The highly anticipated Candidates Chess Tournament 2026 is scheduled to take place in Paphos, Cyprus, from March 28 to April 16, 2026. This prestigious event will feature eight of the world’s top chess grandmasters competing for the right to challenge the reigning World Champion.
The tournament employs a rigorous double round-robin format, meaning each participant will play every other player twice, resulting in a total of 14 intense rounds of chess. The opening round is set for March 29th, with the decisive final round concluding on April 16th.
The elite lineup of participants includes Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura, R Praggnanandhaa, Anish Giri, Wei Yi, Andrey Esipenko, Javokhir Sindarov, and Matthias Blübaum. Each player will be striving to demonstrate their peak form and strategic prowess throughout the competition.
Among the pivotal matchups in the opening round was the highly anticipated encounter between R Praggnanandhaa and Anish Giri. This game marked the commencement of their challenging journey in the Candidates Chess Tournament 2026, setting the tone for the competition ahead.
