Candidates Tournament

The Candidates Tournament (or in some periods Candidates Matches) is a chess tournament organized by FIDE, chess's international governing body, since 1950, as the final contest to determine the challenger for the World Chess Championship. The winner of the Candidates earns the right to a match for the World Championship against the incumbent world champion.

Before 1993 it was contested as a triennial tournament; almost always held every third year from 1950 to 1992 inclusive. After the split of the World Championship in the early 1990s, the cycles were disrupted, even after the reunification of the titles in 2006. Since 2013 it has settled into a 2-year cycle: qualification for Candidates during the odd numbered year, Candidates played early in the even numbered year, and the World Championship match played late in the even numbered year. The latter half of the 2020 Candidates Tournament was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was only played in April 2021.^[1]^[2] The next tournament, the 2022 Candidates Tournament, took place as scheduled in 2022.^[3]

Precursors

Before 1950, the champion had the right to handpick a challenger. However, a number of tournaments acted as de facto candidates tournaments:

The London 1883 chess tournament established Johannes Zukertort and Wilhelm Steinitz as the best two players in the world, and was one of the important events leading to the first official world championship match between the two, in 1886. Steinitz won, making him the first official world champion.
The Saint Petersburg 1895-96 chess tournament, in which world champion Emanuel Lasker finished first and Steinitz finished second, led to Steinitz gaining support for an 1897 rematch,^[4] which Lasker won.
The AVRO 1938 chess tournament was held partly to choose a challenger for Alexander Alekhine.^[5] Paul Keres won on tie-breaks, but World War II prevented the match from happening.

Organization

Candidates Tournament 1956 Amsterdam: 10 players

The number of players in the tournament varied over the years, between eight and fifteen players. Most of these qualified from Interzonal tournaments, though some gained direct entry without having to play the Interzonal.

The first Interzonal/Candidates World Championship cycle began in 1948. Before 1965, the tournament was organized in a round-robin format. From 1965 on, the tournament was played as knockout matches, spread over several months. In 1995–1996, the defending FIDE champion (Anatoly Karpov) also entered the Candidates, in the third round (Candidates final).

During its 1993 to 2006 split from FIDE, the "Classical" World Championship also held three Candidates Tournaments (in 1994–1995, 1998 and 2002) under a different sponsor and a different format each time. In one of these cases (Alexei Shirov in 1998) no title match eventuated, under disputed circumstances (see Classical World Chess Championship 2000).

After the reunification of titles in 2006, FIDE tried different Candidates formats in 2007, 2009 and 2011, before settling on an 8 player, double round robin Candidates tournament from 2013 onwards.

Results of Candidates Tournaments

The tables below show the qualifiers and results for all interzonal, Candidates and world championship tournaments.

Players shown bracketed in italics (Bondarevsky, Euwe, Fine and Reshevsky in 1950, Botvinnik in 1965, Fischer in 1977, Carlsen in 2011 and 2024, and Radjabov in 2020) qualified for the Candidates or were seeded in the Candidates, but did not play.
Players shown in italics with an asterisk (Stein* in 1962 and again in 1965, and Bronstein* in 1965) were excluded from the Candidates by a rule limiting the number of players from one country.
Karjakin* in 2022 was disqualified by FIDE after his qualification for the Candidates: the FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Commission ruled that he breached Article 2.2.10 of the FIDE Code of Ethics after he made public comments approving of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. He is shown bracketed, in italics, and with an asterisk.
Players listed after players in italics (Flohr in 1950, Benko in 1962, Geller, Ivkov and Portisch in 1965, Spassky in 1977, Grischuk in 2011, Vachier-Lagrave in 2020, Ding in 2022, and Abasov in 2024) only qualified due to the non-participation (withdrawal) of the bracketed players or players with an asterisk.
Incumbent champions' names are struck through when they refused to defend their title (Fischer in 1975 and Carlsen in 2023).

Normally, the incumbent champion is seeded directly into the final against the challenger (who had to pass through the Candidates qualification), but there have been exceptions:

The World Chess Championship 1948, in which five players were seeded into the championship tournament (the previous champion, Alexander Alekhine, having died in 1946). A sixth player, Fine, was also seeded into the championship tournament but chose not to play; he is shown in brackets.
The FIDE World Chess Championship 1996, in which the FIDE World Champion Anatoly Karpov was seeded in the Candidates final.
The Classical World Chess Championship 2000, in which two players were seeded into the championship final (one of them being incumbent champion Kasparov), and there were no previous qualifying stages. In this way, it resembled the pre-1946 events, in which the champion could handpick a challenger.
The FIDE championships of 1999–2004 (during the split-title period), in which the incumbent champion had no special privileges.
The FIDE World Chess Championship 2005, in which eight players (including incumbent FIDE champion Kasimdzhanov) were seeded into the final championship tournament.
The FIDE World Chess Championship 2007, in which four players (including incumbent champion Kramnik) were seeded into the final championship tournament.

The incumbent champion Bobby Fischer refused to defend his title at the World Chess Championship 1975, and his challenger Anatoly Karpov won by forfeit. (At the time, the Candidates was a knock-out event, so the 1974 Karpov–Korchnoi Candidates final match – a best of 24 games, like world championships in the period 1951–1972 and 1985–1993 – arguably became a de facto world championship in retrospect.) Magnus Carlsen refused to defend his title at the World Chess Championship 2023 and was replaced by the runner-up of the Candidates Tournament, Ding Liren.

