World Chess Weekly: Candidates Special—The Most Gruelling Event In Chess. Here. We. Go!

Yesterday

20:16

7 min

Thumbnail for article: World Chess Weekly: Candidates Special—The Most Gruelling Event In Chess. Here. We. Go!

The moment has come: here's everything you need to know about the FIDE Candidates Tournament in Cyprus.

Eight contenders in each. Fourteen rounds. One winner in the Open. The same in the Women's. Two iconic tournaments that will shape the world of chess for years to come.

The road to the World Chess Championship was officially declared open on Sunday as the FIDE Candidates Tournament opening ceremony took place in Cyprus—a fresh and somewhat unexpected backdrop for one of chess's most intense and prestigious events.

Round 1 kicks off on Sunday. But there's a lot to understand about it first.

FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich declares the FIDE Candidates open.

Photo: Michal Walusza/FIDE.

If you’ve been waiting for elite, high-stakes classical chess with everything on the line, this really is the pinnacle taking place from March 29 to April 16.

This is the culmination of a two-year qualification cycle. Buckle up, chess doesn't get much better.

So… What Is the Candidates Tournament?

Think of it as the ultimate qualifier in chess.

There's an Open tournament, and a Women's tournament running concurrently. Eight of the strongest players in the world in each section battle it out in a double round-robin format—meaning everyone plays each other twice, once with White and once with Black.

That's 14 rounds of career-defining chess, where a single mistake can haunt a player for the rest of their life. And it has many, many times before.

The winner? They earn the right to challenge the reigning World Champion GM Gukesh D for the crown.

This is the big one.

Why Cyprus?

The previous three events were held in Toronto, Madrid and Yekaterinburg during lockdown. But this year’s choice of Cyprus adds a bit of Mediterranean joy and glamour to what is usually something of a serious, closed-off affair.

However, the choice of Cyprus as a venue has not been without controversy. Last week Indian GM Humpy Koneru pulled out of the Women's event because she feared travelling there while the war in Iran is going on. Koneru was replaced in the draw by GM Anna Muzychuk.

Photo: FIDE.

GM Hikaru Nakamura, who has been in Cyprus for two weeks preparing for the event, has also had words to say about power cuts on the island.

In response, the Cyprus Chess Federation, which is helping host the event, has been somewhat miffed by suggestions the island isn't the right place to host it. A row broke out last week when the federation's president made his feelings known.

FIDE also rushed out advice that Cyprus is safe. At the opening ceremony on Saturday, dignitaries including the island's Minister of Tourism Kostas Koumis also made a point of talking up the venue.

The luxury Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort near Paphos, on the south-western coast of Cyprus is the venue. Let's hope there are no safety issues.

Who’s Playing?

The line-up is, as always, the true elite of chess, minus the World Champion. The world number-one GM Magnus Carlsen also won't be there for well-documented reasons. But don't let that detract from it.

This years competitors in the twin tournaments are:

FIDE Candidates:

1. GM Javokhir Sindarov (Uzbekistan): The young hotshot who surprised everyone by winning the 2025 FIDE World Cup to qualify, but is now a serious contender.

2. GM Matthias Bluebaum (Germany): The rank outsider. Second at the 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss gained him qualification, but he has all of Germany behind him.

Photo: FIDE.

3. GM Praggnanandhaa R (India): India's big hope. Pragg is the standard-bearer for India's golden generation and wants an all-Indian title match against his friend Gukesh.

4. GM Fabiano Caruana (USA): The current world number-three has been here before and won before losing the 2018 title match to Carlsen. Qualified with relative ease—he is a favourite.

5. GM Hikaru Nakamura (USA): Another strong tip to win. America's super streamer and world number-two is an unflappable force. Is this finally his time?

GM Anish Giri (Netherlands): The Dutch number-one triumphed at the 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament and has the prep to beat anyone.

GM Wei Yi (China): The man all the world thought would dominate chess. It's time the former prodigy shows his talent.

8. GM Andrey Esipenko (Russia): Russia's hope scraped in by finishing third at the FIDE World Cup. An outside, but dangerous.

FIDE Women's Candidates:

1. GM Divya Deshmukh (India): Had a stellar 2025 during which she became a GM and won Women's Chess World Cup. This is a big step up, however.

2. GM Rameshbabu Vaishali (India): Super-talented sister of Pragg, she won the FIDE Women's Chess World Cup 2025 to qualify. Can we have brother and sister winners?

The 2026 Candidates trophies.

Photo: Michal Walusza/FIDE.

3. GM Aleksandra Goryachkina (Russia): Flying the flag—controversially—for Russia. The world number-seven qualified after finishing runners-up in the FIDE Women's Grand Prix.

4. GM Zhu Jiner (China): The world number-two qualified after winning the FIDE Women's Grand Prix 2024-25. The favourite.

5. GM Tan Zhongyi (China): Finished third at the Women's Chess World Cup 2025 to qualify. This 34-year-old former Women's World Champion wants the crown back.

6. GM Kateryna Lagno (Russia): Now 36, the four-time Candidate is desperate to win the world title.

7. GM Bibisara Assaubayeva (Kazakhstan): The reigning three-time Women's World Blitz Chess Champion is still only 22, but she's never played this event.

8. GM Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine): Last-minute replacement for Koneru, but a worthy one. The former world number-two woman has serious pedigree and isn't in Cyprus just to make up the numbers.

How to Follow It

Games will be broadcast live each game day with expert commentary, analysis boards, and real-time evaluations on the FIDE YouTube channel. Whether you’re a casual fan or a theory nerd, you’ll have plenty to dive into and it'll be accessible to everyone.

Here is the stream for Round 1 begging on Sunday, March 29:

Controversies To Look Out For

We've already mentioned last week's row over the venue which lead to a leading competitor in the Women's event, Koneru, pulling out and one of the favourites in the Open, Nakamura, complaining about power outages.

The upshot of that is a Ukrainian, Muzychuk, has replaced Koneru—so look out for Russia vs Ukraine matches.

Then there's Friday's news that The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has overruled FIDE over its punishment handed to the Chess Federation of Russia. More details of that here. While this isn't directly related to the Candidates, it's a serious issue and questions may be asked at press conferences about it. FIDE won't like that.

The usual talk of who isn't at the Candidates will take place. Obviously Carlsen, but also many commentators believe GM Nodirbek Adusuttorov should be in Cyprus and was shut out by the qualification process.

What's At Stake?

A record-breaking minimum prize fund of €1 million is being offered by FIDE. However, it's not about the money. It really isn't. In both the Open and Women's tournament it's about winning a shot at the World Championship. End of.

There is no other route to becoming the 19th World Chess Champion or Women's World Champion. It's the ultimate prize and nothing more here needs to be said.