Candidates Tournament

{{For|the most recent Candidates Tournament|Candidates Tournament 2024}}

The Candidates Tournament (or in some periods Candidates Matches) is a chess tournament organized by FIDE, chess's international governing body, since 1950, as the final contest to determine the challenger for the World Chess Championship. The winner of the Candidates earns the right to a match for the World Championship against the incumbent world champion.

Before 1993 it was contested as a triennial tournament; almost always held every third year from 1950 to 1992 inclusive. After the split of the World Championship in the early 1990s, the cycles were disrupted, even after the reunification of the titles in 2006. Since 2013 it has settled into a 2-year cycle: qualification for Candidates during the odd numbered year, Candidates played early in the even numbered year, and the World Championship match played late in the even numbered year. The latter half of the 2020 Candidates Tournament was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was only played in April 2021.{{cite web | url=https://en.candidates-2020.com/news_1_26-03-2020 | title=FIDE Stops the Candidates Tournament }}[https://www.fide.com/news/952 FIDE resumes the Candidates Tournament], FIDE, February 16, 2021 The next tournament, the 2022 Candidates Tournament, took place as scheduled in 2022.[https://twitter.com/EmilSutovsky/status/1387428085625143296 Emilchess on Twitter], Twitter, April 28, 2021

Precursors

Before 1950, the champion had the right to handpick a challenger. However, a number of tournaments acted as de facto candidates tournaments:

The London 1883 chess tournament established Johannes Zukertort and Wilhelm Steinitz as the best two players in the world, and was one of the important events leading to the first official world championship match between the two, in 1886. Steinitz won, making him the first official world champion.
The Saint Petersburg 1895-96 chess tournament, in which world champion Emanuel Lasker finished first and Steinitz finished second, led to Steinitz gaining support for an 1897 rematch,Israel Horowitz, From Morphy to Fischer, Batsford, 1973, page 52 which Lasker won.
The AVRO 1938 chess tournament was held partly to choose a challenger for Alexander Alekhine.Israel Horowitz, From Morphy to Fischer, Batsford, 1973, page 116 Paul Keres won on tie-breaks, but World War II prevented the match from happening.

Organization

File:ChessCandidatesTournamentAmsterdam1956.jpg: 10 players]]

The number of players in the tournament varied over the years, between eight and fifteen players. Most of these qualified from Interzonal tournaments, though some gained direct entry without having to play the Interzonal.

The first Interzonal/Candidates World Championship cycle began in 1948. Before 1965, the tournament was organized in a round-robin format. From 1965 on, the tournament was played as knockout matches, spread over several months. In 1995–1996, the defending FIDE champion (Anatoly Karpov) also entered the Candidates, in the third round (Candidates final).

During its 1993 to 2006 split from FIDE, the "Classical" World Championship also held three Candidates Tournaments (in 1994–1995, 1998 and 2002) under a different sponsor and a different format each time. In one of these cases (Alexei Shirov in 1998) no title match eventuated, under disputed circumstances (see Classical World Chess Championship 2000).

After the reunification of titles in 2006, FIDE tried different Candidates formats in 2007, 2009 and 2011, before settling on an 8 player, double round robin Candidates tournament from 2013 onwards.

Results of Candidates Tournaments

The tables below show the qualifiers and results for all interzonal, Candidates and world championship tournaments.

Players shown bracketed in italics (Bondarevsky, Euwe, Fine and Reshevsky in 1950, Botvinnik in 1965, Fischer in 1977, Carlsen in 2011 and 2024, and Radjabov in 2020) qualified for the Candidates or were seeded in the Candidates, but did not play.
Players shown in italics with an asterisk (Stein* in 1962 and again in 1965, and Bronstein* in 1965) were excluded from the Candidates by a rule limiting the number of players from one country.
Karjakin* in 2022 was disqualified by FIDE after his qualification for the Candidates: the FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Commission ruled that he breached Article 2.2.10 of the FIDE Code of Ethics after he made public comments approving of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. He is shown bracketed, in italics, and with an asterisk.
Players listed after players in italics (Flohr in 1950, Benko in 1962, Geller, Ivkov and Portisch in 1965, Spassky in 1977, Grischuk in 2011, Vachier-Lagrave in 2020, Ding in 2022, and Abasov in 2024) only qualified due to the non-participation (withdrawal) of the bracketed players or players with an asterisk.
Incumbent champions' names are struck through when they refused to defend their title (Fischer in 1975 and Carlsen in 2023).

Normally, the incumbent champion is seeded directly into the final against the challenger (who had to pass through the Candidates qualification), but there have been exceptions:

The World Chess Championship 1948, in which five players were seeded into the championship tournament (the previous champion, Alexander Alekhine, having died in 1946). A sixth player, Fine, was also seeded into the championship tournament but chose not to play; he is shown in brackets.
The FIDE World Chess Championship 1996, in which the FIDE World Champion Anatoly Karpov was seeded in the Candidates final.
The Classical World Chess Championship 2000, in which two players were seeded into the championship final (one of them being incumbent champion Kasparov), and there were no previous qualifying stages. In this way, it resembled the pre-1946 events, in which the champion could handpick a challenger.
The FIDE championships of 1999–2004 (during the split-title period), in which the incumbent champion had no special privileges.
The FIDE World Chess Championship 2005, in which eight players (including incumbent FIDE champion Kasimdzhanov) were seeded into the final championship tournament.
The FIDE World Chess Championship 2007, in which four players (including incumbent champion Kramnik) were seeded into the final championship tournament.

The incumbent champion Bobby Fischer refused to defend his title at the World Chess Championship 1975, and his challenger Anatoly Karpov won by forfeit. (At the time, the Candidates was a knock-out event, so the 1974 Karpov–Korchnoi Candidates final match – a best of 24 games, like world championships in the period 1951–1972 and 1985–1993 – arguably became a de facto world championship in retrospect.) Magnus Carlsen refused to defend his title at the World Chess Championship 2023 and was replaced by the runner-up of the Candidates Tournament, Ding Liren.

Interzonal and Candidates tournaments (1948–1996)