Interzonal and Candidates tournaments (1948–1996)

World Championship selection cycles from 1948 to 1996
Year	Selection of participants					Championship
1948	In 1946–1947, FIDE planned the 1948 championship tournament, selecting six notable players for the reasons shown. Fine withdrew from the tournament.			1938 AVRO winners: • Keres • (Fine) Former world champion: • Euwe	Multiple US champion: • Reshevsky Soviet Champion: • Botvinnik Soviet grandmaster: • Smyslov	The Hague/ Moscow 1948 Quintuple round robin: 1 Botvinnik 14/20 2 Smyslov 11 3-4 Keres 10½ 3-4 Reshevsky 10½ 5 Euwe 4
Year	Interzonal tournaments		Candidates tournaments		Championship
Year	Format	Results	Seeded	Results	Contestants	Results
1948–51	Saltsjöbaden (Stockholm) 1948: Single round robin 20 players 8 qualified	1 Bronstein 2 Szabo 3 Boleslavsky 4 Kotov 5 Lilienthal 6-9 Najdorf 6-9 Ståhlberg 6-9 (Bondarevsky^[6]) 6-9 Flohr	• Smyslov • Keres • (Euwe) • (Fine) • (Reshevsky)	Budapest 1950 Double round robin 10 players 1-2 Boleslavsky 1-2 Bronstein 3 Smyslov 4 Keres Playoff: • Bronstein beat Boleslavsky	Candidates winner: • Bronstein Defending champion: • Botvinnik	Moscow 1951 24-game match Drawn 12–12 Botvinnik retained title
1952–54	Saltsjöbaden (Stockholm) 1952 Single round robin 21 players 8 qualified	1 Kotov 2-3 Taimanov 2-3 Petrosian 4 Geller 5-8 Averbakh 5-8 Ståhlberg 5-8 Szabo 5-8 Gligorić	7 more: • Bronstein • Boleslavsky • Smyslov • Keres • Reshevsky • Najdorf^[7] • Euwe^[8]	Zürich 1953 Double round robin 15 players 1 Smyslov 2-4 Bronstein 2-4 Keres 2-4 Reshevsky	Candidates winner: • Smyslov Defending champion: • Botvinnik	Moscow 1954 24-game match Drawn 12–12 Botvinnik retained title
1955–57	Gothenburg 1955 Single round robin 21 players 9 qualified	1 Bronstein 2 Keres 3 Panno 4 Petrosian 5-6 Geller 5-6 Szabo 7–9 Filip 7–9 Pilnik 7–9 Spassky	Smyslov	Amsterdam 1956 Double round robin 10 players 1 Smyslov 2 Keres	Candidates winner: • Smyslov Defending champion: • Botvinnik	Moscow 1957 24-game match Smyslov won 12½–9½
1958	Rematch				• Botvinnik • Smyslov	Moscow 1958 24-game match Botvinnik won 12½–10½
1958–60	Portorož 1958 Single round robin 21 players 6 qualified	1 Tal 2 Gligorić 3-4 Petrosian 3-4 Benko 5-6 Olafsson 5-6 Fischer	• Smyslov • Keres	Yugoslavia^[9] 1959 Quadruple round robin 8 players 1 Tal 2 Keres 3 Petrosian 4 Smyslov	Candidates winner: • Tal Defending champion: • Botvinnik	Moscow 1960 24-game match Tal won 12½–8½
1961	Rematch				• Botvinnik • Tal	Moscow 1961 24-game match Botvinnik won 13–8
1962–63	Stockholm 1962 Single round robin 23 players 6 qualified	1 Fischer 2-3 Geller 2-3 Petrosian 4-5 Korchnoi 4-5 Filip 6-8 Stein* 6-8 Benko^[10]	• Tal • Keres	Curaçao 1962 Quadruple round robin 8 players 1 Petrosian; 2 Keres^[11] 3 Geller 4 Fischer	Candidates winner: • Petrosian Defending champion: • Botvinnik	Moscow 1963 24-game match Petrosian won 12½–9½
1964–66	Amsterdam 1964 Single round robin 24 players 6 qualified	1-4 Smyslov 1-4 Larsen 1-4 Spassky 1-4 Tal 5 Stein* 6 Bronstein* 7 Ivkov 8-9 Portisch^[12]	• Keres • (Botvinnik) • Geller	1965: 8 players, matches Semi-finals winners: • Spassky beat Geller • Tal beat Larsen Finals: • Spassky beat Tal	Candidates winner: • Spassky Defending champion: • Petrosian	Moscow 1966 24-game match Petrosian won 12½–11½
1967–69	Sousse 1967 Single round robin 23 players 6 qualified	1 Larsen 2-4 Korchnoi 2-4 Geller 2-4 Gligorić 5 Portisch 6-8 Reshevsky^[13]	• Spassky • Tal	1968: 8 players, matches Semi-finals: • Korchnoi beat Tal • Spassky beat Larsen Finals: • Spassky beat Korchnoi	Champions winner: • Spassky Defending champion: • Petrosian	Moscow 1969 24-game match Spassky won 12½–10½
1970–72	Palma de Mallorca 1970 Single round robin 24 players 6 qualified	1 Fischer 2-4 Larsen 2-4 Geller 2-4 Hübner 5-6 Taimanov 5-6 Uhlmann	• Petrosian • Korchnoi	1971: 8 players, matches Semi-finals: • Petrosian beat Korchnoi • Fischer beat Larsen Finals: • Fischer beat Petrosian	Candidates winner: • Fischer Defending champion: • Spassky	Reykjavík 1972 24-game match Fischer won 12½–8½
1973–75	1973: Two single round robins 18 players each 3 qualified from each	Leningrad 1973: 1-2 Korchnoi 1-2 Karpov 3 Byrne	• Spassky • Petrosian	1974: 8 players, matches Semi-finals: • Korchnoi beat Petrosian • Karpov beat Spassky Finals: • Karpov beat Korchnoi	Candidates winner: • Karpov Defending champion: • ~~(Fischer)~~	1975: Karpov won on forfeit
1973–75		Petropolis 1973: 1 Mecking 2-4 Portisch 2-4 Polugaevsky^[14]	• Spassky • Petrosian			1975: Karpov won on forfeit
