Candidates Tournament 2026

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Candidates Tournament 2026

The eight-player event will determine who challenges the World Chess Champion in 2026. It takes place at Cap St Georges Hotel and Resort in Pegeia, Cyprus, from 28 March to 16 April 2026. The tournament runs alongside the Women’s Candidates.

Format and schedule
- The event is a double round-robin: each player faces the others twice (14 rounds total).
- Time control: 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, then 30 minutes for the rest, plus a 30-second increment from move 41.
- Scoring: 1 point for a win, 0.5 for a draw, 0 for a loss.
- Pairings for rounds are decided by a draw at least four weeks before the start.
- The winner earns the right to challenge World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju for the World Championship in 2026.

Qualification and notes
- There is no automatic spot for the runner-up of the previous World Championship.
- The results of the 2024 championship can earn bonus points in the 2025 FIDE Circuit, affecting qualification.
- The qualification process has sparked debate, notably around rating lists and a 40-game threshold. Hikaru Nakamura qualified through this route by playing many rated games in North American events; this drew some criticism and later changes to rating rules were announced, though Nakamura still qualified.

Prize money
- The minimum prize fund is €700,000, with at least €70,000 for first place, €45,000 for second, and €25,000 for third. There are additional bonuses for each half-point scored, and FIDE has stated the prize fund will be at least €1 million.