In a significant endorsement for Indian chess, the legendary Magnus Carlsen has identified young Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa as a top contender for the prestigious 2026 Candidates Tournament. The five-time World Champion and current world number one shared his detailed predictions, placing the Indian prodigy firmly among the elite favourites to challenge for the world title shot.
Carlsen's Top Picks for the Candidates
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Chess.com, Magnus Carlsen provided a clear hierarchy of favourites for the upcoming tournament. He named American stalwarts Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana as the primary favourites to win the event. Immediately following them, he positioned India's own R Praggnanandhaa as the third strongest player in the field.
Carlsen emphasized a noticeable gap in strength after this top trio. "Just like last time, probably the Americans are the favourites. Then we got Pragg as the third favourite, and then probably a pretty big drop off after that," Carlsen stated. He acknowledged the skill of China's Wei Yi but expressed doubts about his consistency, adding, "Wei Yi is really good, but I don’t think he’s capable of winning enough games to win the Candidates. So it will be interesting to see."
The Stakes and the Indian Connection
The Candidates Tournament holds immense importance in the chess world, as its winner earns the right to challenge the reigning World Champion. This cycle carries special significance for India, as the current champion is D Gukesh, who made history by winning the title. The 2026 Candidates, scheduled to begin on March 28 in Cyprus, will feature eight of the world's best players. Praggnanandhaa will be the sole Indian representative in this elite group.
The full list of participants includes:
- Hikaru Nakamura (USA)
- Fabiano Caruana (USA)
- R Praggnanandhaa (India)
- Anish Giri (Netherlands)
- Matthias Bluebaum (Germany)
- Javokhir Sindarov (Uzbekistan)
- Wei Yi (China)
- Andrey Esipenko (Russia)
Notable Absences and Carlsen's Critique
Beyond analysing the participants, Carlsen also commented on strong players who missed qualification. He suggested the system might need refinement to account for consistent high performers who narrowly miss out. He specifically mentioned German prodigy Vincent Keymer, who has been close to qualifying multiple times and holds the highest rating of any non-qualifier.
"I would have loved to see some more big names in the field, but then again, if you didn’t qualify, you didn’t qualify," Carlsen remarked. "Maybe this system should kind of account for somebody like Vincent Keymer... He certainly deserved to be there, but I guess he and Arjun and a few others will have to await their returns. It’s always interesting to follow."
Carlsen's analysis sets the stage for a highly anticipated tournament. His ranking solidifies Praggnanandhaa's status as a global chess superstar and places the spotlight firmly on the young Indian's quest to potentially set up an all-Indian World Championship match against Gukesh in the future.
