Road to the world championship begins: Pragg eyes big challenge at candidates tournament

Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa will face one of the biggest challenges of his career as the prestigious Candidates Tournament begins in Paphos, Cyprus, on Sunday. The winner of this elite event will earn the right to challenge reigning world champion D Gukesh later this year for the chess world title.

The tournament features eight of the world’s top players , competing in a double round-robin format , where each participant faces the others twice over the next two weeks. The player with the highest points tally at the end will secure a place in the World Championship match.

Praggnanandhaa enters the tournament as India’s only representative in the Open section , but the competition is expected to be fierce. American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana , one of the most consistent performers in world chess, starts as the favourite. His compatriot Hikaru Nakamura , who qualified through rating, is another strong contender.

Other key challengers include Dutch Grandmaster Anish Giri , China’s Wei Yi , Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov , Russia’s Andrey Esipenko , and Germany’s Matthias Bluebaum .

For Praggnanandhaa, the preparation phase has been crucial. After competing in the Tata Steel Chess Tournament in February , the Indian prodigy took a long break from competitive play to focus entirely on training with his team. The pause could help him regain momentum after a slight dip in form following an impressive 2025 season , during which he qualified for the Candidates as the top performer on the FIDE circuit .

Meanwhile, Sindarov is widely considered the tournament’s dark horse after his sensational victory at the 2025 Chess World Cup in Goa .

The event also features a strong women’s Candidates field , including Divya Deshmukh and R Vaishali representing India.

With a total prize pool of USD 1 million (around ₹9.49 crore) , the tournament promises intense battles as the world’s best players compete for a shot at the ultimate prize in chess.