The FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 and FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament 2026 start this Sunday, March 29, and they are the two most important over-the-board tournaments of the year. Each of them will determine a challenger for the world championship title; the respective winners will face World Champions Gukesh Dommaraju and Ju Wenjun.
Chess.com’s FM Mike Klein interviewed several participants a few days before showtime. We present the highlights of his conversations with the top-two seeds, American GMs Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana, in this article.
Learn more about how to watch the Candidates, and don’t miss the action with our world-class commentary on YouTube and Twitch, including commentators such as GM Judit Polgar, GM David Howell, GM Benjamin Bok, IM Tania Sachdev, Jai Sandhu, and John Sargent.
Nakamura: ‘No One Is A Clear Favorite’
World number-two Nakamura, the top-rated participant, reflected on his preparation, his outlook on the tournament, and life as a new father. In the first round, he will have Black against his countryman, Caruana—it’s customary for players of the same federation to play in the beginning so as to prevent even the possibility of collusion in the later rounds.
Their record is 11 wins, 39 draws, and eight losses for Nakamura—and he is the last one to win in their classical matchup.
Open Round 1 Pairings
Nakamura arrives in Cyprus feeling confident despite a lengthy break from classical chess. The last time he played in a world-class tournament was in Norway Chess 2025, almost a year ago, though that wasn’t the last time he played over-the-board classical chess. In order to be eligible for this event, he had to play 40 classical games in the year, and he did it by playing in what he called “Mickey Mouse” tournaments—ones where he was overwhelmingly the rating favorite.
A last-minute warmup match against GM Awonder Liang last week—arranged entirely by Liang himself, who won the match—gave Nakamura a chance to shake off some rust. He admitted he may have left an opportunity on the table in the second classical game with the black pieces, which he could have pressed harder. But he concluded, “So maybe that was a little bit rusty, but I felt very good, and I think my chances are very good here.”
How good are his chances, exactly? Nakamura dismissed Chess.com’s suggestion that he was a 40% favorite—”That’s completely wrong,” he said, laughing. “No one is a clear favorite,” and he estimated his own odds closer to 20%. He said that up to seven players have a chance of winning, depending on how the tournament shapes up.
The predictions are calculated by a model running simulations based on ratings, computing the probability for each player.
He also said, “If it’s going be a tournament where you need to win four or five games, with no losses, I think realistically there are probably only four players who can win the tournament. That’d be me, Fabi, Pragg [GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu], and [GM Javokhir] Sindarov. “
Nakamura likened the Candidates to the NHL playoffs, where seeding matters far less than simply being in contention late. “All you have to do is be in position with three or four rounds left and see what happens,” he said.
All you have to do is be in position with three or four rounds left and see what happens.
—Hikaru Nakamura
The tournament’s venue, in Cyprus, has raised concerns about safety in the midst of the Iran War. GM Koneru Humpy expressed her concerns, withdrew from the women’s tournament, and was then replaced by GM Anna Muzychuk. Nakamura called Humpy’s withdrawal “a shame” and said that it “mars the event to some degree, when you have someone competing who didn’t qualify.”
Nakamura also mentioned that, behind the scenes, he and other players expressed concerns too, and there were talks of moving the venue. Rex Sinquefield offered to host in St. Louis, while Wadim Rosenstein offered to have it in Germany. Nakamura did, however, say that despite the discussions, “It was always very clear to me that there was no intention to move it.”
It was always very clear to me that there was no intention to move it.
—Hikaru Nakamura
He didn’t have complaints about the venue itself, saying that the resort is “quite nice,” that the conditions are good, and “if the weather stays the way it is today, it’ll be more or less perfect.”
Nakamura’s family is traveling with him, so between games, he can look forward to the support of his wife and son. For the veteran GM with decades of experience as a chess professional, this is a first, and he said that parenthood has given him a bigger-picture outlook on life.
It’s very good to have perspective and just focus on understanding what matters the most. And I think that that’s one of the things that gives me a great opportunity here because, at the end of the day, there are things that are bigger than chess, that are bigger than the Candidates. And I think for most players here, this is it. This is all they have; this is the big thing in their life. So I think that does give me a little bit of an edge from a mental standpoint.
