Praggnanandhaa is the Winner of FIDE Circuit 2025, Seals his Candidates Spot

Posted on December 8, 2025 BY Rachit Wadhwa

FIDE has officially declared Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa the winner of the 2025 FIDE Circuit. The 20-year-old prodigy held his lead to the very end, securing a coveted spot in the 2026 Candidates Tournament.

Courtesy: FIDE

Only Nodirbek Abdusattorov had a theoretical chance to overtake him entering the final event. Despite delivering one of the highest performance ratings of his career in the London Chess Classic Elite, Abdusattorov fell short — largely because Praggnanandhaa himself scored 8.17 valuable circuit points by sharing first place in the London Chess Classic Open.

Uzbek Number One – Nodirbek Abdusattorov – will have to wait for his first Candidates break | Photo: John Saunders

With this victory, Praggnanandhaa becomes the THIRD qualifier via the FIDE Circuit route. The eighth and final Candidates spot is now merely a formality: Hikaru Nakamura has long fulfilled the 40-game requirement for the rating spot and will officially claim it once the December ratings are published.

Photo courtesy: John Saunders

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