Meet The 2026 Women's Candidates: Who Should You Root For?

The women’s world championship cycle hasn’t always looked like this, and the Women’s Candidates tournament certainly hasn’t always been held concurrently with the Open. But isn’t it way more exciting to be able to check two tournaments, have a favorite in both, and flick over to the other one when you get bored of watching a rook endgame?

If you haven’t already made up your mind on who you want to win the 2026 Open Candidates Tournament, then check out my article on that very matter. But right now, we’re here to talk business about the Women’s section.

Let me introduce you to this year’s 2026 FIDE Women's Candidates Tournament, so you can pick your favorite, and have a t-shirt made with their face on it. I can even offer you puns for the back of the t-shirt: “GO GO Goryachkina!” or “Humpy HUMBLES the competition!” or “Vaishali VANQUISHES!” I’ll stop now before you tab out of the article.

Zhu Jiner

Rating: 2578
Age: 23
Federation: China
Experience: This is her first Candidates tournament
Style: Sharp with a strong positional foundation
Star sign: Scorpio
Fun fact: As well as being women's world number-two, Zhu is currently attending Shanghai University of Finance and Economics

Zhu competing with Vaishali in the 2024 Women's World Blitz Championship. Photo: Michal Walusza/FIDE.

GM Zhu Jiner may be young and about to play her very first Candidates tournament, but she’s also the only competitor in this lineup with a classical FIDE rating higher than current Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun. All while studying at university, by the way. What a flex.

At 23, Zhu definitely hasn’t peaked yet, which means this event could be the start of something big. Don’t you want to say you were here for that, rooting for her? Then you could tell everybody “I told you so.” Wouldn’t that feel so good?

If you like rooting for the top seed, Zhu is your Candidate.

Aleksandra Goryachkina

Rating: 2534
Age: 27
Federation: FIDE
Experience: 2020 Women’s World Championship runner-up. This is her fourth time competing in the Candidates
Style: Well-rounded, active
Star sign: Libra
Fun fact: Goryachkina is the highest-rated Russian woman in history

Goryachkina at the board against Lagno. Photo: Niki Riga/FIDE.

GM Aleksandra Goryachkina is a favorite to win this year’s Candidates; she has competed in the world championship before, and she’s really kind of scary (in a good way).

Goryachkina’s peak rating is 2611, the second-highest in this year’s lineup after GM Koneru Humpy, making them the only two Candidates to have crossed the 2600 Elo barrier. Don’t quote me on this, but I heard that when you cross 2600 they take you into a room with all the ghosts of historical chess players where they tell you all the extra-secret secrets about how to win at chess. So yeah, I’d say that’s kind of an advantage.

If you want to root for the favorite, Goryachkina is your Candidate.

Divya Deshmukh

Rating: 2497
Age: 20
Federation: India
Experience: This is her first Candidates tournament
Style: Tactical, aggressive
Star sign: Sagittarius
Fun fact: Divya is the youngest woman ever to qualify for the Women’s Candidates

Divya at the 2024 Olympiad. Photo: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com.

GM Divya Deshmukh is the youngest of the Women’s Candidates, so she knows something we don't (how to not be cringe on the internet, and which emojis are currently trending. I found out the hard way. )

Divya is undoubtedly a huge talent in chess right now. However, it’s still very early in her career, so how will she fare under pressure? I'm looking to her, as the youngest woman to ever qualify for this event, to bring the energy and stamina required to get through the double round-robin format. If she can keep cool under pressure then I think we are going to see some very exciting chess games from her. 

If you like prodigies, Divya is your Candidate.

Koneru Humpy

Rating: 2535
Age: 38
Federation: India
Experience: She has competed in the women's world championship eight times (previously held as a 64-player knockout)
Style: Well-rounded
Star sign: Aries
Fun fact: She was the second woman player to exceed a rating of 2600 (after GM Judit Polgar)

GM Koneru Humpy is the most experienced Candidate, by which I mean she has competed in the women's world championship cycle more times than any of her competitors. Her peak FIDE rating of 2623 made her the third highest-rated female chess player of all time. Plus, she's been in that room of secrets that I mentioned earlier. I’m afraid of her, and you should be too.

That being said, we’re seeing youth play off against experience in both the Candidates and Women’s Candidates this year, and Humpy herself said last year that “I am much more stronger. Sometimes the result[s] don’t reflect that. I do have drawbacks. I don’t have the same energy as the youngsters. I need to improve my stamina.” I’m hoping Humpy is hungry enough for the wins to power through the long event without losing motivation; she could be India’s first-ever women's world champion.

If you're rooting for experience, Humpy is your Candidate.