1976–78	1976: Two single round robins 20 players each 3 qualified from each	Biel 1976: 1 Larsen 2-4 Petrosian 2-4 Portisch^[15]	• Korchnoi • (Fischer) • Spassky	1977: 8 players, matches Semi-finals: • Korchnoi beat Polugaevsky • Spassky beat Portisch Finals: • Korchnoi beat Spassky	Candidates winner: • Korchnoi Defending champion: • Karpov	Baguio 1978 Karpov won 6–5 after 32 games (draws not counting)
1976–78		Manila 1976: 1 Mecking 2-3 Polugaevsky 2-3 Hort	• Korchnoi • (Fischer) • Spassky		Candidates winner: • Korchnoi Defending champion: • Karpov
1979–81	1979: Two single round robins 18 players each 3 qualified from each	Riga 1979: 1-2 Tal 1-2 Polugaevsky 3-4 Adorján^[16]	• Korchnoi • Spassky	1980: 8 players, matches Semi-finals: • Korchnoi beat Polugaevsky • Hübner beat Portisch Finals: • Korchnoi beat Hübner	Candidates winner: • Korchnoi Defending champion: • Karpov	Meran 1981 Karpov won 6–2 after 18 games (draws not counting)
1979–81		Rio de Janeiro 1979: 1-3 Portisch 1-3 Petrosian 1-3 Hübner	• Korchnoi • Spassky		Candidates winner: • Korchnoi Defending champion: • Karpov
1982–85	1982: Three single round robins 14 players each 2 qualified from each	Las Palmas 1982: 1 Ribli 2 Smyslov	• Korchnoi • Hübner	1983–84: 8 players, matches Semi-finals: • Kasparov beat Korchnoi • Smyslov beat Ribli Finals, 1984: • Kasparov beat Smyslov	Candidates winner: • Kasparov Defending champion: • Karpov	Moscow 1984–85 Unlimited match abandoned after 48 games with Karpov leading 5–3 (draws not counting)
		Toluca 1982: 1-2 Portisch 1-2 Torre
		Moscow 1982: 1 Kasparov 2 Beliavsky
1985	Replay				• Karpov • Kasparov	Moscow 1985 24-game match Kasparov won 13–11
1986	Rematch				• Karpov • Kasparov	London/Leningrad 1986 24-game match Kasparov won 12½–11½
1985–87	1985: 3 single round robins 16–18 players each 4 qualified from each	Biel 1985: 1 Vaganian 2 Seirawan 3 Sokolov 4-6 Short^[17]	Seeded in tournament: • Korchnoi • Ribli • Smyslov • Spassky^[18] Seeded in 1987 final: • Karpov	Montpellier 1985: Single round robin tournament 16 players 1-3 Yusupov 1-3 Sokolov 1-3 Vaganian 4-5 Timman^[19] 1986: Two rounds of matches 4 players • Yusupov beat Timman • Sokolov beat Vaganian and Yusupov. Finals, Linares, 1987: • Karpov beat matches winner Sokolov	Candidates winner: • Karpov Defending champion: • Kasparov	Seville 1987 24-game match Drawn 12–12 Kasparov retained title
		Taxco 1985: 1 Timman 2 Nogueiras 3 Tal 4 Spraggett;
		Tunis 1985: 1 Yusupov 2 Beliavsky 3 Portisch 4-5 Chernin^[20]
1987–90	1987: Three single round robins 17–18 players each 3 qualified from each	Subotica 1987: 1-3 Sax 1-3 Short 1-3 Speelman;	• Sokolov • Timman • Vaganian • Yusupov • Spraggett^[18] Seeded in 2nd round: • Karpov	1988: One round of matches 14 players 1989: • Karpov (joined winners in quarter finals) Semi-finals (1989): • Karpov beat Yusupov • Timman beat Speelman Finals (1990): • Karpov beat Timman	Candidates winner: • Karpov Defending champion: • Kasparov	New York City/Lyon 1990 24-game match Kasparov won 12½–11½
		Szirák 1987: 1-2 Salov 1-2 Hjartarson 3-4 Portisch^[21]
		Zagreb 1987: 1 Korchnoi 2-3 Seirawan 2-3 Ehlvest
1990–93	Manila 1990 64 players Swiss 11 qualified	1-2 Gelfand 1-2 Ivanchuk 3-4 Anand 3-4 Short 5-11 Sax 5-11 Korchnoi 5-11 Hübner 5-11 Nikolić 5-11 Yudasin 5-11 Dolmatov 5-11 Dreev	• Timman • Yusupov • Speelman Seeded in 2nd round: • Karpov	1991: One round of matches 14 players 1991: • Karpov (joined winners in quarter-finals) Semi-finals (1992): • Short beat Karpov • Timman beat Yusupov Finals (1993): • Short beat Timman	Candidates winner: • Short Defending champion: • Kasparov	London September–October 1993 24-game match Kasparov defeated Short 12½–7½ under the auspices of the PCA;
1990–93	Manila 1990 64 players Swiss 11 qualified				Candidates finalist: • Timman Former world champion: • Karpov	Netherlands^[22] /Jakarta^[23] September–November 1993 24-game match Karpov defeated Timman 12½–8½ under the auspices of FIDE
1993–95 (PCA)	Groningen December 1993 54 players Swiss 7 qualified	1-2 Adams 1-2 Anand 3-7 Kamsky 3-7 Kramnik 3-7 Tiviakov 3-7 Gulko 3-7 Romanishin	Short	1994–95: 8 players, matches Semi-finals: • Kamsky beat Short • Anand beat Adams Finals (1995): • Anand beat Kamsky	Candidates winner: • Anand Defending PCA champion • Kasparov	New York City September–October 1995 20-game match Kasparov won 10½–7½
1993–96 (FIDE)	Biel July 1993 73 players Swiss 10 qualified	1 Gelfand 2-9 Van der Sterren 2-9 Kamsky 2-9 Khalifman 2-9 Adams 2-9 Yudasin 2-9 Salov 2-9 Lautier 2-9 Kramnik 10-15 Anand^[24]	• Timman • Yusupov	1994: Two rounds of matches 12 players	Third round (Candidates final): Karpov beat Gelfand Kamsky beat Salov	Elista 1996 20-game match Karpov won 10½–7½
1993–96 (FIDE)	Biel July 1993 73 players Swiss 10 qualified		Seeded in third round (Candidates final): • Karpov	1995: • Gelfand • Kamsky • Salov		Elista 1996 20-game match Karpov won 10½–7½

