Grandmasters Fabiano Caruana and 14-year-old Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus have joined the field for the upcoming 2026 Naroditsky Memorial Rapid and Blitz. The $50,000 event will feature several top players including Hikaru Nakamura and Wesley So.
The tournament is scheduled for July 3-5 at the Charlotte Marriott City Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. It honors the late GM Daniel Naroditsky and includes separate rapid and blitz sections along with a challengers division and a creator invitational for streamers. A total of 42 grandmasters have entered, making it one of the strongest speed chess events in the United States.