Candidates Tournament 2025: Breaking Down the Contenders
Eight players, three weeks, one shot at the world championship match. We break down the field and give our honest assessment of who can go the distance.
The Candidates Tournament is the most gruelling event in chess — eight elite players playing a round-robin over three weeks, with the winner earning the right to challenge the reigning world champion. The format produces winners who are battle-tested in a way that no other event can replicate.
The Favourites
Any realistic Candidates field will have two or three players playing at a consistently higher level than the rest. The favourites tend to be players with recent top-five world rankings, strong classical form in the preceding twelve months, and the mental resilience to perform across fourteen rounds of elite competition.
The Dark Horses
Every Candidates produces a surprise contender — a player who peaks at exactly the right moment. Watch for players who have shown sharp preparation in recent events, who have specific psychological advantages over likely opponents, and who thrive in the round-robin format.
What to Watch For
The Candidates usually turns on two or three critical head-to-head games between the leading players. Follow the live coverage, pay attention to the crucial rounds in the second half, and watch for the swing games that decide the tournament.