Split titles (1997–2005)

After 1996, interzonals ceased to exist, but FIDE continued to organize qualifying zonal tournaments.

Classical championships (1998–2004)
Years	Candidates format	Seeded into Candidates			Candidates Winner(s)	Seeded in Final	Championship Final
1998 (Classical)	Cazorla, May–June 1998 10-game match	Kramnik, Shirov (on rating)^[25]			Shirov won 5½–3½	Kasparov (1995 champion)	Match never took place
2000 (Classical)	None					Two players seeded in final: Kasparov (1995 champion); Kramnik (on rating)^[26]	London: October- November 2000 16-game match Kramnik won 8½–6½
2002–2004 (Classical)	Dortmund July 2002 preliminaries: two four players double round robins; Semi-finals: the first from each group met the second from the other group in mini-matches	Preliminaries:^[27] group 1: 1 Shirov 2 Topalov 3 Gelfand 4 Lutz	group 2: 1 Bareev 2 Leko 3 Adams 4 Morozevich	Semi-finals : Leko beat Shirov and Topalov beat Bareev.	Leko (beat Topalov in the final)	Kramnik (2000 classical champion)	Brissago: September–October 2004 14-game match drawn 7–7, Kramnik retained title
FIDE championships (1997–2005)
Years	Candidates format	Seeded into Candidates			Finalists		Championship Final
1997–1998 (FIDE)	Groningen December 1997, 7 round, mini-match, knockout tournament Winner plays 6-game championship match against Karpov	97 players,^[28] Quarter-finalists: Adams, Van Wely, Short, Krasenkov, Gelfand, Dreev, Anand and Shirov.^[29]			Anand (beat Adams in candidates final) Karpov (1996 FIDE champion)		Lausanne: January 1998 6-game match Drawn 3–3; Karpov won rapid playoff 2–0
1999 (FIDE)	Las Vegas July–August 1999, 7 round, mini-match, knockout tournament	100 players,^[30] Quarter-finalists: Kramnik, Adams, Movsesian, Akopian, Shirov, Nisipeanu, Khalifman and J. Polgar^[31]			Semi-finals (4-game matches): Khalifman beat Nisipeanu, Akopian beat Adams		Las Vegas 1999 6-game match Khalifman won 3½–2½
2000 (FIDE)	New Delhi (6 rounds)/final in Tehran November–December 2000 7 round, mini-match, knockout tournament with final match played in Tehran	100 players,^[32] Quarter-finalists: Anand, Khalifman, Adams, Topalov, Tkachiev, Grischuk, Shirov and Bareev^[33]			Semi-finals (4-game matches): Anand beat Adams, Shirov beat Grischuk		Tehran December 2000 6-game match Anand won 3½–½
2001–2002 (FIDE)	Moscow 7 round, mini-match, knockout tournament with relatively quick time controls first part (6 rounds): 25 November– 14 December 2001 final: 16–24 January 2002	128 players,^[34] Quarter-finalists: Anand, Shirov, Ivanchuk, Lautier, Svidler, Gelfand, Ponomariov and Bareev			Semi-finals (4-game matches): Ponomariov beat Svidler, Ivanchuk beat Anand		Moscow January 2002 8-game match Ponomariov won 4½–2½^[35]
2004 (FIDE)	Tripoli June–July 2004 7 round, mini-match, knockout tournament with relatively quick time controls	128 players,^[36] Quarter-finalists: Topalov, Kharlov, Kasimdzhanov, Grischuk, Radjabov, Dominguez, Adams, Akopian^[37]			Semi-finals (4-game matches): Adams beat Radjabov, Kasimdzhanov beat Topalov		Tripoli July 2004 6-game match drawn 3–3; Kasimdzhanov won rapid playoff 1½–½^[35]
Years	Candidates format				Seeded in Final		Championship Final
2005 (FIDE)	None				8 players seeded in final: Kasimdzhanov (FIDE champion); Adams (as FIDE 2004 finalist); Anand, Morozevich, Topalov (on rating), Leko (as classical 2004 finalist),^[38] J. Polgár and Svidler (on rating)		San Luis: 8 players, double round robin, September–October 2005 1 Topalov: 10/14 2-3 Anand 8½/14 2-3 Svidler 8½/14 4 Morozevich 7/14