class=wikitable style="white-space:nowrap;" \|+ World Championship selection cycles from 1948 to 1996 ! Year ! colspan=5 \| Selection of participants ! colspan=1 \| Championship
1948 \|colspan="3"\|In 1946–1947, FIDE planned the 1948 championship tournament, selecting six notable players for the reasons shown. Fine withdrew from the tournament. \|1938 AVRO winners: {{}} Keres {{}} (Fine) Former world champion: {{}} Euwe \| Multiple US champion: {{}} Reshevsky Soviet Champion: {{}} Botvinnik Soviet grandmaster: {{}} Smyslov \| The Hague/ Moscow 1948 Quintuple round robin: 1 Botvinnik 14/20 2 Smyslov 11 3-4 Keres 10½ 3-4 Reshevsky 10½ 5 Euwe 4
rowspan=2 \| Year ! colspan=2 \| Interzonal tournaments ! colspan=2 \| Candidates tournaments ! colspan=2 \| Championship
Format ! Results ! Seeded ! Results ! Contestants ! Results
1948–51 \| Saltsjöbaden (Stockholm) 1948: Single round robin 20 players 8 qualified \| 1 Bronstein 2 Szabo 3 Boleslavsky 4 Kotov 5 Lilienthal 6-9 Najdorf 6-9 Ståhlberg 6-9 (BondarevskyBondarevsky was replaced in Candidates tournament because of illness) 6-9 Flohr \| {{}} Smyslov {{}} Keres {{}} (Euwe) {{}} (Fine) {{}} (Reshevsky) \| Budapest 1950 Double round robin 10 players 1-2 Boleslavsky 1-2 Bronstein 3 Smyslov 4 Keres Playoff: {{}} Bronstein beat Boleslavsky \| Candidates winner: {{}} Bronstein Defending champion: {{}} Botvinnik \| Moscow 1951 24-game match Drawn 12–12 Botvinnik retained title
1952–54 \| Saltsjöbaden (Stockholm) 1952 Single round robin 21 players 8 qualified \| 1 Kotov 2-3 Taimanov 2-3 Petrosian 4 Geller 5-8 Averbakh 5-8 Ståhlberg 5-8 Szabo 5-8 Gligorić \| 7 more: {{}} Bronstein {{}} Boleslavsky {{}} Smyslov {{}} Keres {{}} Reshevsky {{}} Najdorffrom previous Candidates {{}} Euwefrom 1948 Championship \| Zürich 1953 Double round robin 15 players 1 Smyslov 2-4 Bronstein 2-4 Keres 2-4 Reshevsky \| Candidates winner: {{}} Smyslov Defending champion: {{}} Botvinnik \| Moscow 1954 24-game match Drawn 12–12 Botvinnik* retained title
1955–57 \| Gothenburg 1955 Single round robin 21 players 9 qualified \| 1 Bronstein 2 Keres 3 Panno 4 Petrosian 5-6 Geller 5-6 Szabo 7–9 Filip 7–9 Pilnik 7–9 Spassky \| Smyslov \| Amsterdam 1956 Double round robin 10 players 1 Smyslov 2 Keres \| Candidates winner: {{}} Smyslov Defending champion: {{}} Botvinnik \| Moscow 1957 24-game match Smyslov won 12½–9½
1958 \|colspan="4"\|Rematch \| {{}} Botvinnik {{}} Smyslov \| Moscow 1958 24-game match Botvinnik won 12½–10½
1958–60 \| Portorož 1958 Single round robin 21 players 6 qualified \| 1 Tal 2 Gligorić 3-4 Petrosian 3-4 Benko 5-6 Olafsson 5-6 Fischer \| {{}} Smyslov {{}} Keres \| YugoslaviaBled, Zagreb, Beograd 1959 Quadruple round robin 8 players 1 Tal 2 Keres 3 Petrosian 4 Smyslov \| Candidates winner: {{}} Tal Defending champion: {{}} Botvinnik \| Moscow 1960 24-game match Tal won 12½–8½
1961 \|colspan="4"\|Rematch \| {{}} Botvinnik {{}} Tal \| Moscow 1961 24-game match Botvinnik won 13–8
1962–63 \| Stockholm 1962 Single round robin 23 players 6 qualified \| 1 Fischer 2-3 Geller 2-3 Petrosian 4-5 Korchnoi 4-5 Filip 6-8 Stein* 6-8 BenkoIn the play-off, Stein finished first before Benko, and Gligorić third. Stein was eliminated because only three Soviet players could qualify from the interzonal to the candidates tournament. \| {{}} Tal {{}} Keres \| Curaçao 1962 Quadruple round robin 8 players 1 Petrosian; 2 Keresafter playoff match against Geller 3 Geller 4 Fischer \| Candidates winner: {{}} Petrosian Defending champion: {{}} Botvinnik \| Moscow 1963 24-game match Petrosian won 12½–9½
1964–66 \| Amsterdam 1964 Single round robin 24 players 6 qualified \| 1-4 Smyslov 1-4 Larsen 1-4 Spassky 1-4 Tal 5 Stein* 6 Bronstein* 7 Ivkov 8-9 PortischPortisch beat Reshevsky in play-off. \| {{}} Keres {{}} (Botvinnik) {{}} Geller \| 1965: 8 players, matches Semi-finals winners: {{}} Spassky beat Geller {{}} Tal beat Larsen Finals: {{}} Spassky beat Tal \| Candidates winner: {{}} Spassky Defending champion: {{}} Petrosian \| Moscow 1966 24-game match Petrosian won 12½–11½
1967–69 \| Sousse 1967 Single round robin 23 players 6 qualified \| 1 Larsen 2-4 Korchnoi 2-4 Geller 2-4 Gligorić 5 Portisch 6-8 ReshevskyHort and Stein were eliminated having a worse Berger tie-break (Neustadtl score), the play-off had ended with all players having 4 / 8. \| {{}} Spassky {{}}Tal \| 1968: 8 players, matches Semi-finals: {{}} Korchnoi beat Tal {{}} Spassky beat Larsen Finals: {{}} Spassky beat Korchnoi \| Champions winner: {{}} Spassky Defending champion: {{}} Petrosian \| Moscow 1969 24-game match Spassky* won 12½–10½
1970–72 \| Palma de Mallorca 1970 Single round robin 24 players 6 qualified \|1 Fischer 2-4 Larsen 2-4 Geller 2-4 Hübner 5-6 Taimanov 5-6 Uhlmann \| {{}} Petrosian {{}}Korchnoi \| 1971: 8 players, matches Semi-finals: {{}} Petrosian beat Korchnoi {{}} Fischer beat Larsen Finals: {{}} Fischer beat Petrosian \| Candidates winner: {{}} Fischer Defending champion: {{}} Spassky \| Reykjavík 1972 24-game match Fischer* won 12½–8½
rowspan="2"\| 1973–75 \|rowspan="2"\| 1973: Two single round robins 18 players each 3 qualified from each \| Leningrad 1973: 1-2 Korchnoi 1-2 Karpov 3 Byrne \|rowspan="2"\| {{}} Spassky {{}} Petrosian \|rowspan="2"\| 1974: 8 players, matches Semi-finals: {{}} Korchnoi beat Petrosian {{}} Karpov beat Spassky Finals: {{}} Karpov beat Korchnoi \|rowspan="2"\| Candidates winner: {{}} Karpov Defending champion: {{}} ~~(Fischer)~~ \|rowspan="2"\| 1975: Karpov* won on forfeit
Petropolis 1973: 1 Mecking 2-4 Portisch 2-4 PolugaevskyGeller eliminated after play-off