Tan Zhongyi

Rating: 2535
Age: 34
Federation: China
Experience: Former women’s world champion. This is her seventh time competing for the women's world championship
Style: Tan says her style is inspired by GM Garry Kasparov
Star sign: Gemini (she shares a birthday with GM Gukesh Dommaraju!)
Fun fact: Tan enjoys playing video games and reading fantasy novels

GM Tan Zhongyi is the only former women’s world champion in this year’s lineup. I feel like a certain kind of aura comes from showing up to the Candidates tournament knowing you’ve been champion before; like, there’s no questioning if you’re capable, because the evidence shows you are.

That said, there’s a lot of pressure that comes along with it. The kind of pressure you and I have only seen in those YouTube videos where they use a hydraulic press to squash watermelons. Yeah.

Tan didn’t successfully defend the title against Ju in 2018, and Ju has reigned supreme as the world champion since then. Tan knows what it takes. She’s done it before. Can she do it again almost 10 years later?

If you want a proven winner, Tan is your Candidate.

Vaishali Rameshbabu

Rating: 2470 
Age: 24
Federation: India
Experience: This is her first Candidates tournament
Style: Aggressive attacker
Star sign: Gemini/Cancer cusp
Fun fact: Her younger brother, GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, is playing in the adjacent Candidates tournament

Imagine if GM Vaishali Rameshbabu and Praggnanandhaa both win their respective Candidates tournaments and then both become world champions the same year. That would be insane. It would be SO crazy that you can’t help but root for it to happen.

They’re already the first-ever brother and sister to both be grandmasters, so why not brother and sister world champions? It’s too perfect. I’m already imagining a Netflix miniseries about it.

They’re already the first-ever brother and sister to both be grandmasters, so why not brother and sister world champions? It’s too perfect. I’m already imagining a Netflix miniseries about it. Do you think she's preparing with her brother? I’m getting FOMO for not being in a chess family now.  

If you want to see the first brother and sister champions, Vaishali is your Candidate.

Kateryna Lagno

Rating: 2508
Age: 36
Federation: Russia
Experience: This is her sixth time competing in the women’s world chess championship cycles
Style: Aggressive, but flexible
Star sign: Capricorn
Fun fact: Lagno is married to GM Alexander Grischuk, and they are the chess couple with the highest combined rating

Being part of the highest rated chess power couple of all time must give you some kind of buff in competitions. It’s like being chess royalty. Or a superhero. Midway through the tournament GM Kateryna Lagno is going to start moving the chess pieces with her mind instead of her hands, I just know it.

Lagno is one of the strongest female players ever, and she's scored medal upon medal at Olympiads and World Rapid & Blitz tournaments; all that's left is for her to collect the world champion title. I guess worst-case scenario, she can use her telekinesis to sneak away with the trophy at the end. 

If you want a superhero, Lagno is your Candidate.

Bibisara Assaubayeva

Rating: 2516
Age: 22
Federation: Kazakhstan
Experience: This is her first Candidates TTurnament
Style: Brave, combative
Star sign: Pisces
Fun fact: Assaubayeva is a former gymnastics champion

GM Bibisara Assaubayeva, like Lagno, is rumored to be part of a chess power couple. None other than GM Peter Leko spilled the tea; Assaubayeva and her alleged boyfriend, GM Javokhir Sindarov, are both competing in their respective Candidates tournaments at the same time this year!

I know it's really hard to choose who to back in these tournaments: do you choose the brother and sister duo, the couple, or two independent choices? I would NOT want to be you right now. I already know who I'm rooting for, and no, I'm not going to tell you. You have to choose on your own. 

What can I say other than that Assaubayeva is a #relatable queen? On every level other than Elo, that is. I've heard she likes to scroll Instagram reels after a long tournament game, and do you know what? Same. Add a truffle pizza to that and you have a perfect post-game decompression setup. 

For real though, being able to switch off between the games is important. Yes, you've got to stay locked in, but being able to let the last game slide off your shoulders so that you can look ahead is important. As a former gymnast, I think Assaubayeva has the grindset required to do it. Bibisara, if you're reading this, pizza is on me.

If you want an athlete, Assaubayeva is your Candidate.

As you can see, all of the Candidates have entirely different stories, personalities, and skills to offer in this tournament. It's hard to know who will prevail, and why. At the end of the day, I'm looking forward to seeing some exciting chess, all while rooting for my fave. And now it's your turn to tell me in the comments: who are you rooting for in the Women's Candidates Tournament, and why?

If you liked this article, check out Lularobs on Twitch and decide who you're rooting for in the Open Candidates Tournament 2026!