2026 XTX Markets London Chess Classic
The 2026 London Chess Classic will take place in the capital between 24th November and 7th December. The public events of this year’s tournament will be held at London Novotel West, a hotel in Hammersmith. The line-up of Grandmasters who will make up the LCC Masters and LCC Challengers invitational tournaments will be announced soon.
In addition, the LCC Festival will give players of all standards the opportunity to compete in all chess formats:
a Super Rapid tournament offering players the chance to compete with our elite grandmasters
the LCC Swiss, a 9-round classical chess tournament suitable for players seeking title norms
the LCC Weekender, a 5-round classical tournament with 5 rating sections
the LCC Weekday tournament, a 5-round classical tournament with 3 rating sections
three evening Blitz tournaments suitable for players from beginners to experts
a Team Blitz tournament for teams of four players
the ProBiz Cup, pairing our elite grandmasters with amateurs from the world of business
the LCC Dinner at The Dorchester, raising funds to support the work of Chess in Schools and Communities.
Spectators will be able to enjoy the all action and live grandmaster analysis from an amazing commentary team, either by joining us at London Novotel West or online.
For more details and to enter, visit www.londonchessclassic.com.
School Events
One thousand children from primary schools across the UK will attend the 2026 XTX Markets London Chess Classic for a day of chess activities with our tutors and grandmasters. Priority will be given to schools in our Schools’ Programme. If you are from one of those schools, please contact your CSC Regional Organiser for more details.
The Pro-Biz Cup
The Pro-Biz Cup is an annual event that runs alongside the London Chess Classic. It brings the best business minds and the world’s leading Grandmasters together in a fun tournament to raise money for Chess in Schools and Communities.
Businesses bid to play with their favourite players and the ones who bid the highest get the chance to team up with a Grandmaster in a three round pairs chess tournament. The amateur and grandmaster play as a team and will take it in turns to make moves in rapidplay games with each team allowed two one-minute time-outs per game to discuss strategy or perhaps just a killer move! The 2025 Pro-Biz Cup was won by Bodhana Sivanandan and Abhimanyu Mishra.