rowspan="2"\| 1976–78 \|rowspan="2"\| 1976: Two single round robins 20 players each 3 qualified from each \| Biel 1976: 1 Larsen 2-4 Petrosian 2-4 PortischTal eliminated after play-off \|rowspan="2"\| {{}} Korchnoi {{}}(Fischer) {{}}Spassky \|rowspan="2"\| 1977: 8 players, matches Semi-finals: {{}} Korchnoi beat Polugaevsky {{}} Spassky beat Portisch Finals: {{}} Korchnoi beat Spassky \|rowspan="2"\| Candidates winner: {{}} Korchnoi Defending champion: {{}} Karpov \|rowspan="2"\| Baguio 1978 Karpov won 6–5 after 32 games (draws not counting)
Manila 1976: 1 Mecking 2-3 Polugaevsky 2-3 Hort
rowspan="2"\| 1979–81 \|rowspan="2"\| 1979: Two single round robins 18 players each 3 qualified from each \| Riga 1979: 1-2 Tal 1-2 Polugaevsky 3-4 AdorjánRibli eliminated after playoff \|rowspan="2"\| {{}} Korchnoi {{}}Spassky \|rowspan="2"\| 1980: 8 players, matches Semi-finals: {{}} Korchnoi beat Polugaevsky {{}} Hübner beat Portisch Finals: {{}} Korchnoi beat Hübner \|rowspan="2"\| Candidates winner: {{}} Korchnoi Defending champion: {{}} Karpov \|rowspan="2"\| Meran 1981 Karpov* won 6–2 after 18 games (draws not counting)
Rio de Janeiro 1979: 1-3 Portisch 1-3 Petrosian 1-3 Hübner
rowspan="3"\| 1982–85 \|rowspan="3"\| 1982: Three single round robins 14 players each 2 qualified from each \| Las Palmas 1982: 1 Ribli 2 Smyslov \|rowspan="3"\| {{}} Korchnoi {{}}Hübner \|rowspan="3"\| 1983–84: 8 players, matches Semi-finals: {{}} Kasparov beat Korchnoi {{}} Smyslov beat Ribli Finals, 1984: {{}} Kasparov beat Smyslov \|rowspan="3"\| Candidates winner: {{}} Kasparov Defending champion: {{*}} Karpov \|rowspan="3"\| Moscow 1984–85 Unlimited match abandoned after 48 games with Karpov leading 5–3 (draws not counting)
Toluca 1982: 1-2 Portisch 1-2 Torre
Moscow 1982: 1 Kasparov 2 Beliavsky
1985 \|colspan="4"\|Replay \|{{}} Karpov {{}} Kasparov \| Moscow 1985 24-game match Kasparov won 13–11
1986 \|colspan="4"\|Rematch \|{{}} Karpov {{}} Kasparov \| London/Leningrad 1986 24-game match Kasparov won 12½–11½
rowspan="3"\| 1985–87 \|rowspan="3"\| 1985: 3 single round robins 16–18 players each 4 qualified from each \| Biel 1985: 1 Vaganian 2 Seirawan 3 Sokolov 4-6 ShortVan Der Wiel and Torre eliminated after playoff \|rowspan="3"\|Seeded in tournament: {{}} Korchnoi {{}} Ribli {{}} Smyslov {{}} Spasskychosen by the organizating federation Seeded in 1987 final: {{}} Karpov \|rowspan="3"\| Montpellier 1985: Single round robin tournament 16 players 1-3 Yusupov 1-3 Sokolov 1-3 Vaganian 4-5 TimmanTimman eliminated Tal in play-off 1986: Two rounds of matches 4 players {{}} Yusupov beat Timman {{}} Sokolov beat Vaganian and Yusupov. Finals, Linares, 1987: {{}} Karpov beat matches winner Sokolov \|rowspan="3"\|Candidates winner: {{}} Karpov Defending champion: {{}} Kasparov \|rowspan="3"\| Seville 1987 24-game match Drawn 12–12 Kasparov retained title
Taxco 1985: 1 Timman 2 Nogueiras 3 Tal 4 Spraggett;
Tunis 1985: 1 Yusupov 2 Beliavsky 3 Portisch 4-5 CherninGavrikov eliminated after playoff
rowspan="3"\| 1987–90 \|rowspan="3"\| 1987: Three single round robins 17–18 players each 3 qualified from each \| Subotica 1987: 1-3 Sax 1-3 Short 1-3 Speelman; \|rowspan="3"\| {{}} Sokolov {{}} Timman {{}} Vaganian {{}} Yusupov {{}} Spraggett Seeded in 2nd round: {{}} Karpov \|rowspan="3"\| 1988: One round of matches 14 players 1989: {{}} Karpov (joined winners in quarter finals) Semi-finals (1989): {{}} Karpov beat Yusupov {{}} Timman beat Speelman Finals (1990): {{}} Karpov beat Timman \|rowspan="3"\| Candidates winner: {{}} Karpov Defending champion: {{}} Kasparov \|rowspan="3"\| New York City/Lyon 1990 24-game match Kasparov won 12½–11½
Szirák 1987: 1-2 Salov 1-2 Hjartarson 3-4 PortischNunn eliminated after Playoff
Zagreb 1987: 1 Korchnoi 2-3 Seirawan 2-3 Ehlvest
rowspan="2"\| 1990–93 \|rowspan="2"\| Manila 1990 64 players Swiss 11 qualified \|rowspan="2"\|1-2 Gelfand 1-2 Ivanchuk 3-4 Anand 3-4 Short 5-11 Sax 5-11 Korchnoi 5-11 Hübner 5-11 Nikolić 5-11 Yudasin 5-11 Dolmatov 5-11 Dreev \|rowspan="2"\| {{}} Timman {{}} Yusupov {{}} Speelman Seeded in 2nd round: {{}} Karpov \|rowspan="2"\| 1991: One round of matches 14 players 1991: {{}} Karpov (joined winners in quarter-finals) Semi-finals (1992): {{}} Short beat Karpov {{}} Timman beat Yusupov Finals (1993): {{}} Short beat Timman \| Candidates winner: {{}} Short Defending champion: {{}} Kasparov \| London September–October 1993 24-game match Kasparov defeated Short 12½–7½ under the auspices of the PCA;
Candidates finalist: {{}} Timman Former world champion: {{}} Karpov \|NetherlandsZwolle (games 1-3) / Arnhem (games 4-6) / Amsterdam (games 7-12) /Jakarta(games 13-21) September–November 1993 24-game match Karpov defeated Timman 12½–8½ under the auspices of FIDE
1993–95 (PCA) \| Groningen December 1993 54 players Swiss 7 qualified \| 1-2 Adams 1-2 Anand 3-7 Kamsky 3-7 Kramnik 3-7 Tiviakov 3-7 Gulko 3-7 Romanishin \| Short \| 1994–95: 8 players, matches Semi-finals: {{}} Kamsky beat Short {{}} Anand beat Adams Finals (1995): {{}} Anand beat Kamsky \| Candidates winner: {{}} Anand Defending PCA champion {{}} Kasparov \| New York City September–October 1995 20-game match Kasparov* won 10½–7½
rowspan="2"\| 1993–96 (FIDE) \|rowspan="2"\| Biel July 1993 73 players Swiss 10 qualified \|rowspan="2"\| 1 Gelfand 2-9 Van der Sterren 2-9 Kamsky 2-9 Khalifman 2-9 Adams 2-9 Yudasin 2-9 Salov 2-9 Lautier 2-9 Kramnik 10-15 AnandEpichine, Lputian, Shirov, Ivanchuk and I. Sokolov were eliminated by the tie-break (sum of the opponents Elo ratings). \| {{}} Timman {{}}Yusupov \| 1994: Two rounds of matches 12 players \|rowspan="2" \|Third round (Candidates final): Karpov beat Gelfand Kamsky beat Salov \|rowspan="2"\| Elista 1996 20-game match Karpov won 10½–7½
Seeded in third round (Candidates final): {{}} Karpov \| 1995: {{}} Gelfand {{}} Kamsky {{}} Salov

