Ever since the 1960s, the Candidates chess matches and subsequently the chess tournaments, have been recognized as definitive and contentious battles. The ultimate prize: becoming the challenger for the World Chess Championship Match. The next Candidates Tournament is scheduled for March 2018, in Berlin and will be contested by eight players, the very best in the world as of 2017, with the exception of the current world champion.
Six of the participants have been identified so far: