Singapore has been chosen to host the World Chess Championship for the first time, surpassing India’s New Delhi and Chennai. The 2024 tournament is scheduled to be held from November 20 to December 15, and feature a match between the world champion, China’s 31-year-old grandmaster Ding Liren, and India’s 18-year-old grandmaster Dommaraju Gukesh.
On July 1st (Monday), the International Chess Federation announced that Four possible venues are being considered for the encounter in Singapore, with a final decision to be made later.
This will be only the second time in the championship’s 138-year history that it is held in Southeast Asia, the first being in Baguio, the Philippines, in 1978.
“Chess is not just a popular game and sport; it is often seen as the epitome of the human mind’s ability to think strategically, to plan, and to foresee. Singapore embodies these same qualities,” said Fide CEO Emil Sutovsky.
The Singapore Chess Federation (SCF) claimed that the country is an “ideal location” for the match, with its experience in hosting sporting and cultural events.
SCF Celebrates Success Of Singapore’s Bid
“We also have a growing chess community in the country, evidenced by increasing participation numbers in scholastic events, newcomers to the game, as well as improvements in sporting results in the last few years,” said Mr. Kevin Goh, CEO of SCF, which submitted the bid in collaboration with Sport Singapore and the Singapore Tourism Board.
The Fide World Championship match is held every two years showcasing the defending world champion and a challenger selected through a qualification process that concludes with the Candidates Tournament, involving eight of the world’s top players.
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Ding and Gukesh, the youngest challenger in championship history, will compete for the title in a best-of-14 format.
The event will be accompanied by other events, including other tournaments and exhibition games. Further details will be announced in the coming weeks.
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