Reunified title (since 2006)

After the reunification of the FIDE and "classical" titles, the Chess World Cup and FIDE Grand Prix series were introduced as qualification for the Candidates Tournament. The Swiss-system FIDE Grand Swiss was introduced in the latter half of 2019, acting as another qualification path for the 2020 Candidates Tournament.^[39]

Reunification
Years					Seeded in Final		Championship Final
2006	Reunification match				Topalov (FIDE champion), Kramnik (classical champion)		Elista October 2006 12-game match drawn 6–6, Kramnik won rapid playoff 2½–1½
Years	Qualification format	Qualifiers	Seeded into Candidates	Candidates Format	Candidates Winner(s)	Seeded in Final	Championship Final
2005–2007	Chess World Cup 2005 Khanty-Mansiysk November–December 2005 128 players, 7 round, mini-match, knockout tournament; + mini-matches to establish places 1 through 16. top 10 qualify	1 Ponomariov 2 Aronian 3 (Bacrot^[40]) 4 Grischuk 5 Bareev 6 Gelfand 7 Rublevsky 8 Gurevich 9 Kamsky 10 Carlsen 11 Malakhov	Kasimdzhanov (2004 FIDE champion) Leko, Adams, J. Polgár, Shirov, Bacrot (on rating)	Candidates Matches 2007 Elista: May–June 2007 16 players, two rounds of matches, 4 players qualify for championship tournament	Aronian, Gelfand, Grischuk, Leko^[41]	Anand, Svidler, Morozevich (2nd–4th in 2005); Kramnik^[42] (2006 Champion)	Mexico City: September 2007 8 players, double round robin 1 Anand 9/14 2-3 Kramnik 8/14 2-3 Gelfand 8/14
2008	Rematch					Kramnik, Anand	Bonn October 2008 12-game match Anand won 6½–4½ to retain the title.
2007–2010	Chess World Cup 2007 Khanty-Mansiysk November–December 2007 128 players, 7 round, mini-match, knockout tournament (1st qualifies)	Kamsky (beat Shirov in the final).	Topalov (2005 FIDE champion)	Candidates Match 2009 Sofia February 2009, 8-game match	Topalov beat Kamsky 4½–2½	Anand (2008 champion)	Sofia April–May 2010 12-game match Anand won 6½–5½ to retain the title.
2008–2012	FIDE Grand Prix 2008–2010 2 qualified^[43]	Aronian, Radjabov	(Carlsen on rating) Grischuk (replacement of Carlsen)^[43] Kramnik (on rating), Kamsky,^[44] Topalov,^[45]^[46] Mamedyarov (wildcard)^[47]	Candidates Tournament 2011 Kazan, May 2011,^[48] 8 players, matches Semifinals: Gelfand defeated Kamsky; Grischuk defeated Kramnik	Gelfand (beat Grischuk in the final)	Anand (2010 champion)	Moscow May 2012 12-game match drawn 6–6, Anand won rapid playoff 2½–1½ to retain the title
2008–2012	Chess World Cup 2009 Khanty-Mansiysk November–December 2009 128 players, 7 round, mini-match, knockout tournament (1st qualifies)	Gelfand (beat Ponomariov in the final)			Gelfand (beat Grischuk in the final)	Anand (2010 champion)
2011–2013	Chess World Cup 2011 Khanty-Mansiysk August–September 2011 128 players, 7 round, mini-match, knockout tournament (top three qualify)	Svidler, Grischuk, Ivanchuk	Gelfand^[49] Carlsen, Aronian, Kramnik (ratings)^[50] Radjabov (wildcard)^[47]	Candidates Tournament 2013 London^[51] March 2013 8 player double round-robin tournament	Carlsen (won Candidates Tournament on tie breaks)	Anand (2012 champion)	Chennai, November 2013 12-game match Carlsen won 6½–3½
2012–2014	FIDE Grand Prix 2012–2013 2 qualified	Topalov, Mamedyarov	Anand^[52] Aronian, Karjakin (ratings)^[53] Svidler (wildcard)^[47]	Candidates Tournament 2014 Khanty-Mansiysk,^[54] March 2014^[55] 8 player double round-robin tournament	Anand	Carlsen (2013 champion)	Sochi, November 2014 12-game match Carlsen won 6½-4½ to retain the title
2012–2014	Chess World Cup 2013 Tromsø August–September 2013 128 players, 7 round, mini-match, knockout tournament (top two qualify)	Kramnik, Andreikin			Anand	Carlsen (2013 champion)
