FIDE Circuit 2024 is one of the paths to qualify for the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026. One player who would achieve the highest results during 2024 in eligible tournaments gets the spot in the FIDE Candidates.

Each player has to play in a minimum of five eligible tournaments, including at least four with a standard time control.

The final score is calculated as the sum of the player’s up to seven highest scores.

Eligible tournaments are FIDE-rated individual tournaments which meet the following criteria:

– Finish between 1st January, 2024 and 15th December, 2024
– At least 8 players
– At least 7 rounds (at least 4 rounds for knockout events).
– The 8 highest-rated players have an average standard rating on the day of the first round (TAR)
– The Chief Arbiter is an International Arbiter
– Recommended Fair Play procedures are applied
– The FIDE World Championship Match 2024 is also recognised as an eligible tournament
– Players represent at least 3 different federations
– Not more than 50% of either the 20 highest-rated players, or not more than 50% of all players if there are fewer than 20 players, shall represent one federation
– For National Championships, the last two criteria are waived.

The following non-standard play tournaments are included:
FIDE-rated individual over-the-board standard-play tournaments
(hereinafter referred to as “Standard tournaments”)

* World Rapid Championship 2024
* World Blitz Championship 2024
* Continental Rapid and Blitz Championships 2024
* Other Rapid & Blitz tournaments 2024 that meet the above criteria and have an average standard rating of top 8 players 2700 or higher

[Updated on 20 February 2024]

The list includes past and future eligible tournaments. It is not final and is constantly updated. All future date tournaments are tentative, subject to meeting eligibility criteria upon receiving official tournament report.

• Caplin Hastings Masters (Hastings, United Kingdom, December 28, 2023 – January 05, 2024)
• Tata Steel Masters 2024 (Wijk aan Zee, The Netherlands, January 12 – 28, 2024)
• Tata Steel Challengers 2024 (Wijk aan Zee, The Netherlands, January 12 – 28, 2024)