Paphos (Cyprus), March 28 Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa, India's sole representative in the open section of the eight-player elite field, faces a challenging task as the Candidates Tournament gets underway here on Sunday.
The event, which will determine the challenger to reigning world champion D Gukesh in the next World Championship match later this year, will feature eight players competing in a double round-robin format.
Each player will face every other participant twice, and the one with the highest total points will earn the right to compete for the world title.
Based on recent form, American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana appears to be the favorite, ahead of compatriot Hikaru Nakamura, who qualified through his rating. Dutch Grandmaster Anish Giri has also been in good form and is one to watch; if he gets going, he will be a formidable contender.
Wei Yi of China, Javokhir Sindarov of Uzbekistan, Andrey Esipenko, and Matthias Bluebaum are the other four players in what is likely to be one of the most fiercely contested and widely followed tournaments of the year.
For Praggnanandhaa, the lead-up to the Candidates has not been entirely smooth. However, the Indian should feel refreshed after a well-deserved long break; since the Tata Steel Chess Tournament in February, the young Grandmaster has not played any competitive chess and has instead been preparing for this event with his team.
After an impressive 2025, in which he qualified for the Candidates by finishing as the top performer on the FIDE circuit, the latter part of the year saw an unusual dip in Praggnanandhaa's form, a trend that continued into the Tata Steel Masters earlier this year.
The Indian will be hoping to turn the tide and make things fall as per his scheme.
The dark horse of the event is the youngest participant, Sindarov, who surprised everyone by winning the Chess World Cup in Goa late last year. Sindarov possesses both the acumen and the fighting spirit to go the distance, and although this is his first Candidates appearance, the Uzbek will be raring to go.
Wei Yi can be tricky but much would depend on how many games he wins. Along with Giri, the Chinese is a great defender and known for his solidity. Esipenko may not be considered a major threat in this field, but he remains a dangerous opponent on his day. Meanwhile, the lowest-ranked participant, Bluebaum, is clearly the outsider, though he has been a consistent performer.
In the women's section, former women's world champion Tan Zhongyi of China has an edge over others but things could get tricky here as well.
Following the withdrawal of two-time world rapid champion Koneru Humpy due to security concerns, Anna Muzychuk -- last year's Norway Chess winner -- has replaced the Indian. However, all eyes will be on Divya Deshmukh, who won the Women's World Cup in 2025.
R. Vaishali is the other Indian in the fray and she is known to be a fearless warrior who only craves for victories.
Zhu Jiner is another player to watch out for, as she is known to trouble even the very best. Bibisara Assaubayeva too has also established herself as a fierce competitor.
The two remaining Russian flag-bearers are seasoned Kateryna Lagni and Alexandra Goryachkina and both are capable of winning this event if their past results are anything to go by.
The event carries a total prize pool of USD 1 million (Rs 9.49 crore), with USD 700,000 (Rs 6.65 crore) allocated to the Open section and USD 300,000 (Rs 2.85 crore) to the women's section. The opening ceremony will be held later on Saturday, with the first round scheduled for Sunday.
