Fabi and Nodirbek are Making a Run for It!

US No. 1 Fabiano Caruana and the Uzbek star, Nodirbek Abdusattorov are taking the final few strides to try and make it to Candidates 2026 via the infamous FIDE Circuit!
FIDE Circuit is a new qualification route to the Candidates that was introduced by FIDE in 2023. The new system gave an opportunity for the players to get rewarded for good performances, not just in Elite but also in Open Tournaments. The new system wasn’t necessarily welcomed with open arms by the top chess players for various reasons, the obvious one being the complexity of the point system itself. The current World Championship Challenger in fact qualified to the Candidates via FIDE Circuit last year. After the supposed success of FIDE Circuit in the 2024 cycle, FIDE decided to allot not just one but two spots via Circuit for the next cycle, one for each year.
Fabiano and Nodirbek have been among some of the best-performing players, second only to India’s #1 Arjun Erigaisi so far this year. The following is the leaderboard based on the Circuit points:

Arjun Erigaisi who made huge strides this year has got himself into the lead with 7 events. Fabiano Caruana sees himself in the second position, trailing by about 18 points, followed by Nodirbek Abdusattorov who is further down by about 5 points.
Nodirbek however has played only 6 tournaments for the consideration, out of which his weakest performance gives him only 8.19 points, which he’d be looking to improve upon. Nodirbek is currently participating in the 3rd International President Cup in Tashkent. With a round to go, Nodirbek is in joint #2 place and will be facing the prodigious Nihal Sarin with the white pieces, fighting for the win and the precious circuit points. He has also registered for the Qatar Masters which is set to take place in December.
Fabiano Caruana sees himself in an even better position, having played only 5 events till now (which qualifies for the circuit). Currently, Fabiano is participating in the “Strongest Open Tournament in the US” – US Masters! Fabi’s second approach to the top of the FIDE Circuit leaderboard would be through the Saint Louis Masters Open, which is going to be played out alongside the Qatar Masters in December.
Remember, only tournaments finishing before Dec 15 are going to be considered. Chess fans are going to be stoked for this photo finish to the Circuit!