'A CATALYST FOR CHESS'

Fraternity sees S'pore earning world c'ship hosting rights as 'start of something special'

- Melvyn Teoh

Two of the world's best chess players will be in town in 2024, after Singapore beat India's New Delhi and Chennai to host the World Chess Championship.

The winning bid for the prestigious tournament, which is provisionally scheduled for Nov 20 to Dec 15, was announced by the International Chess Federation (Fide) on July 1.

This will be the second time in the championship's 138-year history that the tournament is held in South-east Asia, after Baguio, the Philippines, in 1978.

The championship will be accompanied by an array of fringe activities, including other tournaments and exhibition games. The venue for the event will be revealed in due course.

Headlining the US$8.5 million (S$11.5 million) event is China's world champion Ding Liren and his Indian challenger Gukesh Dommaraju, with the duo competing in a best-of-14 format.

First-time host Singapore beat two contenders from India, including Chennai, which is Gukesh's home town, for the right to organise the biennial event.

Chennai last hosted the world championship in 2013, when Norwegian challenger Magnus Carlsen dethroned home favourite and holder Viswanathan Anand.