SPEED KING
Hikaru Nakamura
🇺🇸 USA · Age 38
ELO RATING
2810
Currently world #3. Qualified on average classical rating. Lost 2024 Candidates to Gukesh by half a point.
FIDE CANDIDATES TOURNAMENT 2026
The Road to the World Championship
Eight of the world's strongest grandmasters battle across 14 rounds in Cyprus. The winner challenges World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju.
Mar 28 · STARTS
Apr 16 · ENDS
€1M · PRIZE FUND
14 Rounds · Double Round-Robin
18:30 IST · Daily Start
Open Candidates 2026 — Players
3X CANDIDATES VETERAN
Fabiano Caruana
🇺🇸 USA · Age 33
ELO RATING
2795
Won 2018 Candidates with 9/14. Most experienced player in the field. Draws are ancient history.
RISING PRODIGY
R. Praggnanandhaa
🇮🇳 India · Age 20
ELO RATING
2760
India's sole Open qualifier. Beat Nakamura in 2023 World Cup. Youngest player in the Open field at 20.
STRATEGIC MASTERMIND
Anish Giri
🇳🇱 Netherlands · Age 31
ELO RATING
2760
2025 Grand Swiss winner. A decade of elite chess. The draw-heavy reputation is ancient history.
THE UNPREDICTABLE
Wei Yi
🇨🇳 China · Age 26
ELO RATING
2754
Qualified via 2025 World Cup. Attacks that look unsound until they work — or don't.
TATA STEEL SENSATION
Javokhir Sindarov
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan · Age 19
ELO RATING
2726
Youngest in the field. Finished 2nd at Tata Steel 2026 with a 2833 performance rating.
CARLSEN SLAYER
Andrey Esipenko
🇷🇺 Russia · Age 23
ELO RATING
2695
Beat Magnus Carlsen in classical chess in 2021 at age 18. Never underestimate.
GRAND SWISS QUALIFIER
Matthias Blübaum
🇩🇪 Germany · Age 29
ELO RATING
2678
Qualified via 2025 Grand Swiss. Lowest-rated player in the Open field.
Women's Candidates 2026 — Players
Eight players compete for the right to challenge Women's World Champion Ju Wenjun. Anna Muzychuk replaces Koneru Humpy, who withdrew citing safety concerns in Cyprus.
TOP SEED
Aleksandra Goryachkina
🇷🇺 Russia · Age 26
ELO RATING
2600
Lost 2019–20 Women's World Championship 8.5–7.5. Perennial favorite.
REPLACEMENT ENTRY
Anna Muzychuk
🇺🇦 Ukraine · Age 36
ELO RATING
2522
3x World Champion (Rapid 2016, Blitz 2014 & 2016). Replaces Koneru Humpy. Peak rating 2606.
BACK-TO-BACK QUALIFIER
R. Vaishali
🇮🇳 India · Age 22
ELO RATING
2470
Pragg's older sister. Won Women's Grand Swiss twice in a row. Most consistent qualifier.
WORLD CUP WINNER
Divya Deshmukh
🇮🇳 India · Age 20
ELO RATING
2470
Won 2025 Women's World Cup and earned GM title at 19. Most dangerous newcomer in the field.
Round Schedule
14 rounds, double round-robin format. Daily start: 15:30 CY (18:30 IST / 13:00 UTC). Venue: Cap St Georges Hotel and Resort, Pegeia, Paphos, Cyprus.
R1 · Mar 28
R2 · Mar 29
R3 · Mar 31
R4 · Apr 1
R5 · Apr 2
R6 · Apr 4
R7 · Apr 5
R8 · Apr 7
R9 · Apr 8
R10 · Apr 9
R11 · Apr 11
R12 · Apr 12
R13 · Apr 14
R14 · Apr 15
Follow Candidates 2026 Live
Standings update the moment each game finishes. No account required.