The Women’s Candidates is the qualifier for the Women’s World Championship match: the winner challenges the reigning women’s world champion later in the same cycle. The 2026 edition ran from 28 March to 16 April at the Cap St Georges Hotel and Resort in Paphos, Cyprus — same venue and dates as the open Candidates, run concurrently as a deliberate pairing the FIDE Women’s Commission has pushed for since 2022.
The Field and Winner
Eight players, qualifying through the previous cycle’s FIDE Women’s Grand Prix, the 2025 Women’s World Cup, the Grand Swiss, the FIDE Circuit, and rating. Vaishali Rameshbabu (India) won with a round to spare — her first major individual title and a confirmation of her position alongside her brother Praggnanandhaa among India’s world-elite players. The match against the reigning women’s champion is scheduled for late 2026.
The Format
Standard 8-player double round-robin: 14 rounds, classical time control matching the open Candidates. Tiebreaks: direct encounter, then number of wins, then Sonneborn-Berger. No rapid or blitz playoffs unless mathematically tied for first.