India’s top-ranked Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa will be keen to seal his Candidates tournament 2026 berth by taming a strong field in the FIDE Grand Swiss chess tournament which begins here on Wednesday.
The 11-round tournament, which carries a total prize pool of US $6,25,000 in the open section and US $2,30,000 in the women’s section, will see the top two players entering the Candidates in the open and women’s categories. Praggnanandhaa is almost assured of his place in the Candidates owing to a healthy lead that he enjoys in the performance category qualifier for 2025.
The Candidates consists of eight contestants with one player qualifying on his performance in the FIDE circuit in 2024 and 2025, two players from Grand Swiss, three players from World Cup to be held in Goa in October-November this year and two players based on six months of highest rating average.
Fabiano Caruana of the US has already made it to the Candidates after his brilliant run in 2024. Praggnanandhaa enjoys a seemingly insurmountable lead in points over his nearest rivals in the current year. While world champion D Gukesh will also be participating, it does not hamper Praggnanandhaa’s chances. Gukesh’s presence in the Grand Swiss as the world champion is a rare sight in itself, and is a testament to his commitment to continue to prove himself at big events.
Arjun Erigaisi would have been closer to a Candidates’ berth had Praggnanandhaa not been the best performer in 2025, but he still has a few more events to prove himself a worthy contender. Vidit Gujrathi, who had qualified for the previous Candidates as a Grand Swiss winner in 2023, needs to find his peak form here after a few below-par outings.
There are a host of other Indians in the open section, like P Harikrishna, Nihal Sarin and Pranav Venkatesh, and they will be hoping for some good results in this tournament. Harikrishna has the experience, Nihal has the firepower and world junior champion Pranav has his recent performance backing him, but it remains to be seen who strikes form at the right time.
Divya Deshmukh, who recently won the women’s World Cup, has decided to play in the open section and has been given a wild card. Divya and Koneru Humpy have already qualified for the women’s Candidates after their brilliant performance in the World Cup, where they met in the title clash. However, Humpy has decided not to play in the Grand Swiss as it does not affect her chances.
In the women’s section, the Indian challenge will be spearheaded by D Harika, followed by last edition’s winner R Vaishali and Vantika Agrawal. While the opening ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday, followed by a draw of lots, the first round will begin on Thursday.
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