class=wikitable style="white-space:nowrap;"

|+ World Championship selection cycles from 1948 to 1996

! Year

! colspan=5 | Selection of participants

! colspan=1 | Championship

1948

|colspan="3"|In 1946–1947, FIDE planned the 1948 championship tournament,
selecting six notable players for the reasons shown.
Fine withdrew from the tournament.

|1938 AVRO winners:
{{*}} Keres
{{*}} (Fine)
Former world champion:
{{*}} Euwe

| Multiple US champion:
{{*}} Reshevsky
Soviet Champion:
{{*}} Botvinnik
Soviet grandmaster:
{{*}} Smyslov

| The Hague/ Moscow 1948
Quintuple round robin:
1 Botvinnik 14/20
2 Smyslov 11
3-4 Keres 10½
3-4 Reshevsky 10½
5 Euwe 4

rowspan=2 | Year

! colspan=2 | Interzonal tournaments

! colspan=2 | Candidates tournaments

! colspan=2 | Championship

Format

! Results

! Seeded

! Results

! Contestants

! Results

1948–51

| Saltsjöbaden (Stockholm) 1948:
Single round robin
20 players
8 qualified

| 1 Bronstein
2 Szabo
3 Boleslavsky
4 Kotov
5 Lilienthal
6-9 Najdorf
6-9 Ståhlberg
6-9 (BondarevskyBondarevsky was replaced in Candidates tournament because of illness)
6-9 Flohr

| {{*}} Smyslov
{{*}} Keres
{{*}} (Euwe)
{{*}} (Fine)
{{*}} (Reshevsky)

| Budapest 1950
Double round robin
10 players
1-2 Boleslavsky
1-2 Bronstein
3 Smyslov
4 Keres

Playoff:
{{*}} Bronstein beat Boleslavsky

| Candidates winner:
{{*}} Bronstein

Defending champion:
{{*}} Botvinnik

| Moscow 1951
24-game match
Drawn 12–12
Botvinnik retained title

1952–54

| Saltsjöbaden (Stockholm) 1952
Single round robin
21 players
8 qualified

| 1 Kotov
2-3 Taimanov
2-3 Petrosian
4 Geller
5-8 Averbakh
5-8 Ståhlberg
5-8 Szabo
5-8 Gligorić

| 7 more:
{{*}} Bronstein
{{*}} Boleslavsky
{{*}} Smyslov
{{*}} Keres
{{*}} Reshevsky
{{*}} Najdorffrom previous Candidates
{{*}} Euwefrom 1948 Championship

| Zürich 1953
Double round robin
15 players
1 Smyslov
2-4 Bronstein
2-4 Keres
2-4 Reshevsky

| Candidates winner:
{{*}} Smyslov

Defending champion:
{{*}} Botvinnik

| Moscow 1954
24-game match
Drawn 12–12
Botvinnik retained title

1955–57

| Gothenburg 1955
Single round robin
21 players
9 qualified

| 1 Bronstein
2 Keres
3 Panno
4 Petrosian
5-6 Geller
5-6 Szabo
7–9 Filip
7–9 Pilnik
7–9 Spassky

| Smyslov

| Amsterdam 1956
Double round robin
10 players
1 Smyslov
2 Keres

| Candidates winner:
{{*}} Smyslov

Defending champion:
{{*}} Botvinnik

| Moscow 1957
24-game match
Smyslov won 12½–9½

1958

|colspan="4"|Rematch

| {{*}} Botvinnik
{{*}} Smyslov

| Moscow 1958
24-game match
Botvinnik won
12½–10½

1958–60

| Portorož 1958
Single round robin
21 players
6 qualified

| 1 Tal
2 Gligorić
3-4 Petrosian
3-4 Benko
5-6 Olafsson
5-6 Fischer

| {{*}} Smyslov
{{*}} Keres

| YugoslaviaBled, Zagreb, Beograd 1959
Quadruple round robin
8 players
1 Tal
2 Keres
3 Petrosian
4 Smyslov

| Candidates winner:
{{*}} Tal

Defending champion:
{{*}} Botvinnik

| Moscow 1960
24-game match
Tal won 12½–8½

1961

|colspan="4"|Rematch

| {{*}} Botvinnik
{{*}} Tal

| Moscow 1961
24-game match
Botvinnik won 13–8

1962–63

| Stockholm 1962
Single round robin
23 players
6 qualified

| 1 Fischer
2-3 Geller
2-3 Petrosian
4-5 Korchnoi
4-5 Filip
6-8 Stein*
6-8 BenkoIn the play-off, Stein finished first before Benko, and Gligorić third. Stein was eliminated because only three Soviet players could qualify from the interzonal to the candidates tournament.

| {{*}} Tal
{{*}} Keres

| Curaçao 1962
Quadruple round robin
8 players
1 Petrosian;
2 Keresafter playoff match against Geller
3 Geller
4 Fischer

| Candidates winner:
{{*}} Petrosian

Defending champion:
{{*}} Botvinnik

| Moscow 1963
24-game match
Petrosian won
12½–9½

1964–66

| Amsterdam 1964
Single round robin
24 players
6 qualified

| 1-4 Smyslov
1-4 Larsen
1-4 Spassky
1-4 Tal
5 Stein*
6 Bronstein*
7 Ivkov
8-9 PortischPortisch beat Reshevsky in play-off.

| {{*}} Keres
{{*}} (Botvinnik)
{{*}} Geller

| 1965:
8 players, matches

Semi-finals winners:
{{*}} Spassky beat Geller
{{*}} Tal beat Larsen
Finals:
{{*}} Spassky beat Tal

| Candidates winner:
{{*}} Spassky

Defending champion:
{{*}} Petrosian

| Moscow 1966
24-game match
Petrosian won
12½–11½

1967–69

| Sousse 1967
Single round robin
23 players
6 qualified

| 1 Larsen
2-4 Korchnoi
2-4 Geller
2-4 Gligorić
5 Portisch
6-8 ReshevskyHort and Stein were eliminated having a worse Berger tie-break (Neustadtl score), the play-off had ended with all players having 4 / 8.

| {{*}} Spassky
{{*}}Tal

| 1968:
8 players, matches
Semi-finals:
{{*}} Korchnoi beat Tal
{{*}} Spassky beat Larsen
Finals:
{{*}} Spassky beat Korchnoi

| Champions winner:
{{*}} Spassky

Defending champion:
{{*}} Petrosian

| Moscow 1969
24-game match
Spassky won
12½–10½

1970–72

| Palma de Mallorca 1970
Single round robin
24 players
6 qualified

|1 Fischer
2-4 Larsen
2-4 Geller
2-4 Hübner
5-6 Taimanov
5-6 Uhlmann

| {{*}} Petrosian
{{*}}Korchnoi

| 1971:
8 players, matches
Semi-finals:
{{*}} Petrosian beat Korchnoi
{{*}} Fischer beat Larsen
Finals:
{{*}} Fischer beat Petrosian

| Candidates winner:
{{*}} Fischer

Defending champion:
{{*}} Spassky

| Reykjavík 1972
24-game match
Fischer won 12½–8½

rowspan="2"| 1973–75

|rowspan="2"| 1973:
Two single round robins
18 players each
3 qualified from each

| Leningrad 1973:
1-2 Korchnoi
1-2 Karpov
3 Byrne

|rowspan="2"| {{*}} Spassky
{{*}} Petrosian

|rowspan="2"| 1974:
8 players, matches

Semi-finals:
{{*}} Korchnoi beat Petrosian
{{*}} Karpov beat Spassky
Finals:
{{*}} Karpov beat Korchnoi

|rowspan="2"| Candidates winner:
{{*}} Karpov

Defending champion:
{{*}} ~~(Fischer)~~

|rowspan="2"| 1975:
Karpov won on forfeit

Petropolis 1973:
1 Mecking
2-4 Portisch
2-4 PolugaevskyGeller eliminated after play-off

rowspan="2"| 1976–78

|rowspan="2"| 1976:
Two single round robins
20 players each
3 qualified from each

| Biel 1976:
1 Larsen
2-4 Petrosian
2-4 PortischTal eliminated after play-off

|rowspan="2"| {{*}} Korchnoi
{{*}}(Fischer)
{{*}}Spassky

|rowspan="2"| 1977:
8 players, matches

Semi-finals:
{{*}} Korchnoi beat Polugaevsky
{{*}} Spassky beat Portisch
Finals:
{{*}} Korchnoi beat Spassky

|rowspan="2"| Candidates winner:
{{*}} Korchnoi

Defending champion:
{{*}} Karpov

|rowspan="2"| Baguio 1978
Karpov won 6–5
after 32 games
(draws not counting)

