The 2026 XTX Markets London Chess Classic
Nodirbek Abdusattorov returns to the capital this year in an attempt to become the first person since Magnus Carlsen in 2010 to defend the London Chess Classic title. Nodirbek heads a star-studded field of Grandmasters from all over the world who will compete in the LCC Masters, a 10-player all-play-all classical tournament. In a new event for the London Chess Classic, the LCC Challengers will see another 10 Grandmasters battling it out for the right to join next year’s LCC Masters line-up.
LCC Masters Players 2026
Nodirbek Abdusattorov (UZB), ELO 2780
Levon Aronian (USA), ELO 2725
Nihal Sarin (IND), ELO 2709
Gawain Maroroa Jones (ENG), ELO 2630
Vasyl Ivanchuk (UKR), ELO 2628
Andy Woodward (USA), ELO 2619
Luke McShane (ENG), ELO 2607
Ihor Samunenkov (UKR), ELO 2607
Michael Adams (ENG), ELO 2597
Shreyas Royal (ENG), ELO 2533
LCC Challengers 2026
Andrew Hong (USA), ELO 2609
Rinat Jumabayev (KAZ), ELO 2564
Mateusz Bartel (POL), ELO 2549
Daniel Fernandez (ENG), ELO 2530
Eytan Rozen (ISR), ELO 2509
Harry Grieve (ENG), ELO 2505
Roman Dehtiarov (UKR), ELO 2502
Carissa Yip (USA), ELO 2484
We will be announcing the remaining two players of the LCC Challengers soon.
Masters’ Biographies
Nodirbek Abdusattorov returns to headline the London Chess Classic, a tournament which he won last year with a round to spare, racking up 7½/9 for a whopping 2932 rating performance. He followed that up by finishing as runner-up to Magnus Carlsen at the World Blitz Championship, then winning another elite tournament, the Tata Steel Masters at Wijk aan Zee.
The 22-year-old Uzbek star has also had a busy autumn, getting engaged and leading the host country to victory at the Samarkand Olympiad. There Nodirbek scored an undefeated 8½/11 on board one, playing above world championship challenger Javokhir Sindarov, which meant he earned an individual gold medal to go with team gold.
The youngest-ever world rapid champion, Nodirbek is not only capable of playing excellent chess even with little time, but is also renowned for the depth of his opening preparation and the speed of his calculation. Few would want to bet against this world-class, all-round player going through the tournament unbeaten once again.
Nodirbek Abdusattorov
Rating: 2780
World Ranking: 5
Levon Aronian returns to the London Chess Classic for the first time since 2019 and will be looking to improve on his highest-placed finish to date, which was fourth in 2017. That’s a small surprise, as Aronian has been one of the world’s leading players for pretty much the whole of this century, even being rated as high as world no.2.
Aronian is a living legend in his native Armenia and led them to unprecedented success as they won the gold medals at the 2006, 2008 and 2012 Chess Olympiads. However, in 2021, bemoaning a lack of government support, Aronian switched allegiance to the USA and is now happily married, living in that modern day chess mecca, St. Louis, Missouri.
In 2026 Aronian outclassed the opposition at the Biel Triathlon, a mix of classical, rapid and blitz chess, reminding the world yet again of his undoubted talent, just as he did when overcoming Magnus Carlsen, no less, to win the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Final. Aronian might now be 44, but you write off his chances at your peril in the Masters, where his wide opening repertoire and deep chess understanding will no doubt be on show.
Photo credit: Michal Walusza / FIDE
Levon Aronian
Rating: 2725
World Ranking: 18
Former Indian prodigy Nihal Sarin makes his debut at the London Chess Classic, having fully established himself in recent years in the world top-fifty. He even played above world champion Dommaraju Gukesh for India at the recent Olympiad, where he scored 6/10 on board three for the silver medallists.
Something of a speed chess expert, Nihal won the 2026 Bullet Chess Championship on Chess.com, then reached the quarter-finals of the Esports World Cup in Paris, where he had the misfortune to run into Magnus Carlsen. He is also no slouch at classical chess either, not least when it comes to playing in that leading chess country, Uzbekistan. There he has won back-to-back President Cups, as well as the Tashkent Open.
A former world under-10 champion, 22-year-old Nihal’s talent has long been clear and he will be looking to take another big stride forwards in west London. Do not expect him to be involved in too many theoretical duels – Nihal likes an early surprise and to mix up his openings – but do expect him to fight tooth and nail in every game, right down until the final pawn is exchanged.
Photo credit: Michal Walusza / FIDE
Nihal Sarin
Rating: 2709
World Ranking: 30
Gawain Maroroa Jones
Rating: 2630
World Ranking: 90
Three-time British Champion Gawain Maroroa Jones has been a regular in the top section at the London Chess Classic since 2012. He had one of his finest hours when he won the 2024 edition at the Emirates Stadium, scoring an unbeaten 5/7 to finish a point ahead of Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Vidit Gujrathi, Nikita Vitiugov and Michael Adams.
A contented globetrotter, Gawain has lived in Australia and New Zealand, with his late wife Sue Maroroa, but is nowadays happily settled in Sheffield with his two young children. Gawain is a proud Yorkshireman and, just over the county border in Stockton-on-Tees, he made headlines when aged just nine. His world-record-setting rapidplay win over our very own tournament supremo, Chess in Schools and Communities Chief Executive, and Daily Telegraph chess columnist, Malcolm Pein, even propelled Gawain on to the front page of The Guardian.
