Global politics felt at Candidates chess tournaments

Until just a few years ago, the quiet community of Peyia on the western coast of Cyprus was known mainly for its banana plantations.

Over the past decade, however, the area has undergone a rapid transformation, driven largely by developments involving foreign investors, many of whom are Russian.

The most emblematic project of the development of this coastal community is the Cap St Georges complex, a luxury resort that includes a hotel and hundreds of beachfront villas.

Between March 28 and April 16, this high-end resort hosted some of the world’s greatest chess players, who gathered there to compete in the 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament and the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament.

Grandmasters descended on Cyprus

These elite players were vying for the right to challenge the reigning world champions.

Among them were elite grandmasters such as 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.

His victory earned him the right to challenge reigning World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju for the world title.

Winner of the Women’s Candidates Tournament was 24-year-old Vaishali Rameshbabu of India, who will challenge the reigning Women’s World Champion, Ju Wenjun.

Candidate’s withdrawal

The tournament took place within a broader international context that cannot be overlooked.

Ongoing tension and instability in the Middle East had a direct and tangible effect on the event itself. India’s Koneru Humpy withdrew from the Women’s Candidates Tournament, citing serious safety concerns connected to the evolving regional situation.

In a statement posted on X, she emphasized that “no tournament, no matter how important it may be, can take precedence over personal safety and well being.” She pointed to regional instability and disruptions to international travel as the main reasons behind her decision to step away from the competition.

Following her withdrawal, Humpy was replaced by Ukrainian Grandmaster Anna Muzychuk, who stepped into the lineup in her place.

The shadow of the war in Ukraine

Even more evident was the way Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine affected the tournament, both in practical and symbolic terms.

The war has led to sweeping sanctions against Russia across international sport — and chess has been no exception.

Following decisions by the International Chess Federation (FIDE), Russian players have been required to compete under a neutral flag in official competitions, without national symbols, anthems or federation representation.

As a result, Russian players Andrey Esipenko and Aleksandra Goryachkina took part in the tournament under the FIDE flag.

‘Little Russia’ in Limassol

Despite the absence of Russian national symbols, the Russian presence in the tournament environment was still strong, especially in the audience.

As Vlad, a chess enthusiast, explained to DW, chess has always been very important in Russia. “My parents learned it at school,” he said, showing how deeply rooted the game is in Russian culture and education.

When asked whether he had come from Russia to watch the tournament, he replied with a smile: “From Little Russia: Limassol.”

Vlad was referring to the most cosmopolitan city in Cyprus, situated on the island’s southern coast, where the Russian presence is especially strong and highly visible.

It is estimated that around 40,000 Russian-speakers live on the island overall. The wider figure is even higher when dual nationals and long-term residents are taken into account.

Limassol has become the main center of the Russian-speaking community in Cyprus: More than 30,000 are believed to be based there alone.

Why Cyprus?

Cyprus’s Russian community began to grow after the collapse of the Soviet Union and continued in the decades that followed, driven by investment opportunities, real estate development and Cyprus’s attractive tax and residency framework.

Today, the Russian-speaking community forms an important part of life in the city, with a visible presence in business, education and everyday social activity.

The strong presence of the Russian-speaking community on the island may also explain FIDE’s decision to host the tournament in Cyprus — even though chess does not traditionally attract particularly strong interest among locals.

Although FIDE is an international governing body with members from over 190 national federations, Russia has historically held considerable influence within the chess world due to its deep-rooted connection to the game.

FIDE’s current president, Arkady Dvorkovich, and many staff members and contributors come from Russian or Russian-speaking backgrounds.

Chess deeply embedded in Russian culture

Sofia, who is currently studying maths at the Cyprus University of Technology in Limassol as part of an exchange program, was one of several Russian volunteers working at the tournament.

She too told DW that chess is deeply embedded in both Russian education and culture, with many people learning the game from a very young age.

This strong cultural connection is one of the reasons she chose to volunteer for the Candidates Tournament and, she said, why there are many Russian employees and contributors within FIDE.

The choice of Cyprus as a location certainly seems to have appealed to winner Javokhir Sindarov.

When asked at the press conference following his victory where he would like the World Championship match to take place, he replied that, if it were up to him, he would choose a warm country like Cyprus, adding that he would not like to play such an important match in cold conditions.

Edited by: Aingeal Flanagan