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A total of eight candidates are all set to lock horns in The Candidates, organized by FIDE in Toronto, Canada, from April 3 to 22. The Candidates is the toughest chess tournament, with the world’s best eight players competing in the open and women’s categories.
The winner of the tournament will stand a chance to compete in the World Championship match against the world champion. Interestingly, five Indians have qualified for The Candidates 2024 - three in the open category while the other two are in the women’s category.
Praggnanandhaa R, Gukesh D and Vidit Gujrathi will take part in the open category while Vaishali R and Koneru Humpy are in the women's. Just before the start of the competition, former world champion Magnus Carlsen gave his thoughts to chess.com on Indian candidates' chances in the campaign.
Vidit Gujrathi
Indian grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi secured a spot in the Candidates Tournament 2024 after ending in the top two of the FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament in October and November 2023.
Despite losing his first round in the Grand Swiss, he made a strong comeback, winning seven out of his next 10 games to clinch the tournament title and bag his spot in The Candidates.
Carlsen stated that the 29-year-old has improved a lot of late from a psychological point of view. Furthermore, he felt that the Indian is likely to lose a few games, but can make a really good score.
“Vidit has improved a lot, especially from a psychological point. I’m sure he will be very serious and well-prepared. He will not win the tournament. Although, I feel he has the capacity to make a really good score if things go his way. I really like the way he plays. But I can also see him losing quite a few games,” Carlsen told chess.com.
R Praggnanandhaa
Praggnanandhaa is going to be one of the most-watched grandmasters in the competition. The 18-year-old secured the Candidates spot after reaching the World Cup final and in the process, he became the world’s youngest to reach the Chess WC final.
Carlsen, however, insisted that Pragg is not yet ready to bag the title at the Candidates. Though the tournament is not going to be poor for the chess prodigy, the former world champion feels there are a few weak moments in Bragg’s gameplay.
“I don’t think Pragg is ready to win the tournament. He’s very unlikely to win. But I also cannot see it going really poorly for him. He has weak moments, but he’s fairly stable psychologically. He has an improving repertoire and is very serious,” Carlsen quoted.
Gukesh D
Gukesh D is another grandmaster, who clinched his position at the Candidates Tournament 2024 after securing the second position in the FIDE Circuit in December 2023.
Notably, in September 2023, Gukesh went past five-time world champion Anand as the top-ranked Indian player, ending the latter's 37-year reign as India's official number one.
On his chances, Carlsen stated that Gukesh may win a couple of games, but he is likely to have a fair few losses. Furthermore, he felt that the grandmaster is not yet ready to make the giant stride in the competition.
“I cannot imagine him winning the Candidates. I think he will certainly win at least a couple of games but will have some fairly bad losses as well. I don’t think he will do poorly, but I don’t think he will do too well either. He’s not quite ready yet to make the leap. It’s more likely that he has a bad event,” Carlsen emphasized.