Manila 1976:
1 Mecking
2-3 Polugaevsky
2-3 Hort

rowspan="2"| 1979–81

|rowspan="2"| 1979:
Two single round robins
18 players each
3 qualified from each

| Riga 1979:
1-2 Tal
1-2 Polugaevsky
3-4 AdorjánRibli eliminated after playoff

|rowspan="2"| {{*}} Korchnoi
{{*}}Spassky

|rowspan="2"| 1980:
8 players, matches

Semi-finals:
{{*}} Korchnoi beat Polugaevsky
{{*}} Hübner beat Portisch
Finals:
{{*}} Korchnoi beat Hübner

|rowspan="2"| Candidates winner:
{{*}} Korchnoi

Defending champion:
{{*}} Karpov

|rowspan="2"| Meran 1981
Karpov won 6–2
after 18 games
(draws not counting)

Rio de Janeiro 1979:
1-3 Portisch
1-3 Petrosian
1-3 Hübner

rowspan="3"| 1982–85

|rowspan="3"| 1982:
Three single round robins
14 players each
2 qualified from each

| Las Palmas 1982:
1 Ribli
2 Smyslov

|rowspan="3"| {{*}} Korchnoi
{{*}}Hübner

|rowspan="3"| 1983–84:
8 players, matches

Semi-finals:
{{*}} Kasparov beat Korchnoi
{{*}} Smyslov beat Ribli

Finals, 1984:
{{*}} Kasparov beat Smyslov

|rowspan="3"| Candidates winner:
{{*}} Kasparov

Defending champion:
{{*}} Karpov

|rowspan="3"| Moscow 1984–85
Unlimited match
abandoned after 48 games
with Karpov leading 5–3
(draws not counting)

Toluca 1982:
1-2 Portisch
1-2 Torre

Moscow 1982:
1 Kasparov
2 Beliavsky

1985

|colspan="4"|Replay

|{{*}} Karpov
{{*}} Kasparov

| Moscow 1985
24-game match
Kasparov won 13–11

1986

|colspan="4"|Rematch

|{{*}} Karpov
{{*}} Kasparov

| London/Leningrad 1986
24-game match
Kasparov won 12½–11½

rowspan="3"| 1985–87

|rowspan="3"| 1985:
3 single round robins
16–18 players each
4 qualified from each

| Biel 1985:
1 Vaganian
2 Seirawan
3 Sokolov
4-6 ShortVan Der Wiel and Torre eliminated after playoff

|rowspan="3"|Seeded in tournament:
{{*}} Korchnoi
{{*}} Ribli
{{*}} Smyslov
{{*}} Spasskychosen by the organizating federation
Seeded in 1987 final:
{{*}} Karpov

|rowspan="3"| Montpellier 1985:
Single round robin tournament
16 players
1-3 Yusupov
1-3 Sokolov
1-3 Vaganian
4-5 TimmanTimman eliminated Tal in play-off

1986:
Two rounds of matches
4 players
{{*}} Yusupov beat Timman
{{*}} Sokolov beat Vaganian and Yusupov.

Finals, Linares, 1987:
{{*}} Karpov beat matches winner Sokolov

|rowspan="3"|Candidates winner:
{{*}} Karpov

Defending champion:
{{*}} Kasparov

|rowspan="3"| Seville 1987
24-game match
Drawn 12–12
Kasparov retained title

Taxco 1985:
1 Timman
2 Nogueiras
3 Tal
4 Spraggett;

Tunis 1985:
1 Yusupov
2 Beliavsky
3 Portisch
4-5 CherninGavrikov eliminated after playoff

rowspan="3"| 1987–90

|rowspan="3"| 1987:
Three single round robins
17–18 players each
3 qualified from each

| Subotica 1987:
1-3 Sax
1-3 Short
1-3 Speelman;

|rowspan="3"| {{*}} Sokolov
{{*}} Timman
{{*}} Vaganian
{{*}} Yusupov
{{*}} Spraggett

Seeded in 2nd round:
{{*}} Karpov

|rowspan="3"| 1988:
One round of matches
14 players

1989:
{{*}} Karpov
(joined winners in quarter finals)

Semi-finals (1989):
{{*}} Karpov beat Yusupov
{{*}} Timman beat Speelman

Finals (1990):
{{*}} Karpov beat Timman

|rowspan="3"| Candidates winner:
{{*}} Karpov

Defending champion:
{{*}} Kasparov

|rowspan="3"| New York City/Lyon 1990
24-game match
Kasparov won
12½–11½

Szirák 1987:
1-2 Salov
1-2 Hjartarson
3-4 PortischNunn eliminated after Playoff

Zagreb 1987:
1 Korchnoi
2-3 Seirawan
2-3 Ehlvest

rowspan="2"| 1990–93

|rowspan="2"| Manila 1990
64 players Swiss
11 qualified

|rowspan="2"|1-2 Gelfand
1-2 Ivanchuk
3-4 Anand
3-4 Short
5-11 Sax
5-11 Korchnoi
5-11 Hübner
5-11 Nikolić
5-11 Yudasin
5-11 Dolmatov
5-11 Dreev

|rowspan="2"| {{*}} Timman
{{*}} Yusupov
{{*}} Speelman

Seeded in 2nd round:
{{*}} Karpov

|rowspan="2"| 1991:
One round of matches
14 players

1991:
{{*}} Karpov
(joined winners in quarter-finals)

Semi-finals (1992):
{{*}} Short beat Karpov
{{*}} Timman beat Yusupov
Finals (1993):
{{*}} Short beat Timman

| Candidates winner:
{{*}} Short

Defending champion:
{{*}} Kasparov

| London September–October 1993
24-game match
Kasparov defeated Short 12½–7½
under the auspices of the PCA;

Candidates finalist:
{{*}} Timman

Former world champion:
{{*}} Karpov

|NetherlandsZwolle (games 1-3) / Arnhem (games 4-6) / Amsterdam (games 7-12) /Jakarta(games 13-21)
September–November 1993
24-game match
Karpov defeated Timman 12½–8½
under the auspices of FIDE

1993–95
(PCA)

| Groningen December 1993
54 players Swiss
7 qualified

| 1-2 Adams
1-2 Anand
3-7 Kamsky
3-7 Kramnik
3-7 Tiviakov
3-7 Gulko
3-7 Romanishin

| Short

| 1994–95:
8 players, matches
Semi-finals:
{{*}} Kamsky beat Short
{{*}} Anand beat Adams
Finals (1995):
{{*}} Anand beat Kamsky

| Candidates winner:
{{*}} Anand

Defending PCA champion
{{*}} Kasparov

| New York City
September–October 1995
20-game match
Kasparov won 10½–7½

rowspan="2"| 1993–96
(FIDE)

|rowspan="2"| Biel July 1993
73 players Swiss
10 qualified

|rowspan="2"| 1 Gelfand
2-9 Van der Sterren
2-9 Kamsky
2-9 Khalifman
2-9 Adams
2-9 Yudasin
2-9 Salov
2-9 Lautier
2-9 Kramnik
10-15 AnandEpichine, Lputian, Shirov, Ivanchuk and I. Sokolov were eliminated by the tie-break (sum of the opponents Elo ratings).

