FIDE Candidates Chess Tournament 2024: Know The 8 Men And Women Challengers Participating In Toronto

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The highly anticipated FIDE Candidates Chess Tournament 2024 will kick off on April 3 and conclude with the grand finale on April 23 in Toronto, Canada.

The top eight men and women chess players in the world are set to participate in their respective categories in a battle of supremacy on the shores of North America over the next 21 days.

Both tournaments (men's and women's) will follow a double round-robin format, allowing every player to compete against their seven opponents twice, once with white pieces and once with black. Over three weeks, the players will engage in 14 rounds of matches, with four designated rest days. FIDE Candidates Chess Tournament 2024: Schedule, Host Nation, Venue Other Details

FIDE Candidates 2024 Prize Money

The winner of the men's tournament will end up getting richer by €500,000 (INR 4,51,23,000 approx) while the Women's Candidates Tournament carries a prize money worth €250,000 (INR 2,25,60,203 approx).

Who Are Participating In FIDE Men's Candidates Tournament And How They Qualified?

1. Ian Nepomniachtchi (Russia, 2758) - qualified as the previous World Championship match runner-up.
2. Praggnanandhaa R (India, 2747) - qualified as the 2023 World Cup runner-up.
3. Fabiano Caruana (USA, 2804) - qualified as the third-place finisher at the 2023 World Cup.
4. Nijat Abasov (Azerbaijan, 2632) - qualified as the fourth-place finisher at the 2023 World Cup after the winner, Magnus Carlsen, declined his right to participate.
5. Vidit Gujrathi (India, 2747) - qualified as the 2023 Grand Swiss winner.
6. Hikaru Nakamura (USA, 2789) - qualified as the 2023 Grand Swiss runner-up.
7. Alireza Firouzja (France, 2760) - qualified as the best by rating on January 1, 2024.
8. Gukesh D (India, 2747) - qualified as the 2023 FIDE Circuit winner.

Who Are FIDE Women's Candidates Tournament Participants And How Did They Qualify?

1. Lei Tingjie (China, 2550) - qualified as the previous World Championship match runner-up.
2. Kateryna Lagno (Russia, 2542) - qualified as the 2022-23 Women's Grand Prix winner.
3. Aleksandra Goryachkina (Russia, 2553) - qualified as the 2022-23 Women's Grand Prix runner-up.
4. Nurgyul Salimova (Bulgaria, 2426) - qualified as the 2023 Women's World Cup runner-up.
5. Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine, 2520) - qualified as the third-place finisher at the 2023 Women's World Cup.
6. Vaishali R (India, 2481) - qualified as the 2023 Women's Grand Swiss winner.
7. Tan Zhongyi (China, 2521) - qualified as the 2023 Women's Grand Swiss runner-up.
8. Humpy Koneru (India, 2546) - qualified as the best by rating on January 1, 2024. The rating spot became available as a replacement for the Women's World Cup winner since Goryachkina had already qualified through the WGP.

How many Indians are participating in FIDE Candidates?

As many as five Indian chess players have qualified for the FIDE Candidates in Toronto. Praggnanandhaa, Gukesh D and Vidith Gujrathi will compete in the open category to emerge as a challenger to world champion Diren Ling. India's Koneru Hampi and Vaishali R will battle it out in FIDE Women's Candidates 2024 to become the challenger to Women's World Champion Ju Wenjun.

Why are Russian players competing under the FIDE banner?

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, FIDE decided that "the display of the Russian and Belarusian national flags and the playing of their anthems will not be permitted in any FIDE-rated international chess events."

Who All Are Making Their FIDE Candidates Debut?

While Ian Nepomniachtchi attempts to win his third consecutive Candidates Tournament, setting an unprecedented record, youngsters like Praggnanandhaa (18) and Gukesh (17), as well as Vidit and Abasov, both in their late twenties, are participating in their first Candidates event.

Firouzja, the former world number 2, despite being only 20 years old, already has one Candidates Tournament experience. Seasoned players Caruana (WR 2) and Nakamura (WR 3) are certainly two of the main favourites. This is the first time when these two Grand Masters won't have to cross the Atlantic to participate in the event. Instead, they will enjoy the home-turf advantage this time around.

In the women's category, it will be the third Women's Candidates since FIDE reformed the women's world championship cycle in 2019.

The fourth-highest-rated woman in chess history and the rating favourite of the tournament, Aleksandra Goryachkina, has already been a challenger for the World Championship in 2020.

By the starting ranks, her closest rival seems to be Lei Tingjie, who lost the world championship match a year earlier.

The two are currently rated World No. 3 and 4, closely followed by Koneru (WR 4) and Lagno (WR 5), the other two rating favourites of the tournament.

22-year-old Indian International Master Vaishali R, the sister of Praggnanandhaa R, will also be making her debut at the Candidates, marking the first time in history that a brother and sister participate in the final stage of the chess world championship qualification.

FIDE Candidates 2024 Opening Ceremony & First Round Matchups

The opening ceremony will take place on the evening of April 3. Both tournaments will be set in motion on April 4 at 14:30 local time with the first round.

The pairings, as per the regulations of this prestigious event, were made a month prior to the start. In the first round, we will witness the following matchups:

Candidates Tournament Matchups

• Fabiano Caruana vs. Hikaru Nakamura
• Nijat Abasov vs. Ian Nepomniachtchi
• Alireza Firouzja vs. Praggnanandhaa R
• Gukesh D vs. Vidit Gujrathi

Women's Candidates Tournament

• Aleksandra Goryachkina vs. Kateryna Lagno
• Anna Muzychuk vs. Nurgyul Salimova
• Lei Tingjie vs. Tan Zhongyi
• Vaishali R vs. Humpy Koneru