Half of 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament field to start in Tata Steel Masters
The victory of Uzbek chess grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov over China’s Wei Yi during the FIDE World Cup in Goa (India) brings another first to the Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2026. With Sindarov’s win, four of the eight participants in the FIDE Candidates Tournament for the World Championship will now compete in the Tata Steel Masters event in Wijk aan Zee.
“First of all, our congratulations go to Javokhir for his magnificent victory over Wei Yi, winner of the Tata Steel Masters Tournament 2024. Javokhir is making history as the youngest ever winner of a World Cup,” says Jeroen van den Berg, Tournament Director of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament. “With the Masters line-up we announced last month, including Javokhir, we once again confirm our status as one of the most influential chess events in the world. The presence of so many Candidates Tournament participants—and the fact that this is the youngest Masters field ever at Tata Steel Chess—promises a spectacular edition.”
4 Candidates Tournament players in the Masters
With his World Cup victory in Goa (India) this week, 19-year-old Javokhir Sindarov qualified for the FIDE Candidates Tournament for the World Chess Championship. Previously, fellow Wijk aan Zee participants Anish Giri (Netherlands), Matthias Blübaum (Germany), and Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa (India) had done the same. The winner of next year’s Candidates Tournament, scheduled for March/April in Cyprus, will earn the right to challenge the current World Champion, Dommaraju Gukesh from India.
New time control for added excitement
As a warm-up for the Candidates Tournament, the time control at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2026 has been adjusted to match the official Candidates tempo. This change means games will more often end in time tension (since there is no increment before move forty), creating extra tension and chess drama for both players and spectators.
The 88th Tata Steel Chess Tournament will take place from January 16 to February 1, 2026, in the Dutch coastal town of Wijk aan Zee. This edition will once again combine tradition, talent, and top-level sport in an event that attracts thousands of visitors and gives the region a boost. Alongside the grandmasters, hundreds of amateurs will participate in parallel tournaments.
