The classical chess world championship match between promising Indian teenager Gukesh D and defending champion Ding Liren of China will take place from Nov. 20 to Dec. 15 in Singapore.
In a statement issued on Monday, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) President, Arkady Dvorkovich said, “We are delighted that for the first time in the history of FIDE, a match for the World Championship will take place in Singapore. Not only is Singapore one of the most iconic global tourist and business hubs, but it is also a thriving chess centre with great ambitions and talent.’’
Singapore was selected over Indian cities Chennai and New Delhi.
Gukesh won the Candidates tournament in April to set up the match with Ding, whose form has plummeted since he beat Russian Ian Nepomniachtchi for the title in 2023 (7-7, 2.5-1.5 on tiebreaks).
As of June 2024, 2024, Gukesh is ranked number 7 in the world by the International Chess Federation.
By winning the FIDE Candidates in Toronto in April, Gukesh scripted history by becoming the first teenager to win the tournament. He beat legendary Grandmaster Garry Kasparov’s forty year record. Garry hailed D Gukesh for winning the Candidates Chess tournament and becoming the youngest world title contender.
Meanwhile, he also became the youngest World Championship challengers and only the second Indian after Viswanathan Anand to clinch the Candidates.
In 2023, Gukesh had overtaken his mentor, Vishwanath Anand in the FIDE rating. While Gukesh had a FIDE rating of 2758, Anand had a rating of 2754 and was one place below Gukesh on the world list.
Born in 2006 in a Telugu family in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, Dommaraju Gukesh learnt to play chess at the age of seven. Gukesh became a grandmaster in 2019 when he was just 12 years and seven months.
World number one Magnus Carlsen, who had been world champion since 2013, relinquished his title in 2022, citing a lack of motivation.
