The Candidates Tournament decides who challenges for the World Chess Championship, and since 2013 it has been run as an 8-player double round-robin. Below is the complete list of winners in that modern era, each of whom went on to a title shot — from Magnus Carlsen in 2013 to Javokhir Sindarov in 2026. (Latest winner as of July 2026: Sindarov.)
The complete list of modern Candidates winners
| Year | Host City | Winner | Score | The title match that followed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | London, England | Magnus Carlsen | 8½/14 (tiebreak) | Won the title — beat Anand (2013) |
| 2014 | Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia | Viswanathan Anand | 8½/14 | Lost 2014 match to Carlsen |
| 2016 | Moscow, Russia | Sergey Karjakin | 8½/14 | Lost 2016 match to Carlsen (tiebreak) |
| 2018 | Berlin, Germany | Fabiano Caruana | 9/14 | Lost 2018 match to Carlsen (tiebreak) |
| 2020–21 | Yekaterinburg, Russia | Ian Nepomniachtchi | 8½/14 | Lost 2021 match to Carlsen |
| 2022 | Madrid, Spain | Ian Nepomniachtchi | 9½/14 | Lost 2023 match to Ding Liren (tiebreak) |
| 2024 | Toronto, Canada | Gukesh Dommaraju | 9/14 | Won the title — beat Ding Liren (2024) |
| 2026 | Pegeia, Cyprus | Javokhir Sindarov | 10/14 | Challenges Gukesh (2026, scheduled) |
Before 2013: a quick note
The Candidates has existed in some form since 1950, first as a round-robin tournament, then from 1965 as a long series of knockout matches that ran across the Karpov and Kasparov eras. Formats changed repeatedly over the decades, so the clean year-by-year list above focuses on the modern double round-robin era (2013 onward) — the version today’s fans actually recognise. The one constant across all eras: whoever came through earned the right to challenge for the world title.
Records & milestones (modern era)
- Highest score: Javokhir Sindarov, 10/14 at the 2026 Candidates — a record for the modern format, breaking Nepomniachtchi’s 9½/14 from 2022.
- Only two-time winner: Ian Nepomniachtchi is the only player to win the modern Candidates twice — back-to-back in 2020–21 and 2022.
- Youngest winner: Gukesh Dommaraju, who won the 2024 Candidates at 17 — the youngest ever, by more than three years.
- Closest finish: 2013 in London, where Carlsen and Kramnik both lost in the final round, tied on 8½, and Carlsen took it on tiebreak (more wins).
- Went on to become World Champion: two modern winners converted their ticket — Carlsen (2013) and Gukesh (2024).
- Longest edition: the 2020–21 Candidates was suspended mid-event by the COVID-19 pandemic and finished over a year later — believed to be the longest over-the-board tournament in history.
A few notable results
- 2013 (London): the modern format’s very first edition ended in the wildest way possible — a double final-round collapse, decided only by the tiebreak that sent Carlsen to his first title match.
- 2016 (Moscow): Sergey Karjakin clinched it by beating Fabiano Caruana in the final round, then pushed Carlsen all the way to tiebreaks in their 2016 title match.
- 2022 (Madrid): Nepomniachtchi was untouchable — undefeated, first with a round to spare, on what was then a record 9½/14.
- 2026 (Pegeia): Sindarov opened with five wins in six rounds and never looked back, taking the record outright at 10/14.
Frequently asked questions
Who won the most recent Candidates Tournament? Javokhir Sindarov of Uzbekistan, who won the 2026 Candidates in Pegeia, Cyprus with a record 10/14 (as of July 2026).
Who has won the Candidates the most times? Ian Nepomniachtchi — the only player to win the modern Candidates twice (2020–21 and 2022).
Who is the youngest Candidates winner? Gukesh Dommaraju, who won in 2024 at 17 years old.
Does every Candidates winner become World Champion? No. Winning earns a title match, not the title itself. In the modern era only Carlsen (2013) and Gukesh (2024) went on to actually win the World Championship.
Explore more
Read how the event works and what’s next on the Candidates Tournament hub · See what the challenger is fighting for at the World Chess Championship · Browse full profiles of the players who made the field.
Researched and fact-checked by the Chess Lab Academy Editorial Team · Verified against FIDE, Wikipedia, and Chess.com · Winners, scores, and records current as of July 2026 · Last verified 2026-07-11 · How we verify content.