FIDE has changed the selection criteria for the candidates’ tournament

The International Chess Federation recently released the requirements for the 2024 Candidates’ Tournament.

Photo: World Chess (Candidates Tournament 2018 in Berlin)

“The main innovation is creating a new qualification path through different FIDE-rated tournaments. Tournaments that meet certain criteria, like being played under standard time control, supervised by International Arbiters, and where Fair Play measures are applied (among other criteria listed below in detail), will grant points towards the ‘FIDE Circuit’. The player with more points at the end of 2023 will get the coveted spot in the most prestigious of all chess tournaments.”

The competition will feature:

• The loser of the FIDE World Championship Match (Ian Nepomniachtchi or Ding Liren),
• The three top players from the World Cup 2023,
• The two best players by FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament standings,
• The top-performing player in FIDE tournaments in 2023 who has not yet been chosen,
• The highest-ranked player in the Classic in January 2024 who has not already been selected.