How To Watch And What You Need To Know About The 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament
The chess world holds its breath as it awaits the start of the most important over-the-board tournament of the year. The 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament and 2026 FIDE Women's Candidates Tournament kick off on March 29 at 8:30 a.m. ET / 14:30 CEST / 6 p.m. IST. Some of the world's best players will gather in Cyprus to decide who gets the chance to challenge the reigning world champions, GMs Gukesh Dommaraju and Ju Wenjun, for their crowns.
While we count the days until the first move of the event, here's what you need to know about the Candidates, including its players, format, and how to watch it.
What's At Stake
The title of chess world champion is the most coveted among chess professionals. But to earn the right even to challenge the current champion and fight for it, a player must first win the Candidates Tournament.
In short, the Candidates is the final step before facing the world champion in the two-year-long FIDE World Championship cycle. The cycle includes several qualification paths, including finishing at the top of important tournaments, earning enough FIDE Circuit points, or having the highest rating.
Players are also competing for a hefty sum. The Candidates features a €700,000 prize fund, with €70,000 going to the winner and a bonus €5,000 for each half-point a player scores, and the Women's Candidates a €300,000 prize fund, with €28,000 going to the winner and a bonus €2,200 for each half-point
Meet The Candidates
Eight players will compete in the Candidates, and another eight in the Women's Candidates:
Open Candidates
The 2018 Candidates winner and former world number-two, Caruana has long been one of the world's elite players. He qualified for the 2026 Candidates through the 2024 FIDE Circuit.
GM Anish Giri
A longtime world top-10 player and one of the game's leading theoreticians, Giri is a mainstay of elite tournaments. He qualified by winning the 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss.
The German number-two and a two-time European Champion. He qualified by finishing second in the 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss.
The 20-year-old was a part of Uzbekistan's young team that sensationally won the 2024 Chess Olympiad and is among the world's most dangerous young talents. He qualified by winning the 2025 FIDE World Cup.
GM Wei Yi
A former child prodigy who remains the youngest player to break the 2700 rating barrier, Wei is one of the world's most gifted attacking players. He qualified by finishing second in the 2025 FIDE World Cup.
Esipenko gained global attention after defeating GM Magnus Carlsen at Tata Steel Chess Masters 2021 and has remained a top young contender. He qualified by finishing third in the 2025 FIDE World Cup.
Twenty-year-old Praggnanandhaa is one of the leaders of India's new chess generation, reached the 2023 World Cup Final, and regularly competes at the elite level. He qualified through the 2025 FIDE Circuit.
The current world number-two and one of the most popular figures in chess, Nakamura is also a legendary speed chess player. He qualified via the rating spot for the 2026 Candidates.
Women's Candidates
GM Zhu Jiner
World number-two Zhu has quickly climbed into the chess elite with strong international results. She qualified by winning the 2024–2025 FIDE Women's Grand Prix.
A former women's world championship challenger, Goryachkina has been among the world's strongest female players for years. She qualified by finishing second in the 2024–2025 FIDE Women's Grand Prix.
India's rising prodigy and former world junior girls champion, Divya is one of the brightest young talents in women's chess. She qualified by winning the 2025 FIDE Women's World Cup.
GM Humpy Koneru
One of the greatest female players in history and a former women's world rapid champion, Humpy has been an elite contender for two decades. She qualified by finishing second in the 2025 FIDE Women's World Cup.
GM Tan Zhongyi
The 2017 women's world champion and the last Women's Candidates winner, Tan is known for her fighting style and consistent results at the top level. She qualified by finishing third in the 2025 FIDE Women's World Cup.
A key figure in India's chess boom, Vaishali became one of the few women to earn the GM title. She qualified by winning the 2025 FIDE Women's Grand Swiss.
A former women's world rapid and blitz Champion, Lagno has been one of the game's elite players for nearly two decades. She qualified by finishing second in the 2025 FIDE Women's Grand Swiss.
The Kazakh prodigy became the youngest-ever women's world blitz champion. She qualified by finishing first in the 2024-2025 FIDE Women's events series.
Event Format
Both the open and women's tournaments feature the same format. The eight players in each will compete in a double round-robin. This means that each participant plays against all the others twice, once with the white pieces and once with the black pieces. The time control for the games is 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, plus 30 more minutes for the rest of the game, with players getting an extra 30 seconds per move. In the Women's Candidates, players get 90 minutes for the first 40 moves.
Wins grant players one point, draws 0.5, and losses 0. At the end of each tournament, the player with the most points wins and earns the right to challenge the reigning world champions. If players are tied in points, playoffs with rapid games decide the winner.
How To Watch The Candidates Tournament
With so much at stake and the premise of high-level chess, you don't want to miss a single move of this year's Candidates. We'll be covering all of the action live on the Chess24 YouTube and Twitch channels, with expert commentary by a lineup of world-class commentators and guests. Tune in every day at 8:30 a.m. ET / 14:30 CEST / 6 p.m. IST to enjoy the broadcast and root for your favorite players as they make history!
You can also learn more about the event on our dedicated Candidates page. Check out the games, results, schedule, and anything else you might need to know.
Who do you think will win this year's Candidates Tournaments? Let us know in the comments below!
