Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen have picked their favourites to win the upcoming Candidates 2026 tournament, which is scheduled to begin on March 28 in Cyprus. The tournament winner will face D Gukesh for the World C’ship.
Speaking on FIDE’s YouTube channel, Anand didn’t pick a favourite, but felt that Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura and Anish Giri had a better chance of winning the tournament.
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“I think Fabi (Fabiano), Hikaru (Nakamura), Anish (Giri)… you know this has got to be their time, so they will have that feeling going into it that this is a chance to grab… but for the life of me I can’t get around predicting someone,” he said.
Vishy Anand on R Praggnanandhaa’s chances
Anand also feels that R Praggnanandhaa has a good chance of qualifying for the World C’ship showdown against Gukesh. “He’s experienced, but at the same time, he looks very motivated. He has slowed down a little bit in the last few months, but maybe mentally he is already peaking and getting ready for the Candidates.”
Meanwhile, Carlsen named his friends, Caruana and Nakamura, as his favourites. Speaking to Chess.com, he said, “The old Americans are the favourites.”
Other than Nakamura, Giri, Caruana, and Praggnanandhaa, the other participants are Matthias Blubaum, Javokhir Sindarov, Wei Yi and Andrey Esipenko.
At the 2024 World C’ship, Gukesh defeated Ding Liren to take the title away from the Chinese GM. Gukesh clinched a 7 1/2-6 1/2 after 14 games, and it also made him the youngest-ever world champion.
The venue, Cyprus, has sparked controversy due to its proximity to the ongoing Gulf conflict. Koneru Humpy, who has qualified for the Women’s Candidates, is reportedly considering pulling out due to the conflict.
Regarding the location, Anand said, “FIDE tries to first find a good high-quality venue (and) I think we’ve succeeded in that. Cyprus will be a very good venue and I think the location is going to be amazing and we try to keep the players informed.”
