GM Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa Wins FIDE Circuit 2025

Indian chess continues to rise globally, and Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa added another remarkable achievement to India’s sporting history in December 2025. The 20-year-old Indian prodigy won the International Chess Federation (FIDE) Circuit 2025 with 115.17 points, topping a year-long leaderboard featuring the world’s strongest players.

With this victory, he becomes the only male player to qualify through the FIDE Circuit and officially books his place in the Candidates Tournament 2026, the final stage to determine the challenger for the World Chess Championship 2026.

This marks Praggnanandhaa’s second consecutive Candidates appearance, strengthening India’s presence in elite global chess.

What is the FIDE Circuit 2025?

The FIDE Circuit 2025 was a year-long qualification path comprising top-level tournaments held from January to December 2025. Players scored points based on performance and tournament strength, with final standings based on the sum of their seven best results.

Organiser:

Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE), also known as the International Chess Federation.

Purpose:

To provide an additional path for qualification to the Candidates Tournament 2026.

Praggnanandhaa Tops the FIDE Circuit 2025

Praggnanandhaa’s consistent high-level performance across major events helped him finish First with 115.17 points, well ahead of top global competitors.

Top 5 Standings – FIDE Circuit 2025

His outstanding lead highlights his form and resilience throughout the season.

Significance of Praggnanandhaa’s Qualification

• Becomes the only male player globally to qualify via the FIDE Circuit path.
• Earns a spot in the Candidates Tournament 2026.
• Continues India’s strong presence in world chess after Gukesh Dommaraju’s historic run.
• Marks his second consecutive Candidates appearance, proving his consistency at the elite level.

Praggnanandhaa joins legends like Viswanathan Anand (1995) and D. Gukesh (2024) as Indians who have reached the Candidates stage.

Runner-Up and Other Performers

• Runner-up: Anish Giri (Netherlands) with 81.18 points
• Third place: Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzbekistan)
• Former world championship challenger Fabiano Caruana and German GM Matthias Blübaum also finished in the top five.

Candidates Tournament 2026 – Key Details

Venue:

Pegeia, Cyprus

Dates:

March 28 – April 16, 2026

Format:

• Eight-player field

• Double round-robin format

• Determines the challenger for the World Chess Championship 2026

• Indian GM D. Gukesh will defend his world title

Confirmed Participants (7 out of 8 known)

1. Anish Giri – Netherlands

2. Fabiano Caruana – USA

3. Matthias Blübaum – Germany

4. Javokhir Sindarov – Uzbekistan

5. Wei Yi – China

6. Andrey Esipenko – Russia

7. R. Praggnanandhaa – India

The 8th spot will be given to the player with the highest 6-month average FIDE rating (Aug 2025–Jan 2026) who has played at least 40 rated games in that period.

Indian Presence in Women’s Candidates 2026

India will have a strong representation in the Women’s Candidates Tournament 2026 as well.

Qualified Indian women players:

• Divya Deshmukh

• Koneru Humpy

• Vaishali Rameshbabu

This marks a historic moment with three Indian women entering the world championship qualification cycle.

About FIDE – International Chess Federation

• Full Form: Fédération Internationale des Échecs
• President: Arkady Dvorkovich
• Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland
• Established: 1924

FIDE governs global chess competitions, rating systems, and world championship cycles.