D Gukesh vs R Praggnanandhaa World Chess Championship showdown predicted in huge claim: ‘Will be very…’
Wesley So dropped his verdict on the upcoming 2026 Candidates Tournament, whose winner will challenge D Gukesh for the World C'ship title.
Despite the absence of Magnus Carlsen, the line-up for the upcoming 2026 Candidates Tournament is still packed with heavy competition. Hikaru Nakamura qualified as the highest-rated player, due to Carlsen's absence. Meanwhile, Fabiano Caruana qualified as the 2024 FIDE Circuit winner and R Praggnanandhaa secured his berth as the 2025 FIDE Circuit winner. Anish Giri and Matthias Bluebaum qualified after finishing as Grand Swiss winner and runner-up respectively.
Meanwhile, Javokhir Sindarov got his Candidates berth after winning the 2025 Chess World Cup. Meanwhile, Wei Yi and Andrey Esipenko also qualified after coming second and third at the World Cup in Goa.
Also Read: ‘D Gukesh not the best in the world': Magnus Carlsen's chief trainer claims ‘couple of others stronger than' Indian GM
Speaking to Sportstar, Wesley So dropped his verdict on the upcoming tournament, whose winner will challenge D Gukesh for the World C'ship title. So failed to qualify for the Candidates. "Fabi has so much experience at the Candidates and has also played the World championship match," he said.
So also felt that Praggnanandhaa has a strong chance to win the tournament, and his face-off against Gukesh would be fascinating.
"I think it will be great if he becomes the challenger, but I think Praggnanandhaa also has a strong chance, and he has had a great year, winning so many major tournaments. In fact, a match between Gukesh and Pragg will be very interesting – two young Indians taking on each other, and they have different styles, too," he added.
Gukesh beat Ding Liren in Singapore last year, to become the youngest-ever world champion in history. After his World C'ship victory, he began his 2025 season on a strong note, almost winning the Tata Masters in Wijk aan Zee. But he lost to Praggnanandhaa in the tie-breaker title deciding round. But after the Wijk aan Zee event, his form crumbled and he put in inconsistent displays, with only few positives, like his wins against Magnus Carlsen.
