Until a few years ago, the quiet community of Peyia on Cyprus’s western coast was best known for banana plantations. Over the past decade the area has rapidly transformed, driven largely by foreign investors, many from Russia. The most emblematic development is the Cap St Georges complex, a luxury resort with a hotel and hundreds of beachfront villas. Between March 28 and April 16, that resort hosted some of the world’s top chess players for the 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament and the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament.
These elite grandmasters competed for the right to challenge the reigning world champions. Participants included Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura, Anish Giri, Matthias Blübaum and 20-year-old Javokhir Sindarov of Uzbekistan, who emerged as the tournament’s standout performer and eventual winner. Sindarov’s victory earned him the chance to challenge World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju. The Women’s Candidates winner was 24-year-old Vaishali Rameshbabu of India, who will challenge reigning Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun.
The tournament unfolded against a broader international backdrop. Ongoing tension and instability in the Middle East affected the event directly: India’s Koneru Humpy withdrew from the Women’s Candidates citing serious safety concerns tied to the regional situation. In a post on X she wrote that no tournament could take precedence over personal safety and well-being, pointing to regional instability and travel disruptions as reasons for her withdrawal. Ukrainian grandmaster Anna Muzychuk replaced her.
The war in Ukraine also cast a shadow over the competition. Russia’s full-scale invasion prompted sweeping sanctions across international sport, and chess was not exempt. FIDE required Russian players to compete under a neutral flag, without national symbols, anthems or federation representation. As a result, Russian players such as Andrey Esipenko and Aleksandra Goryachkina played under the FIDE flag.
Despite the absence of Russian national symbols at the event, the Russian presence in the tournament environment was evident, particularly among spectators. A fan named Vlad told DW that chess has long been important in Russia, with many learning it at school. When asked if he had traveled from Russia to watch, he quipped he had come from “Little Russia: Limassol,” referring to Limassol on Cyprus’s southern coast, where the Russian presence is highly visible.
Around 40,000 Russian-speakers are estimated to live on the island, with more when dual nationals and long-term residents are included. Limassol is the main center of the Russian-speaking community, home to more than 30,000 of them. The community’s growth began after the Soviet Union’s collapse and continued as investment opportunities, real estate development and Cyprus’s attractive tax and residency frameworks drew settlers. Today Russian-speakers are a visible part of business, education and daily life in the city.
This strong Russian presence may have influenced FIDE’s choice of Cyprus as the tournament venue, even though chess does not traditionally command broad local interest. Russia has historically held considerable influence in the chess world, tied to a deep cultural connection to the game. FIDE’s current president, Arkady Dvorkovich, and many staff and contributors come from Russian or Russian-speaking backgrounds.
Volunteers at the event reflected that cultural link. Sofia, a mathematics student from Limassol studying at the Cyprus University of Technology as part of an exchange program, was one of several Russian volunteers. She told DW that chess is embedded in Russian education and culture, which partly explains why many Russians work within FIDE and why she volunteered for the Candidates Tournament.
The choice of Cyprus seemed to appeal to winner Javokhir Sindarov. At his post-victory press conference, when asked where he’d like the World Championship match to be held, he said he would choose a warm country like Cyprus, adding that he would not want to play such an important match in cold conditions.
Edited by: Aingeal Flanagan