The Candidates Tournament is a chess tournament organized by FIDE, the international governing body for chess, since 1950. It serves as the final contest to determine the challenger for the World Chess Championship. The winner of the Candidates Tournament earns the right to a match for the World Championship against the incumbent World Champion. The tournament has undergone various formats over the years, with the current format being an 8-player, double round-robin event, which has been in place since 2013.
The Candidates Tournament is the second most important tournament in the World Championship cycle, with the World Championship match itself being the most significant event. FIDE has been organizing the World Championship cycle since 1948, and the Candidates Tournament has been a crucial part of this cycle since 1950. The tournament takes place every two years, and its primary purpose is to select the challenger for the World Championship match.
To qualify for the Candidates Tournament, players must participate in multiple tournaments that are part of the World Championship cycle. The FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss tournament is an example of a top-level event that awards a spot in the Candidates Tournament.
