About this episode

GM Jan Gustafsson previews the 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament, discussing player chances and insights into the event.

The 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament is almost here, and GM Jan Gustafsson joins the podcast to break down the entire field. As a leading opening theoretician who has worked on GM Magnus Carlsen’s World Championship team, Jan brings unique insight into this high-stakes event. Jan will be on site in Cyprus providing commentary alongside his longtime friend GM Peter Svidler. In this episode we go player by player discussing the contenders’ chances, from rising stars like Praggnanandhaa and Javokhir Sindarov to established veterans like Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura. Jan shares insights on preparation, momentum, and who is most likely to win the Candidates and earn the right to challenge for the World Championship. We also discuss the Women’s Candidates Tournament, pop culture, and Jan’s latest projects. Episode Recorded on March 11, 2016 0:00 Intro – Candidates preview with GM Jan Gustafsson You can buy tickets to the Chess in the Schools Poker/Chess Fundraiser here: https://secure.givelively.org/event/chess-in-the-schools-inc/chess-in-the-schools-3rd-annual-charity-poker-tournament Check out Jan’s Chessable courses here: Be sure to check out Chessiverse.com, and use code…

People in this episode

Host: Ben Johnson

Guest: GM Jan Gustafsson

Topics covered

• FIDE Candidates Tournament
• chess analysis
• player preparation
• chess commentary
• world championship
• pop culture

Keywords

• FIDE Candidates
• chess
• GM Jan Gustafsson
• world championship
• chess commentary
• preparation
• Hikaru Nakamura
• Fabiano Caruana

Sponsors

Chess in the Schools

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Chessable, Chessiverse

More episodes of Perpetual Chess Podcast

• EP 479 – GM Rafael Leitão on Sindarov’s Historic Candidates Win, His Training Methods & What Comes Next · April 20, 2026 · 1h 2m
• EP 478 – GM Ben Finegold on the Candidates, the Hans–Magnus Netflix Documentary, and TakeTakeTake’s Bold Business Move · April 13, 2026 · 55 min
• EP 477- Jennifer Shahade on Cheating, AI, and Thinking Like a Chess Player · April 7, 2026 · 60 min
• Bonus Pod: Sindarov’s Historic Start + Inside the FIDE Candidates with Mike Klein · April 6, 2026 · 34 min
• EP 476-Vlad Ghita: Is the Rating System Still Broken? A Data-Driven Investigation · March 31, 2026 · 1h 2m
• Book Recap #38- Silman’s Chess Odyssey + Stories from a Former Student with Gaurav Datta · March 24, 2026 · 1h 22m

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Perpetual Chess Podcast podcast page.