At the end of the day, there are things that are bigger than chess.
—Hikaru Nakamura
He included a little jab, too: “I’m still getting a three-week vacation here in Cyprus, so that’s better than Nepo can say,” referring to GM Ian Nepomniachtchi, who won two Candidates tournaments but did not qualify this time.
I’m still getting a three-week vacation here in Cyprus, so that’s better than Nepo can say.
—Hikaru Nakamura
Nakamura will continue making his video recaps during the tournament, something that was once unheard of from top players but is, by now, something we’ve come to expect from the American GM. “I wouldn’t bother playing classical chess if I wasn’t going to do recaps,” Nakamura said, and he added that he’ll even do recaps of the world championship match if he qualifies for it.
I would say with most recaps, I don’t hold anything back. I think with the Candidates, it can be a little bit different just because you can play openings multiple times, as sometimes you’re a little bit more careful.
The 38-year-old father was asked by Klein if this is potentially his last time playing in the Candidates. While Nakamura said that before the announcement of the Total Chess World Championship, his answer would likely have been 90% yes, but now there are more “moving parts.” He said it’s probably 60-65% chance this is his last time playing the Candidates.
Caruana: ‘You Need A Combination Of All The Factors’
While Caruana is the second-oldest participant, he is the most experienced player in the field—and the only one who has previously won the event, in 2018. The American grandmaster reflected on past attempts, present confidence, and the sun-soaked surroundings of what he called a welcome change from previous venues.
Caruana was measured but honest when looking back at his 2018 Candidates victory, noting that success in the event requires both playing well and catching some luck at the right moments. “You need a combination of all the factors,” he said. “You need to play really well, and then you also need to have things go your way at certain times.”
That same balance, he acknowledged, didn’t quite fall in his favor in 2024, when he failed to put away a winning position against Nepomniachtchi—a game he described as “99 times out of a hundred” a win. Two years on, he said he has some regrets, “but I try not to blame myself.” He said something that every chess player—especially us at the lower levels—can understand: “Chess is a difficult game, not only from the difficult moments, but also from the easy moments.”
Chess is a difficult game, not only from the difficult moments, but also from the easy moments.
—Fabiano Caruana
On preparation, Caruana explained why he prefers staying active over resting or lying low before a major event. After going months without a classical game ahead of the Bundesliga, he recalled feeling like he was “playing some other type of game” when he finally sat down at the board. Playing in the 2026 Saint Louis Masters a month ago gave him the rhythm he needed heading into Cyprus. He finished second, just a half-point behind GM Mikhail Antipov, who had an incredible tournament and finished with 7.5/9, including a draw against Caruana.
Although he didn’t mention it in the interview, Caruana also played in The American Cup 2026, where he finished third. GM Levon Aronian knocked him out in the Losers Final, but GM Wesley So went on to win the event (for the first time).
When it came to win probabilities and tier lists, Caruana wasn’t too enthusiastic. Told that Chess.com’s statisticians put him at roughly 24.5%, he smiled and noted he’d won the event once at one-in-five odds before, adding, “Hopefully I’ll make it two in six.”
He said, “I think there’s also an obsession with tier lists in everything. Every time I look up, you know, basketball, tennis, everything’s tier lists now and who’s the greatest of all time. It’s like some kind of global obsession.” He went on to suggest the only list that matters will be written after the final round, when we really know who has won.
On the controversy surrounding the Cyprus venue, Caruana said that it was “sad” Humpy left the tournament, but also, “I don’t think that she had a good reason not to feel safe,” saying that Cyprus is not involved in the conflict, even if it is geographically close. “I feel pretty safe here,” said Caruana, who also commented on the sunny and pleasant location—a sharp contrast to cloudy or cold past venues in Moscow, Berlin, and Toronto. “This is the first time that we’re in a kind of beautiful vacation spot, which feels like a nice change.”
This is the first time that we’re in a kind of beautiful vacation spot, which feels like a nice change.
—Fabiano Caruana
“If I play well,” he quipped, “it’ll be extra nice.”