FIDE CEO Confirms Candidates Tournament Will Go Ahead As Planned

Last Updated:March 16, 2026, 11:08 IST

FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky confirms the FIDE Candidates Tournament will proceed as planned in Paphos. Four Indian GMs, including R Praggnanandhaa, will compete.

FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky has said that the organisation is working in the final stages of preparing for the upcoming Candidates tournament, which is supposed to begin in the next two weeks.

Sutovsky has confirmed that the FIDE Candidates Tournament will proceed as scheduled despite a drone striking a Royal Air Force base in Cyprus earlier this month. The tournament, which determines the challenger for the world champion, will take place at Cap St Georges Hotel and Resort, a five-star coastal venue near Paphos.

The drone was believed to have been launched by Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah after Israel and the United States launched strikes against Iran. Cyprus, located in the eastern Mediterranean, sits near regional flashpoints including Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and Israel.

Among the 16 players all set to compete in the FIDE Candidates Tournament and the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament, four Indian GMs will be in action. R Praggnanandhaa will feature in the Candidates event, aiming to earn the right to challenge D Gukesh, while Koneru Humpy, R Vaishali and Divya Deshmukh will compete in the Women’s Candidates for the opportunity to face Ju Wenjun in the Women’s World Championship.

Despite the attack on a British base earlier this month, Sutovsky said that the FIDE Candidates Tournament will go ahead as scheduled. He added that the President of Cyprus is expected to open the event on Saturday, March 28.

“Plans have not changed. We are working in the final stages of preparing for the Candidates, which are supposed to start in two weeks. Obviously, we have been monitoring the situation and Cyprus isn’t too far from the war zone or conflict zone. But at the same time, it isn’t involved in any way and it isn’t in a state of war. There is no emergency," Sutovsky said while speaking to Chessbase India. 

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