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World Chess Championship 2026

Updated: Wikipedia source

World Chess Championship 2026

The World Chess Championship 2026 will be a chess match to determine the World Chess Champion. It will be played between the defending champion Gukesh Dommaraju and a challenger, who will be the winner of the Candidates Tournament 2026. The date and the host city are yet to be decided.

Tables

· Candidates Tournament
3
3
Qualification method
2024 FIDE Circuit winner
Player
Fabiano Caruana
Age
33
Rating
2795
Worldranking
3
8
8
Qualification method
Top two finishers of the 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss
Player
Anish Giri (winner)
Age
31
Rating
2760
Worldranking
8
22
22
Qualification method
Top three finishers of the 2025 FIDE World Cup
Player
Javokhir Sindarov (winner)
Age
20
Rating
2726
Worldranking
22
7
7
Qualification method
2025 FIDE Circuit winner
Player
R Praggnanandhaa
Age
20
Rating
2761
Worldranking
7
2
2
Qualification method
Highest average rating (Aug 2025 – Jan 2026)
Player
Hikaru Nakamura
Age
37
Rating
2810
Worldranking
2
Qualification method
Player
Age
Rating
Worldranking
(December 2025)
2024 FIDE Circuit winner
Fabiano Caruana
33
2795
3
Top two finishers of the 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss
Anish Giri (winner)
31
2760
8
Matthias Blübaum (runner-up)
28
2679
43
Top three finishers of the 2025 FIDE World Cup
Javokhir Sindarov (winner)
20
2726
22
Wei Yi (runner-up)
26
2754
9
Andrey Esipenko (third place)
23
2698
34
2025 FIDE Circuit winner
R Praggnanandhaa
20
2761
7
Highest average rating (Aug 2025 – Jan 2026)
Hikaru Nakamura
37
2810
2

References

  1. Esipenko is a member of the Chess Federation of Russia. However, he plays under the FIDE flag because FIDE banned the di
  2. Provided the player has played at least 40 games rated for the February 2025 through January 2026 standard rating lists,
  3. "Mediterranean Stage Set for Chess History: The 2026 FIDE Candidates Come to Cyprus"
    https://www.fide.com/mediterranean-stage-set-for-chess-history-the-2026-fide-candidates-come-to-cyprus/
  4. The Guardian
    https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/nov/14/outsiders-sense-chess-world-cup-glory-after-big-names-make-early-exits
  5. "Cap St Georges Hotel and Resort: Official Factsheet"
    https://www.little-lobster.com/media/2024/01/28187_cap-st-georges-hotel-factsheets-01-2024.pdf
  6. FIDE
    https://fide.com/news/2863
  7. FIDE
    https://handbook.fide.com/files/handbook/FIDE_Candidates_Tournament_2026_Qualification_Paths.pdf
  8. TASS
    https://tass.ru/sport/18324685
  9. ChessBase
    https://en.chessbase.com/post/fide-council-condemns-russia-military-action
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