2014–2016	FIDE Grand Prix 2014–15 2 qualified	Caruana, Nakamura	Anand^[56] Topalov, Giri (ratings)^[57] Aronian (wildcard)^[57]	Candidates Tournament 2016 Moscow, March 2016 8 player double round-robin tournament	Karjakin	Carlsen (2014 champion)	New York City, November 2016 12-game match drawn 6–6 Carlsen won rapid playoff 3–1 to retain the title
2014–2016	Chess World Cup 2015 Baku October 2015 128 players, 7 round, mini-match, knockout tournament (top two qualify)	Karjakin, Svidler			Karjakin	Carlsen (2014 champion)
2017–2018	FIDE Grand Prix 2017 Two qualify	Mamedyarov, Grischuk	Karjakin^[58] Caruana, So (ratings)^[59] Kramnik (wildcard)^[59]	Candidates Tournament 2018 Berlin, March 2018 8 player double round-robin tournament	Caruana	Carlsen (2016 champion)	London, November 2018 12-game match drawn 6–6 Carlsen won rapid playoff 3–0 to retain the title^[60]
2017–2018	Chess World Cup 2017 Tbilisi September 2017 128 players, 7 round, mini-match, knockout tournament (top two qualify)	Aronian, Ding			Caruana	Carlsen (2016 champion)
2019–2021	FIDE Grand Prix 2019 Two qualify	Grischuk, Nepomniachtchi	Caruana^[61] Giri (ratings) Alekseenko (wildcard) Vachier-Lagrave (ratings, as replacement for Radjabov)	Candidates Tournament 2020–21 Yekaterinburg, Mar-Apr 2020, Apr 2021 8 player double round-robin tournament	Nepomniachtchi	Carlsen (2018 champion)	Dubai, November–December 2021 14-game match Carlsen won to retain title, 7½–3½
	Chess World Cup 2019 Khanty-Mansiysk September–October 2019 128 players, 7 round, mini-match, knockout tournament (top two qualify)	(Radjabov), Ding
	FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament 2019 Isle of Man, October 2019 Swiss tournament (top player qualifies)^[39]	Wang
2021–2023	FIDE Grand Prix 2022 February–April 2022 Top two qualify	Nakamura, Rapport	Nepomniachtchi^[62] Radjabov (wildcard) Ding (ratings, as replacement for Karjakin)	Candidates Tournament 2022 8 player double round-robin tournament Madrid, June–July 2022	Nepomniachtchi	~~Carlsen (2021 champion)~~^[63] Ding (Candidates runner-up, as replacement for Carlsen)	Astana, April–May 2023 14-game match^[64] drawn 7–7 Ding won rapid playoff 2½–1½
	Chess World Cup 2021 Sochi July–August 2021 206 players, 8 round, mini-match, knockout tournament Top two qualify	Duda, (Karjakin*)^[65]
	FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament 2021 Riga, October–November 2021 114-player Swiss tournament Top two qualify^[39]	Firouzja, Caruana
2023–2024	Chess World Cup 2023 Baku Jul-Aug 2023 206 players, 8 round, mini-match, knockout tournament Top three qualify^[66]	(Carlsen), Praggnanandhaa, Caruana, Abasov (4th)	Nepomniachtchi^[67] Firouzja (ratings)	Candidates Tournament 2024 8 player double round-robin tournament Toronto, April 2024^[68]	Gukesh	Ding (2023 champion)	Singapore, November–December 2024 14-game match Gukesh won 7½–6½
	FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament 2023 Isle of Man Oct-Nov 2023 114-player Swiss tournament Top two qualify^[66]	Vidit, Nakamura
	FIDE Circuit 2023 Top player qualifies^[66]	(Caruana,^[69]) Gukesh
2024–2026	Chess World Cup 2025 Top three qualify^[70]		Ding (ratings)	Candidates Tournament 2026 8 player double round-robin tournament		Gukesh (2024 champion)	TBD
	FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament 2025 Top two qualify^[70]
	FIDE Circuit 2024 Top player qualifies^[70]
	FIDE Circuit 2025 Top player qualifies^[70]
Years	Qualification format	Qualifiers	Seeded into Candidates	Candidates Format	Candidates Winner(s)	Seeded in Final	Championship Final