He bounced back to form towards the end of the Olympiad in September, winning his last three games for England ahead of finishing second in the Pall Mall Super Rapid. Renowned for his love of the King’s Indian Defence and keen tactical eye, Gawain may nowadays have quite a universal style, but will especially be a danger to anyone if allowed a sniff of any attacking chances.
We are delighted that living legend, the mercurial Vasyl Ivanchuk will be appearing at the London Chess Classic for the first time. Despite now being 57, the Ukrainian remains extremely active, as well as in the world’s top-hundred. He warmed up for the Olympiad by remaining unbeaten in the Spanish and Polish Team Championships, then fully held his own in Samarkand against world championship challenger Javokhir Sindarov.
Ivanchuk became a grandmaster in 1988, the same year he won the prestigious New York Open and tied for first place in the World Junior Championship. In the world top-ten for much of his career, Ivanchuk rose as high as number two on the rating list in 1991 after defeating Garry Kasparov to triumph at the Linares super-tournament that year.
As demonstrated by his victory at the World Rapid Championship in 2016 and his victory at last year’s Menorca Open, where his score of 8/9 equated to a 2833 rating performance, Ivanchuk remains an extremely dangerous opponent. He can play almost any opening and may well have a major impact on the final standings in the Masters, just as was the case back at a dramatic London Candidates on the banks of the Thames in 2013. There he defeated Vladimir Kramnik in the final round, which enabled Magnus Carlsen to win the tournament and go on to face Vishy Anand for the World Championship.
Photo credit: Michal Walusza / FIDE
Vasyl Ivanchuk
Rating: 2628
World Ranking: 95
16-year-old American Andy Woodward began 2026 with a bang, winning the Tata Steel Challengers with 10/13, which means that come January he’ll be in action in the top section at Wijk aan Zee. Before then, he makes his debut at the London Chess Classic, where he’ll again enjoy crossing swords with some of the best in the world.
A grandmaster at the age of just 13 years and eight months, Andy has recently completed back-to-back victories at the prestigious US Junior Championship. He also finished equal fifth at one of the strongest tournaments of last year, the FIDE Grand Swiss, where his 7/11 equated to a 2784 performance and included a win over Levon Aronian.
Andy has also set records online, recording the highest bullet (one minute for all the moves!) rating on both Lichess and Chess.com. Now the Texan has set his sights on generating more headlines in London. If you want a dark horse to cheer on in the Masters, this well-prepared, dynamic young star might just fit the bill.
Photo credit: Michal Walusza / FIDE
Andy Woodward
Rating: 2619
World Ranking: 112
Ukrainian prodigy Ihor Samunenkov is still only 17 and has recently crossed the key 2600 threshold. He certainly impressed at the Olympiad in September, drawing with Hans Niemann and Nodirbek Yakubboev en route to amassing a huge 8/10. That sufficed for a 2720 performance and the gold medal on board four.
Ihor became world under-12 champion in late 2011, almost exactly two years before obtaining the grandmaster title, one of the youngest of all time to do so. Then he helped Ukraine to win gold at the 2025 European Team Championship. As one might expect considering the unfortunate circumstances in which his country is caught up, Ihor is an excellent defender, as well as a fine strategic player, not dissimilar to Michael Adams in style.
This year Ihor has claimed the scalps of such notable players as Nils Grandelius, Pentala Harikrishna and Baadur Jobava. On his UK debut, he will no doubt be aiming to gain more victims, as well as to continue his rise up the rating list.
Photo credit: Michal Walusza / FIDE
Ihor Samunenkov
Rating: 2607
World Ranking: 137
Luke McShane
Rating: 2607
World Ranking: 137
The only London-born participant in the Masters, Luke McShane arrives in fine form, following up tying for second in this summer’s British Championship with an excellent performance for England at the Samarkand Olympiad, where he scored 7½/10, including a fine win against Nihal Sarin.
He has long been a regular in the England team, including at the 2019 World Team Championship in Astana, where he added individual gold on board two to a team silver medal. Luke has also long been associated with the London Chess Classic, remaining unbeaten in the inaugural edition in 2009, defeating Magnus Carlsen in 2010, and dominating the Super Rapidplay in 2015.
World under-10 champion when he was just eight, Luke went on to pursue a career outside chess, working in the City for several years while earning himself a reputation as the world’s strongest amateur player, one who peaked at world no.29. Can England’s most mercurial chess star produce another vintage performance in Hammersmith? Many chess fans will hope so.
Michael Adams
Rating: 2597
World Ranking: 153
Michael Adams is quite simply a legend of British chess. He won his first British Championship in 1989 when just 17, since when a further eight titles have followed. Remarkably, he went undefeated at the British from 1988 until losing a game at this summer’s Championships at the University of Warwick, where he would tie for second.
Known as Mickey, Adams spent a great part of his career in the world’s top-five, coming agonisingly close to winning the FIDE World Championship in 2004, losing only in a rapid play-off in the final. For over two decades he anchored the England team on top board, leading them to gold at the 1997 European Team Championship.
Mickey has played at every London Chess Classic since the tournament began at Olympia in 2009. Few will forget his superb victory at the 2023 Classic, where Gukesh trailed in his wake, and as a keen Tottenham Hotspur fan, Mickey will likely welcome the tournament returning to west London from the Emirates Stadium, the home of Arsenal!
