3 min readUpdated: Feb 20, 2026 10:43 PM IST Hans Niemann believes that Fabiano Caruana is the hands-down favourite to win the FIDE Candidates tournament in two months’ time and when he does so, he’ll have a 70 to 75 per cent shot at dethroning Gukesh D as the world champion at the end of the year in the World Chess Championship. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW VIDEO “I think the favourite (to win the Candidates tournament) should definitely be Fabi (Caruana). I mean, he’s the best player, and by far—at least in terms of consistency—I think he’s clearly the best. After that, I don’t see another clear favorite, to be honest,” Niemann told Chessbase India in an interview. Caruana was denied FIDE Freestyle World Championship in 2026 and 2018 Classical World Championship both by Magnus Carlsen. (PHOTO: Freestyle Chess/Lennart Ootes) The upcoming Candidates will have Caruana as one of the most experienced players in the field of eight. Joining him will be fellow American grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura. Both Nakamura and Caruana have been constants in the …