World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen has teamed up with World No. 5 Nodirbek Abdusattorov for a training camp at his holiday home in Spain, ahead of the Total Chess World Championship Tour Pilot in Budapest from November 10-20. Carlsen shared glimpses of the camp on Instagram on Saturday with the caption: "Someone brought a chess board into this house." Joining the two are GM David Howell and Carlsen's longtime coach, GM Peter Heine Nielsen.

Magnus Carlsen, David Howell, Peter Heine Nielsen and Nodirbek Abdusattorov (left to right) around the board, with Carlsen's son also in the frame | Photo: Magnus Carlsen's Instagram

The post includes three photos and a short video of Carlsen and Abdusattorov playing blitz on the outdoor table. It is an unusual partnership: top-10 rivals rarely prepare together, yet the two will both compete in Budapest and could well face each other there. They are also the two highest-rated blitz players in the world - Carlsen (2860) and Abdusattorov (2819) head the FIDE blitz rating list.

Abdusattorov arrives in rich form: he closed 2025 by winning the London Chess Classic, and has added the Tata Steel Chess and Prague Masters titles in 2026. Training with a potential opponent is familiar territory for Carlsen, who has previously held camps with Alireza Firouzja and Ding Liren. As a teenager, he was himself on the other side of such an arrangement, as a guest at Viswanathan Anand's home in Madrid.

Carlsen at the board during the camp | Photo: Magnus Carlsen's Instagram

What awaits in Budapest

The Total Chess World Championship Tour Pilot will be held at the Anantara New York Palace Budapest Hotel from November 10-20 with 24 players. A nine-round Blitz Swiss first decides the tiebreak order, after which four groups of six play a double round-robin in Fast Classic (45 minutes plus a 30-second increment). Knockout matches combining all three formats follow. The event is a FIDE-approved trial run for the full tour starting in 2027, which will crown a World Combined Champion. Carlsen (2830) and Abdusattorov (2774) currently stand first and third on the new Total Chess Rating list.

India has three players in the Budapest field: R Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi and Vaishali Rameshbabu. ChessBase India will be on location covering the event.

David Howell, Peter Heine Nielsen, Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Magnus Carlsen (left to right) share a light moment at the camp | Photo: Magnus Carlsen's Instagram

The video in the post shows Carlsen and Abdusattorov trading blows in a friendly blitz game. Watch it on Carlsen's Instagram post.