"If Nakamura wins, it will be a mockery of chess"

At the end of March, Cyprus will host the eighth candidates tournament in the modern history of the World Championship. Since 2013, it has been held according to the same formula — eight participants play in two rounds, and the selection criteria remain clear, although they are periodically adjusted. Of the seven previous tournaments, three were won by Russian chess players: Sergey Karjakin won in 2016, and Yan Nepomnyashchy confidently took first place in 2021 and 2022. In both cases, they worked with coach Vladimir Potkin, who in an interview with Izvestia and Sport-Express shared his views on the upcoming fight for the right to play a match for the world crown.

"I expect that the level of the candidates tournament will be lower than in previous years"

— We haven't seen many of the candidates this year, but in general, what do you feel about the layouts?

— I think many experts have already made predictions about the favorites — it's hard to disagree with them. But I would like to emphasize that everyone has started playing classics less. There are more tournaments with shorter control — rapid, blitz, and many large online competitions. And, as practice shows, this is not the same thing.

In 2026, we have already watched the top tournaments in Wijk aan Zee and Prague (both won by Nodirbek Abdusattorov. — Ed.), where the reigning world champion played rather poorly (in the Netherlands, Gukes became 10th, in the Czech Republic — 9th). Pragnanandha also failed to show his level in the Wake. And this is not a problem for specific chess players: many lose the habit of holding tension for four or five hours. This is because classical control, especially its usual format, has become more difficult after constant practice in blitz.

— What conclusions does this lead to?

— I expect that the level of the candidates tournament will be lower than in previous years — it's about the quality of the game. Those who can play coolly and wait for their scoring chances will have the best chance of success in this tournament.

I would also mention an important point. Everyone understands that the candidates tournament requires tremendous preparation. The teams are seriously preparing, bringing the players to their maximum form. We still don't see the whole picture of the iceberg — who exactly works in these teams. But I, for example, am interested in how progress is going. Javokhir Sindarov has made great progress over the past six months — it is clear that the team is directing him correctly. I am also sympathetic to Andrey Esipenko's progress over the past six months. He coped with a difficult situation at the World Cup. It was as if fate had put him at risk for the second time. After a heavy defeat at the 2023 Big Swiss Cup, he again found himself close to the candidates tournament, but it was a shame he lost to Wei Yi in the semifinals. Immediately after that, it was necessary to go to the decisive match for third place, and Esipenko overcame himself, showed character and won (against Nodirbek Yakubboev). This has shown that he is able to keep the tension in the most demanding and stressful situations. It will be interesting to see how he performs in Cyprus. I wish him success!

— Hikaru Nakamura has almost stopped playing classic tournaments, while he is the ranking favorite.

— Nakamura is a man of mystery. He has a very high chess class, he is an active chess player, especially online. But the way he's been playing classics against the whipping boys lately has left its mark. The environment builds character: if a chess player gets used to weak resistance, he weans off the tremendous pressure when the opponent is 100% ready from the opening to the end of the game.

I don't expect a miracle from Hikaru. If he wins the candidates tournament, it will be a mockery of chess. It would be strange if he spent so much time online, played classics with weak opponents in domestic tournaments, and then went to the world championship match. But at the same time, Nakamura has unlimited resources: he is a very well-off chess player and can do his best to prepare.

"We can compete for the first place at the Chess Olympiad"

Russian grandmaster Andrey Esipenko — about the most important start of the two years in Cyprus, the Games and the desire to qualify for the World Cup in esports

"All participants will have tension and excitement"

— Many experts agree that this will be a Caruana tournament. Levon Aronian estimated the chances of the American grandmaster at 40-45%.

— Fabiano is definitely the most stable player of the eight. In 2016, when Sergey Karjakin won the candidates tournament in Moscow, Caruana was the favorite. 10 years have passed, and the American is number one again, according to experts. But that doesn't guarantee victory—it's just that he gets more attention than the others. The tournament will show in the first round who is in what form, who has how much energy. The development of events can be the most unpredictable.

— Many people call Pragnanandha the second candidate.

— His results have deteriorated over the past six months, but he has experience in leading candidates to the tournament. Surely there will be a strong team of seconds again. Probably led by Peter Svidler. Plus, there is definitely an additional motivation to play a World Championship match with your compatriot. This should give you extra strength.

— Can Matthias Blubaum surprise you?

— I think he is absolutely capable of winning a single game, including the favorites. Mattias acts on the counterplay, he has a good opening repertoire now, he considers the options qualitatively. It is noticeable that the German chess player is very motivated after last year's success.

Objectively, his playing class may be lower than that of other participants, but this does not make him an obvious outsider. Bluebaum can score 50% points or a little less, and if the circumstances are right, even show a small plus. It is unlikely that he will fight for victory, but he is a strong chess player and is able to show a good level.

— In January, Jan Nepomnyashchy noted that it is very important to keep the candidates tournament as simple as possible. Don't think about the fact that this is the main tournament of your career. Do you think Esipenko can get away from the extra pressure?

— I want to start by saying that Jan has a lot of experience, and it's worth listening to his words. It is clear that we are all ready in theory. We try not to get nervous, not to overload ourselves too much with preparation in recent days, and treat the tournament easier.

But when we get there, we see that everyone has gathered for the main event of the year... We notice the hard, focused looks of the participants — the atmosphere heats up, and sports adrenaline appears. Everyone will have it. Everyone will have tension and excitement, but they should not go off scale or lead to apathy. You need a little athletic excitement. Whoever can handle him will show a good game at the start, and this is very important for further struggle.

— The main thing is not to go into negative territory in the two opening rounds?

— Many people feel the need to show their best chess right away. That's exactly what Jan is talking about. And here you can play on the counterattack — catch the opponent, as Nepomnyashchy did in Yekaterinburg against Anish Giri. Then Geary used an interesting idea with white and went forward, but Yang was ready, coolly met the attack and won in a deep maneuver.

The list of participants of the men's candidates tournament – 2026

Hikaru Nakamura (USA) — 2810 (FIDE rating)

Fabiano Caruana (USA) — 2793.2

Wei Yi (China) — 2754

Anish Giri (Netherlands) — 2753

Javokhir Sindarov (Uzbekistan) — 2745

Rameshbabu Pragnanandha (India) — 2741

Andrey Esipenko (Russia) — 2698

Matthias Blubaum (Germany) — 2695.7