D Gukesh Vs Ding Liren World Chess Championship Clash Not In India; Singapore Chosen As Host

Singapore, the South-East Asian city-state has piped both the Indian metros to earn the hosting rights for the Championship for the first time ever.

"After reviewing the bids and inspecting all potential host cities for their venues, amenities, event programs, and opportunities, the International Chess Federation has selected Singapore as the host of the World Championship Match,” an FIDE release stated.

The $2.5 million match where Gukesh will be on the cusp of history aiming to become the youngest World Champion will take place between November 20 and December 15 this year in Singapore.

The Tamil Nadu government and All India Chess Federation had submitted separate bids for Chennai and Delhi respectively.

Gukesh's sensational victory at the 2024 Candidates Tournament through which he earned the right to challenge Liren led to India showing big interest in trying to host the World Championship. As the 17-year-old returned home after a historic triumph, the bids were announced.

AICF secretary Dev A Patel said while he was disappointed at India not winning the hosting rights, he was also happy that two bids had gone from the country.

"We placed our best possible bids, but it didn't come in our favour. There's no guarantee that we would have won. We value the competition, so that's alright; nothing wrong with it. We're happy that India gave two bids," Patel told PTI.

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, but it is also a thriving chess centre with great ambitions and talent," Dvorkovich was quoted as saying in a release.

"I would also like to thank the other bidders – New Delhi and Chennai. Both cities are renowned chess hubs with a rich history of hosting chess events, and we are confident we will see major chess events there in the future," Dvorkovich continued.

The AICF was "disappointed" at not winning the bid but the national governing body 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 stated in a release.

Narang said they will support Gukesh to the hilt in the historic match.

"We are confident that Singapore will deliver an outstanding championship, and we look forward to supporting our player, D Gukesh, as he competes for the title on the global stage," Narang added.

Further explaining the reasoning behind FIDE's choice of the venue for the much-anticipated clash, its PR officer Anna Volkova told PTI, maintaining neutrality was also one of the key factors while evaluating the bids.

"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," Volkova said.

With PTI Inputs