We’re excited to announce the first event of the 2026 Chess.com Community Championships. The 2026 Chess.com Puzzles Championship takes place on January 15 and 16 and features a $5,000 prize fund. The event will bring together the world’s best tacticians for a fast-paced competition to crown the best puzzle-solver on the planet.
The competition will follow its usual format: one stage of Puzzle Rush, followed by a stage of Puzzle Battle. The Puzzle Rush stage will feature five rounds, with players either getting eliminated or qualifying for the next stage after each round. During each round, players will have 30 minutes to set their highest 5-minute Puzzle Rush score.
Players who make it to the Puzzle Battle stage will then compete in a double-elimination bracket. From there, only the sharpest, fastest, and most skilled tactician can survive long enough to claim the crown.
Any member of the community can participate in the event. To make it, you must send a clip of yourself scoring at least 50 points in a 5-minute Puzzle Rush. You must achieve this score between Monday, January 13, and Wednesday, January 15. Fill out the official application form if you want to participate in the event.
The Chess.com Puzzles Championship is an excellent opportunity to sharpen your skills as we enter a new year. Along with the 2026 Improvement Challenge, the event could be the extra push you need to reach your chess-related New Year’s resolutions.
Fans who are not quite at the level of puzzle-solving legends like GMs Ray Robson and Hikaru Nakamura can still enjoy the event. While not everyone can score 50 points to participate, we can all admire the speed and precision of our favorite players—sometimes even in disbelief.
Last year, GM Andy Woodward finally put a stop to Robson’s dominance of the event. After winning every single edition of the event since its inception, Robson found his match. In a thrilling final, Robson won the first match with a 5-2 score, forcing a Grand Final Reset. Woodward then narrowly won the second match 2.5-1.5 to emerge as the champion.
Do you think Robson will reclaim the throne, or is someone else taking the title? Let us know in the comments below!