| {{*}} Timman
{{*}}Yusupov

| 1994:
Two rounds of matches
12 players

|rowspan="2" |Third round (Candidates final):
Karpov beat Gelfand
Kamsky beat Salov

|rowspan="2"| Elista 1996
20-game match
Karpov won 10½–7½

Seeded in third round (Candidates final):
{{*}} Karpov

| 1995:
{{*}} Gelfand
{{*}} Kamsky
{{*}} Salov

Split titles (1997–2005)

After 1996, interzonals ceased to exist, but FIDE continued to organize qualifying zonal tournaments.

border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="border:1px solid #aaa; border-collapse:collapse"

style="background:#DDDDDD;"

!colspan="8" align="center"| Classical championships (1998–2004)

style="background:#cccccc;"

! Years

! Candidates format

!colspan="3" align="center"| Seeded into Candidates

!Candidates Winner(s)

!width=11%|Seeded in Final

!Championship Final

1998 (Classical)

| Cazorla, May–June 1998
10-game match

|colspan="3"| Kramnik, Shirov
(on rating)Anand, as a participant in the FIDE world championship cycle, believed he was contractually obligated to not participate in a rival cycle.

| Shirov won 5½–3½

| Kasparov
(1995 champion)

| Match never took place

2000 (Classical)

|colspan="5"|None

|colspan="1"|Two players seeded in final:

Kasparov (1995 champion);
Kramnik (on rating)Negotiations for a 1999 match with Shirov or Anand failed, as did negotiations in 2000, with Anand expressing dissatisfaction with the contract.

| London: October-
November 2000
16-game match
Kramnik won 8½–6½

2002–2004 (Classical)

| Dortmund July 2002
preliminaries: two four players double round robins;
Semi-finals: the first from each group met the second from the other group in mini-matches

|colspan="1"|Preliminaries:Kasparov declined the invitation, as did Anand and other players engaged in the FIDE championship.
group 1:
1 Shirov
2 Topalov
3 Gelfand
4 Lutz

|colspan="1"|
group 2:
1 Bareev
2 Leko
3 Adams
4 Morozevich

|Semi-finals :
Leko beat Shirov and Topalov beat Bareev.

|Leko
(beat Topalov in the final)

| Kramnik
(2000 classical champion)

| Brissago:
September–October 2004
14-game match
drawn 7–7,
Kramnik retained title

style="background:#DDDDDD;"

!colspan="8" align="center"| FIDE championships (1997–2005)

style="background:#cccccc;"

! Years

! Candidates format

!colspan="3" align="center"| Seeded into Candidates

!colspan=2|Finalists

!Championship Final

1997–1998 (FIDE)

|Groningen
December 1997,
7 round, mini-match, knockout tournament
Winner plays 6-game championship match against Karpov

|colspan="3"|97 players,Top seed Kramnik refused to participate on the grounds that 1996 FIDE champion Karpov's direct entry into the final was unacceptable;
1995 classical champion Kasparov, 1996 finalist Kamsky and 1996 Women champion Susan Polgar refused in advance to participate.
Quarter-finalists:
Adams, Van Wely, Short, Krasenkov, Gelfand, Dreev, Anand and Shirov.Topalov, Ivanchuk, Beliavsky, Salov, Bareev, Georgiev, J. Polgar, Sadler, Akopian, Lautier were eliminated

|colspan=2| Anand (beat Adams in candidates final)
Karpov (1996 FIDE champion)

| Lausanne:
January 1998
6-game match
Drawn 3–3;
Karpov won rapid playoff 2–0

1999 (FIDE)

|Las Vegas
July–August 1999,
7 round, mini-match, knockout tournament

|colspan="3"|100 players,1998 FIDE champion Karpov, 1998 FIDE finalist Anand (Anand was negotiating to play a match against Kasparov for his title) and 1995 classical champion Kasparov refused to participate
Quarter-finalists:
Kramnik, Adams, Movsesian, Akopian, Shirov, Nisipeanu, Khalifman and {{nowrap|J. Polgar}}1998 classical championship candidates Shirov and Kramnik were eliminated by Nisipeanu and Adams in quarterfinals.

|colspan="2"|Semi-finals (4-game matches):
Khalifman beat Nisipeanu,
Akopian beat Adams

| Las Vegas 1999
6-game match
Khalifman won 3½–2½

2000 (FIDE)

|New Delhi (6 rounds)/final in Tehran
November–December 2000
7 round, mini-match, knockout tournament with final match played in Tehran

|colspan="3"|100 players,Classical champions Kasparov, Kramnik and 1998 FIDE champion Karpov didn't participate
Quarter-finalists:
Anand, Khalifman, Adams, Topalov, Tkachiev, Grischuk, Shirov and BareevMorozevich, Leko, Krasenkov, Kasimdzhanov, Svidler, Gelfand, Short, Smirin, Dreev, Azmaiparashvili, Rublevsky, Almasi, Xu Jun, Gurevich were eliminated

|colspan="2"|Semi-finals (4-game matches):
Anand beat Adams,
Shirov beat Grischuk

| Tehran
December 2000
6-game match
Anand won 3½–½

2001–2002 (FIDE)

|Moscow
7 round, mini-match, knockout tournament with relatively quick time controls
first part (6 rounds): 25 November– 14 December 2001
final: 16–24 January 2002

|colspan="3"| 128 players,Classical champions Kramnik and Kasparov didn't participate. All other strongest players of the world took part, including former winners of the FIDE World Championship Anand, Khalifman (eliminated in third round) and Karpov (eliminated in first round).
Quarter-finalists:
Anand, Shirov, Ivanchuk, Lautier, Svidler, Gelfand, Ponomariov and Bareev

|colspan="2"|Semi-finals (4-game matches):
Ponomariov beat Svidler,
Ivanchuk beat Anand

| Moscow
January 2002
8-game match
Ponomariov won 4½–2½Reunification Match with Kasparov never took place

2004 (FIDE)

|Tripoli
June–July 2004
7 round, mini-match, knockout tournament with relatively quick time controls

|colspan="3"| 128 players,Kasparov, Anand, Kramnik, Svidler, Shirov, Ponomariov, Leko, J. Polgár, Gelfand, Bareev, Karpov and Israeli players refused to participate, Morozevich was absent before the first round
Quarter-finalists:
Topalov, Kharlov, Kasimdzhanov, Grischuk, Radjabov, Dominguez, Adams, AkopianIvanchuk, Short, Malakhov, Nisipeanu, Sokolov, Dreev, Akopian, Bacrot, Gurevich, Rublevsky, were eliminated

|colspan="2"|Semi-finals (4-game matches):
Adams beat Radjabov,
Kasimdzhanov beat Topalov

| Tripoli July 2004
6-game match
drawn 3–3;
Kasimdzhanov won rapid playoff 1½–½

style="background:#DDDDDD;"

!colspan="8" align="center"| FIDE World Chess Championship, 2005

style="background:#cccccc;"

