2 months ago
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The FIDE Candidates tourney 2026 begins successful Paphos, Cyprus, connected Saturday. Eight elite chess players each successful the Open and women’s sections volition conflict it retired implicit 14 rounds to place the challenger to the World champions.
R. Praggnanandhaa is the lone Indian successful the unfastened event, which is simply a premix of acquisition and youth. He volition beryllium anxious to spell each the mode and gain a changeable astatine his compatriot D. Gukesh successful the title lucifer aboriginal successful the year.
However, it volition beryllium a pugnacious task successful a tract that includes Americans Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana, China’s Wei Yi, Dutchman Anish Giri, German Matthias Bluebaum, Uzbek Javokhir Sindarov and Russian Andrey Esipenko.
The 20-year-old Praggnanandhaa, making his 2nd quality successful the event, has won a fig of elite invitational and unfastened tournaments implicit the past 2 years, and could beryllium a unsafe lawsuit if helium hits the close notes.
Rating-wise Nakamura and Caruana whitethorn beryllium the champion successful the tract but the remainder including Praggnanandhaa volition fancy their chances.
The women’s tournament, being held simultaneously, volition diagnostic R. Vaishali and the fast-rising Divya Deshmukh alongside erstwhile World champion Tan Zhongyi, Kateryna Lagno, Aleksandra Goryachkina, Zhu Jiner, Bibisara Assaubayeva and Anna Muzychuk, a precocious replacement for Koneru Humpy. The Indian ace decided not to question owing to information concerns successful the aftermath of the West Asia conflict.
Humpy’s withdrawal does rob the tourney of immoderate of its people but determination is inactive capable prime to supply aggravated contests. Vaishali, who performed brilliantly successful the erstwhile Candidates, has matured into an elite rival and volition beryllium among the contenders if she starts well.
The tactically crisp Divya, the youngest subordinate successful the fray and the World Cup winner, volition expect to enactment up a stiff fight.
