It's time to work towards Candidates: Praggnanandhaa

New Delhi, Dec 9 (PTI) Having secured his place at next year's Candidates Tournament by winning the FIDE Circuit 2025, Indian ace R Praggnanandhaa on Tuesday said he is now "working towards" doing well at the prestigious event after "playing some good chess" this year.

The 20-year-old Praggnanandhaa sealed his berth at the London Chess Classic after a disappointing result at the FIDE World Cup in Goa recently, and will be the sole Indian male representative in the next Candidates.

"FIDE has officially announced that I have won the FIDE circuit 2025 and qualified to the Candidates. I am very happy to hear that and overall happy with my performance throughout the year," Praggnanandhaa said in a video on X.

"I think I have shown some good quality chess, and I'm happy with that. I want to thank my whole team for always believing in me, even through some rough patches and some rough tournaments.

"And I also want to thank all the fans for always supporting me and supporting Indian chess, and I am really grateful to all of you. It's now time to work towards Candidates.

"Thanks to coaches, family, and everyone who's supported me. Will keep working hard and giving my best," he added.

By qualifying for the Candidates, Praggnanandhaa has kept alive hopes of an all-India fight for the next World Championship title. If he wins the Candidates, he will take on the defending champion D. Gukesh in the World Championship title match.

The 2026 Candidates will be held at Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort near Paphos, Cyprus, from March 28 to April 16.

While Praggnanandhaa will the sole Indian representative in the men's section of the Candidates, the women's event will feature Divya Deshmukh, Koneru Humpy, and R. Vaishali. PTI AH AH ATK