Mumbai: A new six-episode documentary series will track the journeys of Indian chess players D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, R Vaishali, Arjun Erigaisi and Vidit Gujrathi over the course of two and a half years, capturing their setbacks, comebacks, friendships and family lives as they pursued their ambitions.
Titled ‘Candidates’, the series has been created by popular comedian Biswa Kalyan Rath and Prashant Raj. It will premiere free on YouTube on November 22.
Dopamine Media & Entertainment released the trailer for the series, which follows the five players from a crucial moment at the 2022 Chess Olympiad in Chennai to Gukesh's victory in the World Championship in December 2024, when he became the youngest-ever undisputed world champion at the age of 18.
‘Candidates' was filmed between June 2022 and December 2024 across eight countries and territories and 14 cities.
Directed by Raj and Abhineet Chute, the series follows Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, Vaishali, Erigaisi and Gujrathi through losing streaks, near-misses and victories, offering a behind-the-scenes account of their journeys.
The makers said the documentary was filmed as events unfolded, with the crew present during Gukesh's Olympiad blunder and his reaction to winning the world title.
"Chess looks like the quietest sport in the world. Spend time with these players, and you realise how loud it is inside their heads. Every loss is personal. You don't need to know the rules to feel this one," Rath, co-creator and producer of the series, said.
Raj said the team began filming in 2022 without knowing how the story would end.
"We only knew these players were special and that someone needed to be in the room. We are releasing 'Candidates' on YouTube because that is where India's new chess audience grew up, and it should be free for all of them," he said.
Producer Anu Singh said the team was present through the players' difficult phases and their eventual successes.
"We all saw the crown. And it was the Candidates team that was there for the blunder, the losing streaks and the long nights before the wins. Every champion was once a candidate, and that is the universally heart-tugging story we wanted to tell," she said.
The series will premiere on the Dopamine Media YouTube channel at 7 pm IST, with the first episode releasing on November 22, followed by the second on November 27, the third on December 1, and the fourth on December 5.
The final two episodes will be released back-to-back on December 9, two days before the 14th game of the World Championship match.
The premiere coincides with the opening ceremony of Gukesh's 2026 World Championship title defence in Geneva. The series will run alongside the match.