Notes

^ "FIDE Stops the Candidates Tournament".
^ FIDE resumes the Candidates Tournament, FIDE, February 16, 2021
^ Emilchess on Twitter, Twitter, April 28, 2021
^ Israel Horowitz, From Morphy to Fischer, Batsford, 1973, page 52
^ Israel Horowitz, From Morphy to Fischer, Batsford, 1973, page 116
^ Bondarevsky was replaced in Candidates tournament because of illness
^ from previous Candidates
^ from 1948 Championship
^ Bled, Zagreb, Beograd
^ In the play-off, Stein finished first before Benko, and Gligorić third. Stein was eliminated because only three Soviet players could qualify from the interzonal to the candidates tournament.
^ after playoff match against Geller
^ Portisch beat Reshevsky in play-off.
^ Hort and Stein were eliminated having a worse Berger tie-break (Neustadtl score), the play-off had ended with all players having 4 / 8.
^ Geller eliminated after play-off
^ Tal eliminated after play-off
^ Ribli eliminated after playoff
^ Van Der Wiel and Torre eliminated after playoff
^ ^a ^b chosen by the organizating federation
^ Timman eliminated Tal in play-off
^ Gavrikov eliminated after playoff
^ Nunn eliminated after Playoff
^ Zwolle (games 1-3) / Arnhem (games 4-6) / Amsterdam (games 7-12)
^ (games 13-21)
^ Epichine, Lputian, Shirov, Ivanchuk and I. Sokolov were eliminated by the tie-break (sum of the opponents Elo ratings).
^ Anand, as a participant in the FIDE world championship cycle, believed he was contractually obligated to not participate in a rival cycle.
^ Negotiations for a 1999 match with Shirov or Anand failed, as did negotiations in 2000, with Anand expressing dissatisfaction with the contract.
^ Kasparov declined the invitation, as did Anand and other players engaged in the FIDE championship.
^ Top seed Kramnik refused to participate on the grounds that 1996 FIDE champion Karpov's direct entry into the final was unacceptable;
1995 classical champion Kasparov, 1996 finalist Kamsky and 1996 Women champion Susan Polgar refused in advance to participate.
^ Topalov, Ivanchuk, Beliavsky, Salov, Bareev, Georgiev, J. Polgar, Sadler, Akopian, Lautier were eliminated
^ 1998 FIDE champion Karpov, 1998 FIDE finalist Anand (Anand was negotiating to play a match against Kasparov for his title) and 1995 classical champion Kasparov refused to participate
^ 1998 classical championship candidates Shirov and Kramnik were eliminated by Nisipeanu and Adams in quarterfinals.
^ Classical champions Kasparov, Kramnik and 1998 FIDE champion Karpov didn't participate
^ Morozevich, Leko, Krasenkov, Kasimdzhanov, Svidler, Gelfand, Short, Smirin, Dreev, Azmaiparashvili, Rublevsky, Almasi, Xu Jun, Gurevich were eliminated
^ Classical champions Kramnik and Kasparov didn't participate. All other strongest players of the world took part, including former winners of the FIDE World Championship Anand, Khalifman (eliminated in third round) and Karpov (eliminated in first round).
^ ^a ^b Reunification Match with Kasparov never took place
^ Kasparov, Anand, Kramnik, Svidler, Shirov, Ponomariov, Leko, J. Polgár, Gelfand, Bareev, Karpov and Israeli players refused to participate, Morozevich was absent before the first round
^ Ivanchuk, Short, Malakhov, Nisipeanu, Sokolov, Dreev, Akopian, Bacrot, Gurevich, Rublevsky, were eliminated
^ Kramnik (as classical 2004 finalist) declined the invitation, and Kasparov, who had retired from competition, were replaced by J. Polgar and Svidler on rating
^ ^a ^b ^c "FIDE Grand Swiss update (archive)". FIDE. 19 February 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-03-07. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
^ Bacrot was qualified on rating
^ Aronian beat A.Shirov ; Leko beat Bareev ; Grischuk beat Rublevsky ; Gelfand beat Kamsky
^ Topalov was replaced by Kramnik (2006 Champion)
^ ^a ^b Grischuk, third of FIDE Grand Prix, replaced Carlsen after he withdrew.
^ 2009 candidate, loser of the 2009 Challenger Match
^ 2010 finalist, loser of 2010 World Chess Championship match
^ FIDE to move Candidates Matches, Topalov threatens boycott
^ ^a ^b ^c Nominee of the organizing committee.
^ chessbase.com; Pairings for Candidates Matches are released
^ Loser of the 2012 World Championship match
^ Top three rated players not already qualified
^ Levitov announces FIDE plans for Candidates Tournament in the 2014 World Championship cycle
^ Loser of the 2013 World Championship match
^ Top two rated players not already qualified
^ FIDE Calendar 2014
^ "FIDE announces dates for world chess championship cycles". Archived from the original on 2013-03-18. Retrieved 2013-03-08.
^ Loser of the 2014 World Championship match
^ ^a ^b "World Chess Candidates Tournament (FIDE)". Archived from the original on 2015-11-12. Retrieved 2015-11-11.
^ Loser of the 2016 World Championship match
^ ^a ^b Kramnik to play 2018 Candidates
^ "World Chess London". Archived from the original on 2017-12-07. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
^ Loser of the 2018 World Championship match
^ Loser of the 2021 World Championship match
^ Carlsen refused to defend his title.
^ "Astana to host FIDE World Championship match 2023". fide.com. FIDE. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
^ Disqualified by FIDE
^ ^a ^b ^c "FIDE reforms the qualifications paths to the Candidates Tournament". FIDE.
^ Runner-Up of the 2023 World Chess Championship
^ "FIDE Candidates and Women's Candidates 2024 to be Held in Toronto".
^ Caruana qualified from the World Cup, so Gukesh qualified as the top player in the FIDE Circuit not already qualified
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Changes to qualification paths for the Candidates Tournament". FIDE.

References

FIDE World Championship events 1948-1990, Mark Weeks' chess pages
World Championship events 1991-present, Mark Weeks' chess pages
World Championships pages Archived 2018-09-30 at the Wayback Machine, Rybka Chess Community Forum

[1] "FIDE Stops the Candidates Tournament".

[FIDEfeb16-2] FIDE resumes the Candidates Tournament, FIDE, February 16, 2021

[3] Emilchess on Twitter, Twitter, April 28, 2021

[4] Israel Horowitz, From Morphy to Fischer, Batsford, 1973, page 52

[5] Israel Horowitz, From Morphy to Fischer, Batsford, 1973, page 116

[6] Bondarevsky was replaced in Candidates tournament because of illness

[7] rom previous Candidates

[8] rom 1948 Championship

[9] Bled, Zagreb, Beograd

[10] In the play-off, Stein finished first before Benko, and Gligorić third. Stein was eliminated because only three Soviet players could qualify from the interzonal to the candidates tournament.

[11] ter playoff match against Geller

[12] Portisch beat Reshevsky in play-off.

