The **Candidates Chess Tournament 2026** is set to take place in **Paphos, Cyprus**, from **March 28th to April 16th, 2026**. This prestigious event will feature eight top players competing in a double round-robin format, meaning each participant will face every other opponent twice, totaling 14 intense rounds.
The esteemed roster of participants includes Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura, R Praggnanandhaa, Anish Giri, Wei Yi, Andrey Esipenko, Javokhir Sindarov, and Matthias Blübaum. The first round of games is scheduled to commence on March 29th, with the final round concluding on April 16th.
As a pivotal stage in the World Chess Championship cycle, the **FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026** will determine the challenger who earns the right to compete against the reigning World Champion, Gukesh Dommaraju, for the ultimate world title.
Tournament Schedule
| Date | Day | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 28 March 2026 | Saturday | Opening ceremony |
| 29 March 2026 | Sunday | Round 1 |
| 30 March 2026 | Monday | Round 2 |
| 31 March 2026 | Tuesday | Round 3 |
| 1 April 2026 | Wednesday | Round 4 |
| 2 April 2026 | Thursday | Rest day |
| 3 April 2026 | Friday | Round 5 |
| 4 April 2026 | Saturday | Round 6 |
| 5 April 2026 | Sunday | Round 7 |
| 6 April 2026 | Monday | Rest day |
| 7 April 2026 | Tuesday | Round 8 |
| 8 April 2026 | Wednesday | Round 9 |
| 9 April 2026 | Thursday | Round 10 |
| 10 April 2026 | Friday | Rest day |
| 11 April 2026 | Saturday | Round 11 |
| 12 April 2026 | Sunday | Round 12 |
| 13 April 2026 | Monday | Rest day |
| 14 April 2026 | Tuesday | Round 13 |
| 15 April 2026 | Wednesday | Round 14 |
| 16 April 2026 | Thursday | Tie-breakers (if required) Closing ceremony |
Pairings for Candidates Chess 2026
Round 1 (29 March 2026)
- Javokhir Sindarov – Andrey Esipenko
- Matthias Blübaum – Wei Yi
- R Praggnanandhaa – Anish Giri
- Fabiano Caruana – Hikaru Nakamura
Round 2 (30 March 2026)
- Andrey Esipenko – Hikaru Nakamura
- Anish Giri – Fabiano Caruana
- Wei Yi – R Praggnanandhaa
- Javokhir Sindarov – Matthias Blübaum
Round 3 (31 March 2026)
- Matthias Blübaum – Andrey Esipenko
- R Praggnanandhaa – Javokhir Sindarov
- Fabiano Caruana – Wei Yi
- Hikaru Nakamura – Anish Giri
Round 4 (1 April 2026)
- Andrey Esipenko – Anish Giri
- Wei Yi – Hikaru Nakamura
- Javokhir Sindarov – Fabiano Caruana
- Matthias Blübaum – R Praggnanandhaa
Round 5 (3 April 2026)
- R Praggnanandhaa – Andrey Esipenko
- Fabiano Caruana – Matthias Blübaum
- Hikaru Nakamura – Javokhir Sindarov
- Anish Giri – Wei Yi
Round 6 (4 April 2026)
- Fabiano Caruana – Andrey Esipenko
- Hikaru Nakamura – R Praggnanandhaa
- Anish Giri – Matthias Blübaum
- Wei Yi – Javokhir Sindarov
Round 7 (5 April 2026)
- Andrey Esipenko – Wei Yi
- Javokhir Sindarov – Anish Giri
- Matthias Blübaum – Hikaru Nakamura
- R Praggnanandhaa – Fabiano Caruana
Round 8 (7 April 2026)
- Andrey Esipenko – Javokhir Sindarov
- Wei Yi – Matthias Blübaum
- Anish Giri – R Praggnanandhaa
- Hikaru Nakamura – Fabiano Caruana
Round 9 (8 April 2026)
- Hikaru Nakamura – Andrey Esipenko
- Fabiano Caruana – Anish Giri
- R Praggnanandhaa – Wei Yi
- Matthias Blübaum – Javokhir Sindarov
Round 10 (9 April 2026)
- Andrey Esipenko – Matthias Blübaum
- Javokhir Sindarov – R Praggnanandhaa
- Wei Yi – Fabiano Caruana
- Anish Giri – Hikaru Nakamura
Round 11 (11 April 2026)
- Anish Giri – Andrey Esipenko
- Hikaru Nakamura – Wei Yi
- Fabiano Caruana – Javokhir Sindarov
- R Praggnanandhaa – Matthias Blübaum
Round 12 (12 April 2026)
- Andrey Esipenko – R Praggnanandhaa
- Matthias Blübaum – Fabiano Caruana
- Javokhir Sindarov – Hikaru Nakamura
- Wei Yi – Anish Giri
Round 13 (14 April 2026)
- Wei Yi – Andrey Esipenko
- Anish Giri – Javokhir Sindarov
- Hikaru Nakamura – Matthias Blübaum
- Fabiano Caruana – R Praggnanandhaa
Round 14 (15 April 2026)
- Andrey Esipenko – Fabiano Caruana
- R Praggnanandhaa – Hikaru Nakamura
- Matthias Blübaum – Anish Giri
- Javokhir Sindarov – Wei Yi
