The FIDE Candidates and Women’s Candidates 2024 will be held concurrently in Toronto, Canada, the International Chess Federation announced on Monday. Taking place on April 3-25, it will be the first time that the two tournaments will occur with the same schedule and venue. It is also the first time in history that the event will take place in North America.

In a statement published in the announcement, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich said:

FIDE is happy to award such an important competition to Canada, a country that has made significant chess progress in recent years, with more kids playing the game, more titled players, and more chess fans and chess streamers.

He also emphasized the importance of combining the two Candidates tournaments at the same time and venue, stressing the goal to “bring the Women’s Candidates to a wider audience, with a greater following.”

The event will be sponsored by the Scheinberg family, who also helped sponsor the previous Candidates Tournament. Isai Scheinberg said: “My family and I are very happy that the Candidates Tournaments will be held in Canada, our home country.”

The participants are not yet determined. The paths to qualification are the following (see here for more details):

• Runner-up at the 2023 World Championship 
• Top 3 finishers at the 2023 World Cup
• Top 2 finishers at the 2023 Grand Swiss
• Top finisher in the “FIDE Circuit”
• And one spot by rating

The Candidates tournaments are the most prestigious over-the-board events in the world. The victor of each division will face the classical world champion and women’s world champion, respectively, in the next cycle.

Reigning World Champion Magnus Carlsen opted not to defend his title this year. The classical world champion will therefore be determined next month in the FIDE World Championship 2023, contested between GM Ian Nepomniachtchi and GM Ding Liren. The runner-up will gain automatic entry into the FIDE Candidates 2024. 

GM Ju Wenjun has been the women’s world champion since 2018—this will be her third title defense. Her challenger in the Women’s World Championship 2023 will be determined at the beginning of April this year in the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament 2022-23. The women’s world championship match will take place on July 3 in Shanghai and Chongqing, China.