FIDE’s Candidates Tournament in Chess in Cyprus

Executive Summary

The upcoming FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 will be played as a double round-robin tournament with eight players (14 rounds) and determines who will become the challenger in the 2026 World Chess Championship match. The event will take place 28 March–16 April 2026 at Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort near Paphos in Cyprus.

The starting time for regular rounds is officially listed as 15:30 “CET+1” (FIDE’s notation) on the tournament schedule page; when converted strictly to CET (UTC+1) this becomes 14:30 CET. Because the tournament begins on the same day that daylight saving time starts in much of Europe (including Sweden), 15:30 “CET+1” in practice coincides with Swedish local time during most of the tournament (CEST/UTC+2), but the report below follows your instruction and lists times in CET (UTC+1).

Regular games are played with 120 minutes for 40 moves + 30 minutes to the end + 30 seconds per move from move 41, and a multi-stage playoff with rapid/blitz and an Armageddon-like “bidding” variant is used if needed to break a tie for first place.

Complete Schedule

Time Zone and Conversion

FIDE’s official round schedule lists the start time as 15:30 – “CET+1”. In strict time-zone terminology CET = UTC+1. Interpreted literally, “CET+1” therefore means UTC+2, giving the conversion:

• 15:30 (CET+1 = UTC+2) → 14:30 CET (UTC+1)

Round Schedule

The table below compiles all regular rounds (1–14) as well as the scheduled tie-break day. Dates and (where published) start times come from the tournament’s official schedule and the competition regulations.

This structure includes four rest days and five “blocks” of rounds (4–3–3–2–2), which typically affects opening preparation and recovery planning in such a compact double round-robin tournament.

All Participants with Current FIDE Standard Rating

FIDE has confirmed the field of eight players. The table below lists full names and FIDE standard ratings from the most recently published standard rating list in March 2026 (the current list at the report date 2026-03-14).

Analytical note (based on the table above): The rating range in the field is 2810–2698 (112 Elo) with an average of approximately 2749 (March 2026 list). This spread is relatively “compressed” for a Candidates Tournament; even the lowest rating corresponds to stable super-GM level, which usually results in a high draw frequency and narrow margins where schedule, peak form, and tie-break readiness become particularly important.

Time Control for Regular Games and Tie-Break Format

All time-control information below comes from FIDE’s official competition regulations.

Regular Games

Regular games are played with:

• 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, then

• 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with

• 30 seconds increment per move from move 41.

Tie-Break for First Place

If two or more players share first place after 14 rounds, a playoff may consist of up to three stages (Stage I–III).

Sudden death (Stage III, final step): White receives 4 minutes + 2 seconds per move, and both players submit a time bid for Black (maximum 4 minutes, also with 2-second increment). The lowest bid plays Black; if bids are equal, color is decided by drawing lots. A draw in sudden death means Black wins.

Unknown / “unspecified”: The regulations define the time controls but not a pre-published minute-by-minute sequence between Stage I–III on the tie-break day (i.e., how the day is structured if several stages are required). This is handled operationally by the tournament organizers within the framework of the regulations.

Round Pairings

The pairings have been published by FIDE after the drawing of lots and are fixed for all 14 regular rounds. The same FIDE publication lists the rounds’ dates and start time 15:30 (without explicit time-zone indication in the pairing list itself); the time-zone reference for the start time therefore comes from the official schedule (“15:30 – CET+1”).

In the table below, all pairings are listed by round. Start time is given in CET (UTC+1) according to the conversion in the schedule section.

Source for the round pairings (including dates and stated start time in the pairing list): FIDE’s publication of the drawing of lots and pairings.

Tie-Break Rules, Scoring System, and Special Regulations

Scoring System and Basic Ranking

The final standings are determined by total points: 1 for a win, 0.5 for a draw, and 0 for a loss. The winner qualifies as the challenger in the world championship cycle; if first place is shared, a special playoff determines the final winner.

Tie-Break Order According to the Regulations

The regulations distinguish between two main cases:
(A) shared first place after round 14, and
(B) no shared first place after round 14.

A) Shared First Place After Round 14

1. A playoff is played (up to three stages: Stage I–III).

2. If a playoff is played, it also affects how places 2–8 are separated if they are tied on points: in order, the criteria are (a) how far a player advanced in Stage III, (b) points in Stage II, (c) points in Stage I, and then the “standard” tie-break criteria listed in case B below.

B) No Shared First Place After Round 14

If a playoff is not required for first place, tied scores (for any placement) are resolved using the following order:

1. Sonneborn–Berger

2. Most wins

3. Head-to-head results

4. Drawing of lots

Special Regulations Often Important in Practice

The FIDE regulations also include rules that influence match strategy and round procedures:

• Draw agreements before Black has made 40 moves are not allowed (except in cases such as threefold repetition or stalemate confirmed by the arbiter).

• Late arrival rules: arriving after the actual start time results in a financial penalty (500 €), and after 15 minutes the player forfeits the game.

• The schedule may only be changed with approval at the highest FIDE level (the regulations state that changes require approval by the FIDE President).

Method and Sources

The report was compiled primarily using official FIDE sources and then supplemented with independent time-zone references to enable a strict conversion to CET.

The most important pages/documents used were:

• The official schedule on the event website (round and rest-day calendar with the stated start time “15:30 – CET+1”).

• FIDE’s official competition regulations PDF (including exact time control, tie-break formats, schedule table with tie-break day, and tie-break hierarchy).

• FIDE’s publication of the drawing of lots and complete pairings for all 14 rounds.

• FIDE’s confirmation of the field and full player names.

• FIDE’s rating database (ratings.fide.com), player profile pages, for FIDE standard ratings (March 2026).

• FIDE’s world championship cycle page 2025–2026 to verify the role of the event (the winner becomes the challenger) and qualification paths.

• For time-zone definitions and DST dates (to justify what “CET” strictly means and why “CET+1” becomes one hour ahead of CET): timeanddate.com on CET (UTC+1) and on the start of European daylight saving time on 29 March 2026 (including Sweden).