The players in the Candidates, which starts in just a few hours, are obviously among the best in the world, and as such have won many brilliant games in their chess careers. Each could well be the subject of an “X’s Best Games” volume - and at least two of them are.

We can’t produce the equivalent of such a volume here, but as one last aperitif before the tournament starts, I’ve selected one game from each player to give a little taste of what they are capable of. These may not be in every case their best game (in fact, I’m sure it’s not in at least several cases), but all the games are interesting, exciting, and give a glimpse into what these players are capable of.

Have a look, enjoy, and if you think I missed a Kasparov-Topalov level game for one of the players, let me know in the comments what game should have been included.