The US$2.5 million ($3.37 million) 2024 World Chess Championship between reigning world champion Ding Liren and his challenger, Indian grand master Gukesh Dommaraju, will take place in Singapore between Nov 20 and Dec 15.
World chess body FIDE announced last week that Singapore won the battle over New Delhi and Chennai in a bid to host the match.
When 17-year-old Gukesh became the surprise winner of the 2024 FIDE Candidates Tournament in April, many believed the world championship would be held in India, home to several powerhouses in the sport.
Hosting the World Championship would have been huge for Indian chess, but it’s unclear if home pressure would have been a minus for Gukesh. Chennai-resident Viswanathan Anand, the 15th world champion, previously lost the world title to Sweden’s Magnus Carlsen in their match in Chennai in 2013.
While Gukesh said he was ready to play in India, Ding, who won the world title against Russian grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi in a match in Astana, Kazakhstan, in 2023, had voiced concerns about the prospect of a match with huge local support for his opponent. The Chinese said he preferred a third – and neutral – country such as Singapore.
FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich thanked New Delhi and Chennai for submitting bids but was also delighted that Singapore had won the hosting rights.
“Not only is Singapore one of the most iconic global tourist and business hubs, it is also a thriving chess centre with great ambitions and talent,” he said.
The All India Chess Federation (AICF) was “disappointed” at not winning the bid, but said it was proud of the effort made to bring the big-ticket event to the country.
“While we are naturally a little disappointed that our bid did not succeed, we are proud of the robust and compelling proposals put forth by us,” AICF president Nitin Narang said.
He added that the AICF will support Gukesh to the hilt in the historic match.
“We are confident Singapore will deliver an outstanding championship, and we look forward to supporting our player Gukesh as he competes for the title on the global stage,” Narang said.
Further explaining the reasoning behind FIDE’s choice of the venue for the much-anticipated clash, its press relations officer Anna Volkova told PTI that maintaining neutrality was one of the key factors.
“Neutrality was clearly a major factor in deciding the winning bid. Also, it was important for us to bring the FIDE flagship event to a new region. But it has to be said – all that would not work if Singapore’s bid was not good enough. It was very strong,” she said.
Singapore reportedly submitted a bid on May 31, and it was approved after FIDE inspections on June 11 and 12. The 14-game match is slated to take place between Nov 20 and Dec 15 this year.
The exact venue is yet to be determined. FIDE said four venues are being considered.
