World champion D Gukesh’s eight challengers will have to fight it out in a luxury resort near the Mediterranean after FIDE announced that next year’s Candidates tournament will be held in the Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort near Paphos, on the south-western coast of Cyprus. The Indian chess federation AICF had shown some interest in hosting the prestigious event in India. The Women’s Candidates tournament will also be held at the same venue, with the winner of that event qualifying to challenge Ju Wenjun of China in the Women’s World Championship. FIDE announced that the tournaments will be held between March 28 and April 16, 2026. Fabiano Caruana (as 2024 FIDE Circuit topper), Anish Giri (as winner of the 2025 Grand Swiss tournament), Matthias Bluebaum (as runner-up of the 2025 Grand Swiss 2nd tournament), and Hikaru Nakamura (as the top rated player) have already secured their participation in the Candidates. Meanwhile, India’s R Praggnanandhaa is a hot favourite to secure the 2025 FIDE Circuit topper’s spot, which will be assured next month. Meanwhile, the …