Praggnanandhaa may have slowed down a bit but mentally he’s peaking for Candidates: Anand

Legendary chess player Viswanathan Anand said young Indian grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa “may have slowed down a bit” in the lead-up to the FIDE Candidates Tournament, but will be mentally tuned for the challenge.

Eight leading players in the Open section will vie for the title when the Candidates begins in Cyprus on March 28, with the winner earning the right to challenge reigning world champion D Gukesh for the world title later this year.

Anand, who is also the vice-president of FIDE, said Praggnanandhaa, the only Indian in the Open section, will face stiff competition from players such as Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura, adding that predicting the eventual winner would be difficult.

Asked about his personal favourite, Anand said several players intrigued him.

“He’s experienced, but at the same time, he looks very motivated. He has slowed down a little bit in the last few months, but maybe mentally he is already peaking and getting ready for the Candidates,” Anand said on FIDE’s YouTube channel.

He added that players such as Caruana, Nakamura and Anish Giri had a strong chance of winning the event and earning the right to challenge Gukesh.

“I think Fabi (Caruana), Hikaru (Nakamura), Anish (Giri)… this has got to be their time, so they will have that feeling going into it that this is a chance to grab. But I can’t for the life of me get around to predicting someone,” said Anand, a five-time world champion.

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Cyprus as the venue has drawn attention due to its proximity to the Gulf conflict. Three Indians are set to compete in the women’s section of the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament to challenge reigning champion Ju Wenjun.

Indian stalwart Koneru Humpy is reportedly considering withdrawing from the event due to security concerns.

Anand said FIDE always tries to secure the best possible venues for its marquee tournaments and added that Cyprus would provide an excellent setting for the event.

“FIDE tries to first find a good high-quality venue and I think we’ve succeeded in that. Cyprus will be a very good venue and the location will be amazing,” Anand said.

Published on Mar 16, 2026