! Year

!colspan="4" align="center"| Candidates format

!colspan="2" align="center"|Seeded in Final

!Championship Final

2005 (FIDE)

|colspan="4"|None, 8 players seeded in final:

|colspan="2"| Kasimdzhanov (FIDE champion);
Adams (as FIDE 2004 finalist);
Leko (as classical 2004 finalist),Kramnik (as classical 2004 finalist) declined the invitation
Morozevich (on rating),
Topalov (on rating),
Anand (on rating),
J. Polgár (on rating)
Svidler (on rating)Kasparov had retired from competition. Kramnik and Kasparov were replaced by J. Polgar and Svidler on rating.

|San Luis: 8 players,
double round robin,
September–October 2005
1 Topalov: 10/14
2-3 Anand 8½/14
2-3 Svidler 8½/14
4 Morozevich 7/14

style="background:#DDDDDD;"

Reunified title (since 2006)

After the reunification of the FIDE and "classical" titles, the Chess World Cup and FIDE Grand Prix series were introduced as qualification for the Candidates Tournament. The Swiss-system FIDE Grand Swiss was introduced in the latter half of 2019, acting as another qualification path for the 2020 Candidates Tournament.{{cite web |title=FIDE Grand Swiss update (archive) |url=https://www.fide.com/component/content/article/1-fide-news/11442-fide-grand-swiss-update.html |publisher=FIDE |access-date=4 April 2019 |date=19 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190307192659/https://www.fide.com/component/content/article/1-fide-news/11442-fide-grand-swiss-update.html |archive-date=2019-03-07 }}

border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="border:1px solid #aaa; border-collapse:collapse"

style="background:#DDDDDD;"

!colspan="8" align="center"| Reunification Match

style="background:#cccccc;"

! Year

!colspan=4|

!colspan=2 align=center | Seeded in Final

!width=15%| Championship Match

2006

|colspan="4"|

|colspan="2"|Topalov (FIDE champion),
Kramnik (classical champion)

|Elista October 2006
12-game match
drawn 6–6,
Kramnik won rapid playoff 2½–1½

style="background:#DDDDDD;"

!colspan="8" align="center"| World Chess Championships after the Reunification

style="background:#cccccc;"

! Years

!width=17%| Qualification format

!width=12%| Qualifiers

!width=15%| Seeded into Candidates

!width=17%| Candidates Format

!width=11%| Candidates Winner(s)

!width=13%| Seeded in Final

!width=15%| Championship Final

2005–2007

| Chess World Cup 2005
Khanty-Mansiysk
November–December 2005
128 players, 7 round, mini-match, knockout tournament;
+ mini-matches to establish places 1 through 16.
top 10 qualify

| 1 Ponomariov
2 Aronian
3 (BacrotBacrot was qualified on rating)
4 Grischuk
5 Bareev
6 Gelfand
7 Rublevsky
8 Gurevich
9 Kamsky
10 Carlsen
11 Malakhov

| Kasimdzhanov
(2004 FIDE champion)

Leko, Adams, J. Polgár, Shirov, Bacrot
(on rating)

|Candidates Matches 2007
Elista:
May–June 2007
16 players,
two rounds of matches,

4 players qualify for championship tournament

| Aronian,
Gelfand,
Grischuk,
LekoAronian beat A.Shirov ; Leko beat Bareev ; Grischuk beat Rublevsky ; Gelfand beat Kamsky

| Anand, Svidler, Morozevich
(2nd–4th in 2005);

KramnikTopalov was replaced by Kramnik (2006 Champion)
(2006 Champion)

| Mexico City:
September 2007
8 players,
double round robin
1 Anand 9/14
2-3 Kramnik 8/14
2-3 Gelfand 8/14

2008

|colspan="5"|Rematch

| Kramnik, Anand

| Bonn October 2008
12-game match
Anand won 6½–4½ to retain the title.

2007–2010

| Chess World Cup 2007
Khanty-Mansiysk
November–December 2007
128 players, 7 round, mini-match, knockout tournament (1st qualifies)

| Kamsky
(beat Shirov in the final).

| Topalov
(2005 FIDE champion)

| Candidates Match 2009
Sofia
February 2009,
8-game match

| Topalov beat Kamsky 4½–2½

| Anand
(2008 champion)

| Sofia April–May 2010
12-game match
Anand won 6½–5½ to retain the title.

rowspan="2"|2008–2012

|FIDE Grand Prix 2008–2010
2 qualifiedGrischuk, third of FIDE Grand Prix, replaced Carlsen after he withdrew.

|Aronian, Radjabov

|rowspan="2"|(Carlsen on rating)
Grischuk (replacement of Carlsen) Kramnik
(on rating),

Kamsky,2009 candidate, loser of the 2009 Challenger Match
Topalov,2010 finalist, loser of 2010 World Chess Championship match[http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=6543 FIDE to move Candidates Matches, Topalov threatens boycott]

Mamedyarov (wildcard)Nominee of the organizing committee.

|rowspan="2"|Candidates Tournament 2011
Kazan,
May 2011,[http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=7000 chessbase.com]; Pairings for Candidates Matches are released
8 players, matches

Semifinals:
Gelfand defeated Kamsky;
Grischuk defeated Kramnik

|rowspan="2"|Gelfand (beat Grischuk in the final)

|rowspan="2"|Anand
(2010 champion)

|rowspan="2"|Moscow May 2012
12-game match drawn 6–6,

Anand won rapid playoff 2½–1½
to retain the title

Chess World Cup 2009
Khanty-Mansiysk
November–December 2009
128 players, 7 round, mini-match, knockout tournament (1st qualifies)

|Gelfand (beat Ponomariov in the final)

2011–2013

| Chess World Cup 2011
Khanty-Mansiysk
August–September 2011
128 players, 7 round, mini-match, knockout tournament (top three qualify)

| Svidler, Grischuk, Ivanchuk

| GelfandLoser of the 2012 World Championship match

Carlsen, Aronian, Kramnik (ratings)Top three rated players not already qualified

Radjabov (wildcard)

| Candidates Tournament 2013
London[http://www.chessintranslation.com/2011/02/ilya-levitov-on-the-collapse-of-the-london-match/ Levitov announces FIDE plans for Candidates Tournament in the 2014 World Championship cycle]
March 2013
8 player double round-robin tournament

| Carlsen
(won Candidates Tournament on tie breaks)

| Anand
(2012 champion)

| Chennai, November 2013
12-game match
Carlsen won 6½–3½

rowspan="2"|2012–2014

|FIDE Grand Prix 2012–2013
2 qualified

|Topalov, Mamedyarov

|rowspan="2"|AnandLoser of the 2013 World Championship match

Aronian, Karjakin (ratings)Top two rated players not already qualified

Svidler (wildcard)

|rowspan="2"|Candidates Tournament 2014
Khanty-Mansiysk,[http://www.fide.com/index.php?option=com_fidecalendar&view=fidecalendar&ny=2014 FIDE Calendar 2014]
March 2014{{Cite web |url=http://www.fide.com/component/content/article/1-fide-news/6020-fide-announces-dates-for-world-chess-championship-cycles.html |title=FIDE announces dates for world chess championship cycles |access-date=2013-03-08 |archive-date=2013-03-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130318175053/http://www.fide.com/component/content/article/1-fide-news/6020-fide-announces-dates-for-world-chess-championship-cycles.html |url-status=dead }}
8 player double round-robin tournament

|rowspan="2"|Anand

|rowspan="2"|Carlsen
(2013 champion)

|rowspan="2"|Sochi, November 2014
12-game match
Carlsen won 6½-4½ to retain the title

