Singapore keen to host World Chess Championship at end-2024

[The_King]

SINGAPORE – One of the biggest chess tournaments could be heading to Singapore at the end of 2024, as the Singapore Chess Federation (SCF) has expressed an interest to host the World Chess Championship.

According to reports, India and Argentina are also keen on staging the International Chess Federation (Fide) marquee event, which will see Indian grandmaster Gukesh Dommaraju challenging China’s reigning champion Ding Liren in a best-of-14 format, likely to be between Nov 20 and Dec 15.

SCF chief executive Kevin Goh told The Straits Times on May 6 that the idea of hosting the world championship was seeded in April, when he was watching the Candidates Tournament in Toronto which Gukesh won to earn his right to face Ding, 31.

 

Commenting on the 17-year-old’s victory, Goh said: “It was a remarkable achievement for such a young player, and then we realised that it would actually be India against China, a first in the history of this tournament.

“And we also realised that Singapore could be an ideal neutral venue and also (because) we have both cultures deeply rooted in our society.”

Singapore has a growing chess scene, boasting four grandmasters and one woman grandmaster. In February, eight-year-old Ashwath Kaushik also made headlines by becoming the youngest to beat a grandmaster in a classical game.

 

 

Goh, 40, feels that hosting the world championship would “inspire a new generation” of chess players and also grow the number of chess enthusiasts here.

 

He added: “Such a tournament could range from 11 days to 25 days, and the amount of exposure that this event can provide the Singapore community can have a long-lasting impact. The story of Gukesh and Ding Liren can be inspiring to our young talent.”

Goh said that the SCF is consulting a few parties, both from the private and government sectors, “to see whether a bid is feasible”.

One of the key issues to be resolved will be the US$8.5 million (S$11.47 million) hosting budget, with US$2.5 million going to the players as prize money, US$1.1 million to Fide for licensing fees and the rest for venue and organising costs.

 

Goh believes that it would be challenging to find sponsors but is confident that they would be able to negotiate a deal, based on Singapore’s reputation.

He said: “Obviously, US$8.5 million is not a small amount by any means.

“But we believe that there could be some room for negotiation because Singapore will post a competitive bid, given our standing in the region.

“If we have a good venue and a good sponsor to come in to host the event, that could defray some of the costs and could also be attractive enough to help us in our negotiations with Fide.”

He believes that a strong bid will come from India, which hosted the 2013 world championship in Chennai, where Norwegian challenger Magnus Carlsen dethroned home favourite and holder Viswanathan Anand.

“Chess is one of the biggest sports in India, maybe the biggest, and there’s a lot of interest in Gukesh to see whether he can be the new star to lead the future of India chess,” said Goh.

“Argentina has always wanted to host a world chess championship. However, I think that the location and the time zones will not be favourable for Indian and Chinese supporters. It would be ideal for all parties to hold this tournament in Asia.”

India’s chess challenger Gukesh Dommaraju will take on reigning chess champion, China’s Ding Liren. PHOTO: GUKESH.OFFICIAL/INSTAGRAM

Two Singapore grandmasters that ST spoke to believe that hosting the world championship would be a catalyst for the game here.

Singapore’s youngest grandmaster Tin Jingyao, 23, said: “I think it would be the biggest chess event ever held in Singapore and very cool for the players here including young, up and coming players.

“They’ll get to meet chess celebrities and probably participate in some side events as well. It will probably interest many of the younger generation to look into chess as well.”

The Republic’s only woman grandmaster Gong Qianyun, 39, said: “I’m sure that this will definitely boost the enthusiasm for chess in Singapore, if we really manage to host the world championship.”