Candidates Tournament
The eight-player tournament that decides who challenges the world champion.
- Founded
- 1950
- Held
- Every two years
- Where
- Varies
- Format
- Eight players, double round-robin (14 rounds); the winner plays the world champion
- Champion
- Javokhir Sindarov (2026)
History
FIDE has used a Candidates stage to find the world champion’s challenger since 1950. It began as a round-robin tournament, switched to knockout matches from 1965, and has settled since 2013 on its current form: eight players, each meeting every other twice.
The field qualifies through the World Cup, the Grand Swiss, the FIDE Circuit and rating. Winning it usually means a title match within the year: Gukesh Dommaraju won in 2024 and took the title that December. Javokhir Sindarov won the 2026 edition with 10/14, the highest score in the current format.
How it works
Who plays. Eight players, qualifying through the previous two years. For 2026: the top three at the World Cup, the top two at the Grand Swiss, two FIDE Circuit winners (a season-long ranking of players’ best tournaments), and the highest-rated player not already in, with a minimum number of games played.
The format. A double round-robin: everyone plays everyone twice, once with each colour, over 14 rounds. Classical time control, 120 minutes for 40 moves plus extra time after. A tie for first goes to faster playoff games.
What is at stake. Only first place counts. The winner plays the reigning champion in the World Championship match. The 2026 prize fund was about $1 million.
Part of the World Championship cycle: World Cup → Grand Swiss → Candidates → World Championship. Last checked 3 October 2026 against FIDE’s 2026 regulations.
Candidates Tournament in The Chess Herald
- Sindarov's Seconds: Abdusattorov, Vidonyak and Likely Madaminov
- Fischer's Game of the Century at 70, and the Magazine That Never Printed It
- Rafael Vaganian at 75: The Armenian Who Reached No. 4
- Speelman Hunts Samarkand's Miniatures, 40 Games in 25 Moves
- Weekly Recap: Turlov Takes Over FIDE as Uzbekistan Wins Gold in Samarkand
Show all 13 articles
- Jon Speelman at 70: The Candidates Run Behind a Quiet Career
- How a Player Earns a Shot at the World Chess Title
- Uzbekistan's Lead Holds as Ding Liren Blunders in Round 10
- Argentina's 28th Seed Shocks Ukraine at Samarkand
- Geneva's Return to World Title Chess, 22 Years On
- FIDE's New Athletes Commission Echoes the IOC's Playbook
- Vereslav Eingorn and the Odesa Chess Lineage He Leaves Behind
- Sindarov's Round-Seven Win Echoes His Candidates Surge as Tan Survives a Near-Collapse
Winners
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Javokhir Sindarov |
| 2024 | Gukesh Dommaraju |
| 2022 | Ian Nepomniachtchi |
| 2020 | Ian Nepomniachtchi · 2020–21, interrupted by the pandemic |
| 2018 | Fabiano Caruana |
| 2016 | Sergey Karjakin |
| 2014 | Viswanathan Anand |
| 2013 | Magnus Carlsen |
| 2011 | Boris Gelfand · knockout matches |
Source: Wikipedia.
Page last reviewed October 3, 2026.