Candidates Chess 2026

The FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 is an eight-player double round-robin chess tournament scheduled to take place between March 25 and May 1, 2026, to determine the challenger for the World Chess Championship 2026 against reigning champion D. Gukesh. Organized by the Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE), the tournament follows a revamped qualification system introduced in 2024, that follows a merit-based qualification pathways through major events, ratings, and the FIDE Circuit. Unlike any other Candidates Tournaments, there is no automatic spot for the runner-up of the previous Championship (Ding Liren).

The Candidates Tournament 2026 features eight qualifiers selected through diverse criteria. The Candidates 2026 will be joined by the FIDE World Cup Winner, the top two finishers of the FIDE Grand Swiss, the top three finishers of the FIDE World Cup, the FIDE Circuit winners of 2024 and 2025, and one player by Highest average rating (Aug 2025 – Jan 2026).

2024 FIDE Circuit winner – Fabiano Caruana (USA)
FIDE World Cup Winner – TBD (see particpants)
Top two finishers of the FIDE Grand Swiss – TBD
Top three finishers of the FIDE World Cup TBD
2025 FIDE Circuit winner – TBD
Highest average rating (Aug 2025 – Jan 2026) – Hikaru Nakamura going for the rating spot

This image of the Candidates 2026 will be updated as more challengers become known