India’s Gukesh Dommaraju takes on Candidates qualifiers and stars who missed out, plus a talent for the 2030s
The annual “chess Wimbledon” at Tata Steel Wijk aan Zee in the Netherlands is unusually interesting this year. Its 14-player field matches the reigning world champion, India’s Dommaraju Gukesh, against a range of rivals who include four of the eight Candidates who will meet in March to decide his 2026 challenger, another three grandmasters from the world top 10, the controversial US star Hans Niemann, plus a 14-year-old Turk who is breaking age records.
Gukesh’s unimpressive recent results mean that the world Nos 5 and 8, Arjun Erigaisi and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, will aim to finish ahead of him. Germany’s world No 4, Vincent Keymer, had a good 2025, while the home nation’s world No 6, Anish Giri, often performs well in this event.
Turkey’s Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, 14, is already famous for his “Turkish Immortal” in the Fide Grand Swiss and has broken several world age records. He is the youngest ever to reach a 2600 rating. His fellow prodigy, Argentina’s Faustino Oro, 12, is competing in the Wijk Challengers with a chance of achieving his third and final GM norm and so breaking Abhimanyu Mishra’s record as the youngest ever grandmaster.
