Ian Nepomniachtchi Names Praggnanandhaa Among Top Favourites for Candidates Chess Tournament
Two-time world championship contender Ian Nepomniachtchi has identified India's rising star R Praggnanandhaa as one of the two primary favourites to win the upcoming Candidates chess tournament in Cyprus. The Russian grandmaster shared his insights during an exclusive interview on the Chess with Mustreader YouTube channel, providing a detailed tier list analysis of all contenders.
Top Tier Contenders: Praggnanandhaa and Caruana
Nepomniachtchi placed both Praggnanandhaa and American grandmaster Fabiano Caruana in his top tier of favourites, though he noted Caruana might have a slight edge. "I would say there are two main favorites at this year's Candidates. They are Praggnanandhaa and Fabiano Caruana," stated Nepomniachtchi.
Regarding the Indian prodigy, Nepomniachtchi praised his versatility and preparation: "Praggnanandhaa plays very well in general, he's a very good player, he is quite versatile, he has a large choice of openings. That is, he is not an opening specialist, but he has lots of options what to play. I think he will have a good team."
Caruana's Strengths and Potential Pitfalls
The Russian grandmaster acknowledged Caruana's exceptional track record, noting his consistent performance and strong support system in St. Louis. "Caruana is just a very strong chess player. He says there is definitely one more cycle in him when he will definitely try to do his best. He has a whole group of like-minded people around him, and all conditions for his training are provided," explained Nepomniachtchi.
However, Nepomniachtchi also highlighted a recurring concern: "The only problem is that Caruana, as we have seen several times previously, can burn out. It obviously happened to him in Madrid Candidates. Unfortunately, some kind of tilt got him." He referenced Caruana's previous Candidates performances where strong starts didn't translate to final success.
Complete Tier List Analysis
Nepomniachtchi provided a comprehensive breakdown of all eight Candidates contenders:
- Tier A: Fabiano Caruana (slightly higher) and R Praggnanandhaa
- Tier B: Wei Yi, Hikaru Nakamura, and Anish Giri (to a slightly lesser extent)
- Tier C: Javokhir Sindarov and Andrey Esipenko
- Tier D: Matthias Bluebaum
The Russian grandmaster expressed particular disappointment about German representation, noting: "If it were Vincent Keymer, he would be one of the main contenders for the victory. But, well, as they say, not this time."
Tournament Context and Significance
The Candidates tournament, scheduled from March 28 to April 16, features eight elite players competing for the right to challenge world champion Gukesh later this year. This comes after Gukesh secured his championship opportunity by winning the previous Candidates tournament, where Caruana's final round draw with Nepomniachtchi proved decisive.
Nepomniachtchi concluded with personal sentiment about Caruana's career: "For me, personally, I would have liked him to qualify for the world championship match. He has definitely been the second best player over the last 10 years after Magnus. To be honest, Fabiano has been at this job for a long time. And, of course, yes, I would like him to become the World Champion personally."
The detailed analysis from one of chess's top contenders provides valuable insight into the upcoming tournament dynamics, highlighting both established veterans and emerging talents like India's Praggnanandhaa who could potentially make history.
