Indian chess prodigy R Praggnanandhaa has issued a confident message ahead of the upcoming FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026. The young grandmaster has played a key role in India’s rapid rise in global chess over the past few years.

Along with fellow Indian stars like D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi, Praggnanandhaa has helped strengthen India’s position among the top chess-playing nations.

The 20-year-old earned his spot in the Candidates after finishing first in the FIDE Circuit 2025. He topped the standings with 115.17 points, which secured his entry into one of the most prestigious tournaments in professional chess.

Praggnanandhaa will be the only Indian player competing in the Open section of this year’s Candidates.

R Praggnanandhaa Says Innovation Is Key to Beating World’s Best

While speaking to Chess.com, Praggnanandhaa explained that success at the highest level requires constant creativity.

He said top players already understand each other’s playing styles. Because of this, players must continue introducing new ideas during games to stay ahead of their rivals.

“All of them know my game, but the trick lies in coming up with novelty each time. Otherwise, it’s not possible to keep winning against the world’s best,” Praggnanandhaa was quoted as saying.

Praggnanandhaa Working to Regain Form After Ranking Dip

The young grandmaster is currently focusing on rebuilding momentum after facing a drop in performance last year.

Praggnanandhaa started the previous season strongly and produced several impressive results during the early months. However, he struggled to maintain the same level of consistency in the second half of the season.

As a result, he slipped out of the top 10 rankings in the list released by FIDE.

Now, he is working to regain stability and confidence as he prepares for one of the toughest competitions in professional chess.

FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 Schedule and Format

The FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 will take place from March 28 to April 16 at the Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort in Pegeia.

The event will run alongside the Women’s Candidates Tournament.

Eight of the world’s top players will compete in a double round-robin format. This means each player will face every other competitor twice, making a total of 14 rounds.

Praggnanandhaa will compete against several leading grandmasters. The lineup includes Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura, Anish Giri, Wei Yi, Javokhir Sindarov, Matthias Blübaum and Andrey Esipenko.

Candidates Winner Will Challenge World Champion D Gukesh

The winner of the Candidates Tournament will earn the right to challenge reigning world champion D Gukesh in the World Chess Championship 2026.

Apart from the chance to compete for the world title, the winner will also receive prize money of €70,000, which is roughly ₹74 lakh.

D Gukesh Wants All-Indian World Championship Clash

Meanwhile, Gukesh has said he would like the upcoming world championship to feature an all-Indian contest.

He believes a match against Praggnanandhaa would be special for fans of Indian chess.

“Personally, I would like to face Pragg. It would be an Indian clash, and it would be great for the Indian fans,” Gukesh recently told ChessBase India.