FIDE Candidates 2026: Open
FIDE Candidates 2026: Open is a chess tournament followed by Chess Rankings in Pegeia, Cyprus. Check the player list, ratings, rounds and live results for March 29, 2026 - April 15, 2026.
The 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament and the 2026 FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament form the final qualifying stage of the FIDE World Championship cycle. Each tournament features eight of the world’s strongest players competing in a double round-robin format over fourteen rounds of classical chess. At the conclusion of the events, the winners secure the right to challenge for the FIDE World Chess Championship and FIDE Women’s World Chess Championship titles. Watch Lichess' interviews at the Candidates on [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe5ZNOR8Ttm2och_ZJuqSQo6TBxFNo5om), and read our game [annotations](https://lichess.org/study/Y1yXP80U) by GM Axel Bachmann, GM Maksim Chigaev, WGM Petra Papp, IM Lilit Mkrtchian, and WGM Ekaterina Atalik. ## Tiebreaks - **Stage I** - 2 players: 2-game match, 15+10 time control. - 3–6 players: round robin, 15+10. - 7–8 players: round.
Live Chess Ratings: https://app.chess-rankings.com/rankings
Auto-updated using Lichess broadcast data. Jun 23, 2026, 10:05 AM
Players and ELO
| # | Players | ELO | FED | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GM Nakamura, Hikaru | 2810 | USA | 14 |
| 2 | GM Caruana, Fabiano | 2795 | USA | 14 |
| 3 | GM Wei, Yi | 2754 | CHN | 14 |
| 4 | GM Giri, Anish | 2753 | NED | 14 |
| 5 | GM Sindarov, Javokhir | 2745 | UZB | 14 |
| 6 | GM Praggnanandhaa R | 2741 | IND | 14 |
| 7 | GM Bluebaum, Matthias | 2698 | GER | 14 |
| 8 | GM Esipenko, Andrey | 2698 | FID | 14 |
Rounds
| Rounds | Status | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | With results | Mar 29, 2026, 02:45 PM |
| Round 2 | With results | Mar 30, 2026, 02:45 PM |
| Round 3 | With results | Mar 31, 2026, 02:45 PM |
| Round 4 | With results | Apr 1, 2026, 02:45 PM |
| Round 5 | With results | Apr 3, 2026, 02:45 PM |
| Round 6 | With results | Apr 4, 2026, 02:45 PM |
| Round 7 | With results | Apr 5, 2026, 02:45 PM |
| Round 8 | With results | Apr 7, 2026, 02:45 PM |
| Round 9 | With results | Apr 8, 2026, 02:45 PM |
| Round 10 | With results | Apr 9, 2026, 02:45 PM |
| Round 11 | With results | Apr 11, 2026, 02:45 PM |
| Round 12 | With results | Apr 12, 2026, 02:45 PM |
| Round 13 | With results | Apr 14, 2026, 02:45 PM |
| Round 14 | With results | Apr 15, 2026, 02:45 PM |
Games
| Rounds | Games | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | Caruana, Fabiano - Nakamura, Hikaru | 1-0 |
| Round 1 | Praggnanandhaa R - Giri, Anish | 1-0 |
| Round 1 | Bluebaum, Matthias - Wei, Yi | ½-½ |
| Round 1 | Sindarov, Javokhir - Esipenko, Andrey | 1-0 |
| Round 2 | Esipenko, Andrey - Nakamura, Hikaru | ½-½ |
| Round 2 | Giri, Anish - Caruana, Fabiano | ½-½ |
| Round 2 | Wei, Yi - Praggnanandhaa R | ½-½ |
| Round 2 | Sindarov, Javokhir - Bluebaum, Matthias | ½-½ |
| Round 3 | Bluebaum, Matthias - Esipenko, Andrey | ½-½ |
| Round 3 | Praggnanandhaa R - Sindarov, Javokhir | 0-1 |
| Round 3 | Caruana, Fabiano - Wei, Yi | 1-0 |
| Round 3 | Nakamura, Hikaru - Giri, Anish | ½-½ |