Elo Boost - A GM hike in Cyprus 🇨🇾 | Behind the Scenes - Day 2

by Arne Kaehler
4/14/2026 – The ChessBase crew travels to Cyprus to cover the Candidates Tournament, bringing you daily impressions from one of the biggest events in chess. What is the atmosphere like around the world’s best players? How is the venue, and where do the stars spend their time? What happens behind the scenes in the media centre and beyond? And what is Cyprus like as a host for such a prestigious event? From travel moments and unexpected encounters to exclusive insights into the tournament environment, we take you along for the journey—day by day. Experience the Candidates from the inside.
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Elo Boost - A GM hike in Cyprus 🇨🇾 | Behind the Scenes

Day 2

Rest day… but not really.

For the ChessBase crew, a day starts the only way it possibly can - at the gym. Because if you want to keep up with the Candidates, you need power. A lot of it. The players may be preparing in silence … but we’re out there trying to find them.

And that turns out to be harder than expected.
The players are scattered, hidden between beaches, cafés, paddle ball, and quiet corners of this surreal five-star setting. So we go hunting.

Our search leads us along the rugged coastline, all the way to the famous Edro III shipwreck. Waves crashing, wind cutting through the rocks, and suddenly, a wild Anish Giri and Jan Smeets appear.

Mission partially accomplished.

But we’re not done yet.

Back at the venue, curiosity takes over. We sneak into the VIP area. Just for a quick look. And there they are. The trophies. One for the winner of the Candidates. One for the winner of the Women’s Candidates. In just a few days, they’ll have names attached to them. For now, they carry only tension.

The afternoon takes another turn.

We head out again, this time into something entirely different. A traditional Cypriot Easter celebration. Music fills the air, people dancing, laughter everywhere. It’s warm, chaotic, alive, and for a moment, the intensity of the tournament fades into the background.

As the afternoon comes to an end, we take one final walk, back to the player venue. The kind of walk a normal grandmaster might take. Quiet. Focused. Already thinking about the next round.

And here’s the deal:
Watch this video carefully… because by the end of it, you will gain at least 20 Elo.

Tomorrow: the second-to-last round.
Everything is on the line.

Links:

Inside the Candidates 2026 in Cyprus 🇨🇾 | Behind the Scenes - Day 1

Topics: Candidates 2026, cyprus
Arne Kaehler, a creative mind who is passionate about board games in general, was born in Hamburg and learned to play chess at a young age. By teaching chess to youth teams and creating chess-related videos on YouTube, Arne was able to expand this passion and has even created an online course for anyone who wants to learn how to play chess. Arne writes for the English and German news sites, but focuses mainly on content for the ChessBase media channels.