Chess World Cup 2013
Tromsø
August–September 2013
128 players, 7 round, mini-match, knockout tournament (top two qualify)

|Kramnik, Andreikin

rowspan="2"|2014–2016

|FIDE Grand Prix 2014–15
2 qualified

|Caruana, Nakamura

|rowspan="2"|AnandLoser of the 2014 World Championship match

Topalov, Giri (ratings)

Aronian (wildcard){{Cite web |url=https://www.fide.com/component/content/article/1-fide-news/9179-2016-fide-world-chess-candidates-tournament.html |title=World Chess Candidates Tournament (FIDE) |access-date=2015-11-11 |archive-date=2015-11-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151112193033/http://www.fide.com/component/content/article/1-fide-news/9179-2016-fide-world-chess-candidates-tournament.html |url-status=dead }}

|rowspan="2"|Candidates Tournament 2016
Moscow, March 2016
8 player double round-robin tournament

|rowspan="2"|Karjakin

|rowspan="2"|Carlsen
(2014 champion)

|rowspan="2"|New York City, November 2016
12-game match drawn 6–6
Carlsen won rapid playoff 3–1 to retain the title

Chess World Cup 2015
Baku
October 2015
128 players, 7 round, mini-match, knockout tournament
(top two qualify)

|Karjakin, Svidler

rowspan="2"|2017–2018

|FIDE Grand Prix 2017
Two qualify

|Mamedyarov, Grischuk

|rowspan="2"|KarjakinLoser of the 2016 World Championship match

Caruana, So (ratings)

Kramnik (wildcard)[http://en.chessbase.com/post/kramnik-to-play-2018-candidates Kramnik to play 2018 Candidates]

|rowspan="2"|Candidates Tournament 2018
Berlin, March 2018
8 player double round-robin tournament

|rowspan="2"|Caruana

|rowspan="2"|Carlsen
(2016 champion)

|rowspan="2"|London, November 2018
12-game match drawn 6–6
Carlsen won rapid playoff 3–0 to retain the title{{Cite web |url=https://london2018.worldchess.com/ |title=World Chess London |access-date=2018-03-27 |archive-date=2017-12-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171207230309/https://london2018.worldchess.com/ |url-status=dead }}

Chess World Cup 2017
Tbilisi
September 2017
128 players, 7 round, mini-match, knockout tournament
(top two qualify)

|Aronian, Ding

rowspan="3"|2019–2021

|FIDE Grand Prix 2019
Two qualify

|Grischuk, Nepomniachtchi

|rowspan="3"|CaruanaLoser of the 2018 World Championship match

Giri (ratings)

Alekseenko (wildcard)

Vachier-Lagrave (ratings, as replacement for Radjabov)

|rowspan="3"|Candidates Tournament 2020–21
Yekaterinburg,
Mar-Apr 2020, Apr 2021
8 player double round-robin tournament

|rowspan="3"|Nepomniachtchi

|rowspan="3"|Carlsen (2018 champion)

|rowspan="3"|Dubai, November–December 2021
14-game match

Carlsen won to retain title, 7½–3½

Chess World Cup 2019
Khanty-Mansiysk
September–October 2019
128 players, 7 round, mini-match, knockout tournament
(top two qualify)

|(Radjabov), Ding

FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament 2019
Isle of Man, October 2019
Swiss tournament
(top player qualifies)

|Wang

rowspan="3"|2021–2023

|FIDE Grand Prix 2022
February–April 2022
Top two qualify

| Nakamura, Rapport

|rowspan="3"|NepomniachtchiLoser of the 2021 World Championship match

Radjabov (wildcard)

Ding (ratings, as replacement for Karjakin)

|rowspan="3"|Candidates Tournament 2022
8 player double round-robin tournament
Madrid, June–July 2022

|rowspan="3"|Nepomniachtchi

|rowspan="3"|~~Carlsen (2021 champion)~~Carlsen refused to defend his title.

Ding (Candidates runner-up, as replacement for Carlsen)

|rowspan="3"|Astana, April–May 2023
14-game match{{cite web |url=https://fide.com/news/2180 |title=Astana to host FIDE World Championship match 2023 |author= |date=19 January 2023 |website=fide.com |publisher=FIDE |access-date=29 January 2023 |quote=}} drawn 7–7
Ding won rapid playoff 2½–1½

Chess World Cup 2021
Sochi
July–August 2021
206 players, 8 round, mini-match, knockout tournament
Top two qualify

| Duda, (Karjakin*)Disqualified by FIDE

FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament 2021
Riga, October–November 2021
114-player Swiss tournament
Top two qualify

| Firouzja, Caruana

rowspan="3" |2023–2024

|Chess World Cup 2023
Baku

Jul-Aug 2023
206 players, 8 round, mini-match, knockout tournament
Top three qualify{{Cite web |title=FIDE reforms the qualifications paths to the Candidates Tournament |url=https://www.fide.com/news/2138 |website=FIDE}}

|(Carlsen), Praggnanandhaa, Caruana, Abasov (4th)

| rowspan="3" | NepomniachtchiRunner-Up of the 2023 World Chess Championship

Firouzja (ratings)

| rowspan="3" | Candidates Tournament 2024
8 player double round-robin tournament
Toronto, April 2024{{cite web | url=https://www.chess.com/news/view/2024-candidates-tournaments-to-be-held-in-toronto | title=FIDE Candidates and Women's Candidates 2024 to be Held in Toronto }}

| rowspan="3" | Gukesh

| rowspan="3" | Ding (2023 champion)

| rowspan="3" | Singapore, November–December 2024
14-game match

Gukesh won 7½–6½

FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament 2023
Isle of Man

Oct-Nov 2023
114-player Swiss tournament
Top two qualify

|Vidit, Nakamura

FIDE Circuit 2023
Top player qualifies

|(Caruana,Caruana qualified from the World Cup, so Gukesh qualified as the top player in the FIDE Circuit not already qualified) Gukesh

rowspan="4" |2024–2026

|FIDE Circuit 2024
Top player qualifies

|Caruana

| rowspan="4" | (ratings)

| rowspan="4" | Candidates Tournament 2026
8 player double round-robin tournament

| rowspan="4" |

| rowspan="4" | Gukesh (2024 champion)

| rowspan="4" | TBD

FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament 2025
Samarkand
Sep 2025
109-player Swiss tournament
Top two qualify

Chess World Cup 2025
TBD
Oct-Nov 2025
206 players, 8 round, mini-match, knockout tournament
Top three qualify{{Cite web |title=Changes to qualification paths for the Candidates Tournament |url=https://www.fide.com/news/2863 |website=FIDE}}

FIDE Circuit 2025
Top player qualifies

style="background:#cccccc;"

! Years

! Qualification format

! Qualifiers

! Seeded into Candidates

! Candidates Format

! Candidates Winner(s)

! Seeded in Final

! Championship Final

Notes

References

[http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/wcc-indy.htm FIDE World Championship events 1948-1990], Mark Weeks' chess pages
[http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/wcc-indx.htm World Championship events 1991-present], Mark Weeks' chess pages
[http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=22561 World Championships pages] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180930073510/http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=22561 |date=2018-09-30 }}, Rybka Chess Community Forum

Category:World Chess Championships

Category:Recurring sporting events established in 1948

Category:FIDE competitions

Category:Interzonal chess tournaments

Candidates Tournament

Precursors

Organization

Results of Candidates Tournaments

Interzonal and Candidates tournaments (1948–1996)

Split titles (1997–2005)

Reunified title (since 2006)

See also

Notes

References