Moscow 2016 Candidates Tournament
Eight of the world's elite met in Moscow to decide who would challenge World Champion Magnus Carlsen. It came down to the final round, where Sergey Karjakin beat Fabiano Caruana in a direct duel for first — the two of them had entered that game level at the top — and took clear first with 8½/14, earning the right to face Carlsen for the title.
A single challenger for Carlsen
The 2016 Candidates was an eight-player double round robin, fourteen rounds and fifty-six games, held in the Central Telegraph building on Moscow's Tverskaya Street with a prize fund of €420,000. Only the winner would play Magnus Carlsen for the World Championship later that year.
The field was as strong as any Candidates: Viswanathan Anand, Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura, Levon Aronian, Peter Svidler, Anish Giri, Veselin Topalov, and Sergey Karjakin. There was no margin for a bad day, and the standings stayed tightly bunched until the very end.
Decided at the board in round 14
Karjakin and Caruana came to the last round tied for the lead, and by the draw of the schedule they were paired against each other — a straight shootout for the tournament. Karjakin, with White, ground Caruana down and won, lifting himself to 8½/14 and clear first while Caruana slipped back into a tie for second. It was the cleanest possible finish: the two leaders settled it head to head.
Behind them, Caruana and Anand shared second on 7½, and four more players finished on 7. Anish Giri drew all fourteen of his games, the only player to finish unbeaten, but without a single win.
On to the title match
Karjakin's win made him Carlsen's challenger for the 2016 World Championship in New York. That match went the full distance: level at 6–6 after twelve classical games, it was decided in a rapid tiebreak, which Carlsen won to keep his title.
Final standings
| # | Player | Score | Record | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Karjakin, Sergey | 8½/14 | +4 -1 =9 | games |
| =2 | Anand, Viswanathan | 7½/14 | +4 -3 =7 | games |
| =2 | Caruana, Fabiano | 7½/14 | +2 -1 =11 | games |
| =4 | Nakamura, Hikaru | 7/14 | +3 -3 =8 | games |
| =4 | Aronian, Levon | 7/14 | +2 -2 =10 | games |
| =4 | Svidler, Peter | 7/14 | +1 -1 =12 | games |
| =4 | Giri, Anish | 7/14 | +0 -0 =14 | games |
| 8 | Topalov, Veselin | 4½/14 | +0 -5 =9 | games |
Cross Table
| Rank | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Karjakin, Sergey | 10 | ½1 | 1½ | ½½ | ½½ | ½½ | ½1 | |
| 2 | Anand, Viswanathan | 01 | ½0 | ½0 | ½1 | 1½ | ½½ | 1½ | |
| 3 | Caruana, Fabiano | ½0 | ½1 | ½1 | ½½ | ½½ | ½½ | ½½ | |
| 4 | Nakamura, Hikaru | 0½ | ½1 | ½0 | 0½ | ½½ | ½½ | 11 | |
| 5 | Aronian, Levon | ½½ | ½0 | ½½ | 1½ | ½0 | ½½ | 1½ | |
| 6 | Svidler, Peter | ½½ | 0½ | ½½ | ½½ | ½1 | ½½ | ½½ | |
| 7 | Giri, Anish | ½½ | ½½ | ½½ | ½½ | ½½ | ½½ | ½½ | |
| 8 | Topalov, Veselin | ½0 | 0½ | ½½ | 00 | 0½ | ½½ | ½½ |
Each cell shows the row player's recorded results against the column player. ● = same player.