An essential guide before the Candidates Tournament

With the Candidates Tournament—widely regarded as one of the toughest tests in chess—about to begin, a new ChessBase video series sees GM Daniel King take a close look at all eight participants. Prepared just ahead of Sunday’s opening round, these profiles offer viewers more than a snapshot of current form: they also provide insight into each player’s style, opening choices, practical fighting ability and performance under pressure. Known for more than three decades of professional experience, King brings a balanced and trustworthy perspective to the Candidates as a grandmaster, author and long-time commentator on elite events.

The Candidates Tournament is held every two years and stands as the most important qualifying event on the road to the world title. Played as a double round-robin over 14 classical games, the format rewards not just brilliant individual wins but sustained consistency over two demanding weeks. The player who finishes first will earn the right to challenge reigning World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju later this year. For that reason, the Candidates is not merely a test of technical preparation; it is also an arena where psychological resilience, opening depth and the ability to save points from inferior positions are placed under the microscope.

Among the featured contenders are established elite stars such as Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana, while King also highlights challengers who have recently shown excellent form on the international stage. In each profile, he looks not only at strengths but also at possible fault lines: some players can squeeze opponents early with deep opening preparation, while others excel in complex middlegames or in time pressure. At the same time, factors such as energy management in a long event, the balance between ambition and solidity, and the ability to recover after a loss may prove decisive. That is precisely why the series arrives at the perfect moment, helping viewers build a clear picture of the field before the first move is played.

ChessBase’s announcement also points to King’s training-oriented work. In particular, Powerplay 26: Checkmate Challenge underlines how mating patterns remain an essential part of chess knowledge, since the game’s ultimate goal—checkmate—so often depends on recognising familiar attacking motifs at the right moment. The reminder is timely: even in an elite event like the Candidates, basic tactical patterns and precise finishing technique can make all the difference. Once the tournament gets underway, King is also set to continue his coverage with daily highlights and analysis of the key games from each round, giving chess fans an accessible and engaging way to follow one of the year’s biggest events.