[13] Hort and Stein were eliminated having a worse Berger tie-break (Neustadtl score), the play-off had ended with all players having 4 / 8.

[14] Geller eliminated after play-off

[15] Tal eliminated after play-off

[16] Ribli eliminated after playoff

[17] Van Der Wiel and Torre eliminated after playoff

[chosen-18] sen by the organizating federation

[19] Timman eliminated Tal in play-off

[20] Gavrikov eliminated after playoff

[21] Nunn eliminated after Playoff

[22] Zwolle (games 1-3) / Arnhem (games 4-6) / Amsterdam (games 7-12)

[23] (games 13-21)

[24] Epichine, Lputian, Shirov, Ivanchuk and I. Sokolov were eliminated by the tie-break (sum of the opponents Elo ratings).

[25] Anand, as a participant in the FIDE world championship cycle, believed he was contractually obligated to not participate in a rival cycle.

[26] Negotiations for a 1999 match with Shirov or Anand failed, as did negotiations in 2000, with Anand expressing dissatisfaction with the contract.

[27] Kasparov declined the invitation, as did Anand and other players engaged in the FIDE championship.

[28] Top seed Kramnik refused to participate on the grounds that 1996 FIDE champion Karpov's direct entry into the final was unacceptable;
1995 classical champion Kasparov, 1996 finalist Kamsky and 1996 Women champion Susan Polgar refused in advance to participate.

[29] Topalov, Ivanchuk, Beliavsky, Salov, Bareev, Georgiev, J. Polgar, Sadler, Akopian, Lautier were eliminated

[30] 1998 FIDE champion Karpov, 1998 FIDE finalist Anand (Anand was negotiating to play a match against Kasparov for his title) and 1995 classical champion Kasparov refused to participate

[31] 1998 classical championship candidates Shirov and Kramnik were eliminated by Nisipeanu and Adams in quarterfinals.

[32] Classical champions Kasparov, Kramnik and 1998 FIDE champion Karpov didn't participate

[33] Morozevich, Leko, Krasenkov, Kasimdzhanov, Svidler, Gelfand, Short, Smirin, Dreev, Azmaiparashvili, Rublevsky, Almasi, Xu Jun, Gurevich were eliminated

[34] Classical champions Kramnik and Kasparov didn't participate. All other strongest players of the world took part, including former winners of the FIDE World Championship Anand, Khalifman (eliminated in third round) and Karpov (eliminated in first round).

[reunification-35] Reunification Match with Kasparov never took place

[36] Kasparov, Anand, Kramnik, Svidler, Shirov, Ponomariov, Leko, J. Polgár, Gelfand, Bareev, Karpov and Israeli players refused to participate, Morozevich was absent before the first round

[37] Ivanchuk, Short, Malakhov, Nisipeanu, Sokolov, Dreev, Akopian, Bacrot, Gurevich, Rublevsky, were eliminated

[38] Kramnik (as classical 2004 finalist) declined the invitation, and Kasparov, who had retired from competition, were replaced by J. Polgar and Svidler on rating

[Grand_Swiss-39] "FIDE Grand Swiss update (archive)". FIDE. 19 February 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-03-07. Retrieved 4 April 2019.

[40] Bacrot was qualified on rating

[41] Aronian beat A.Shirov ; Leko beat Bareev ; Grischuk beat Rublevsky ; Gelfand beat Kamsky

[42] Topalov was replaced by Kramnik (2006 Champion)

[Grischuk-43] Grischuk, third of FIDE Grand Prix, replaced Carlsen after he withdrew.

[44] 2009 candidate, loser of the 2009 Challenger Match

[45] 2010 finalist, loser of 2010 World Chess Championship match

[46] FIDE to move Candidates Matches, Topalov threatens boycott

[ReferenceA-47] Nominee of the organizing committee.

[48] ssbase.com; Pairings for Candidates Matches are released

[49] Loser of the 2012 World Championship match

[50] Top three rated players not already qualified

[FIDE_Candidates_Tournament_2013-51] Levitov announces FIDE plans for Candidates Tournament in the 2014 World Championship cycle

[52] Loser of the 2013 World Championship match

[ReferenceB-53] Top two rated players not already qualified

[54] FIDE Calendar 2014

[55] "FIDE announces dates for world chess championship cycles". Archived from the original on 2013-03-18. Retrieved 2013-03-08.

[56] Loser of the 2014 World Championship match

[2016announce-57] "World Chess Candidates Tournament (FIDE)". Archived from the original on 2015-11-12. Retrieved 2015-11-11.

[58] Loser of the 2016 World Championship match

[2018announce-59] Kramnik to play 2018 Candidates

[World_Chess_London-60] "World Chess London". Archived from the original on 2017-12-07. Retrieved 2018-03-27.

[61] Loser of the 2018 World Championship match

[62] Loser of the 2021 World Championship match

[63] Carlsen refused to defend his title.

[64] "Astana to host FIDE World Championship match 2023". fide.com. FIDE. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2023.

[65] Disqualified by FIDE

[fide24-66] "FIDE reforms the qualifications paths to the Candidates Tournament". FIDE.

[67] Runner-Up of the 2023 World Chess Championship

[68] "FIDE Candidates and Women's Candidates 2024 to be Held in Toronto".

[69] Caruana qualified from the World Cup, so Gukesh qualified as the top player in the FIDE Circuit not already qualified

[fide26-70] "Changes to qualification paths for the Candidates Tournament". FIDE.

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