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Chess
Delhi joins Chennai and Singapore to bid for World Chess Championship
New Delhi became the latest Indian city to bid for the hosting right of the World Chess Championship. Earlier, Chennai bid for the prestigious event along with Singapore.
International tournaments must find innovative ways to pick a winner with classical chess yielding stalemates and draws. (File photo: ChessBase India)
In a bid to host the highly anticipated World Championship match between India's D Gukesh and China's Ding Liren, New Delhi has thrown its hat into the ring alongside Chennai and Singapore.
This move comes after the All India Chess Federation (AICF) backed the national capital's bid, accusing the Tamil Nadu government of unilateral action in promoting Chennai's candidacy.
Emil Sutovsky, CEO of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), confirmed that all three cities have submitted their bids and meet the required criteria. Chennai was the first to submit its bid for the match scheduled for November-December this year, followed by Singapore, with New Delhi entering the fray last.
"The bids from Chennai, Singapore, and New Delhi have been received in that order and all meet the criteria," stated Sutovsky.
India has previously hosted the World Chess Championship in 2000 and 2013, with Viswanathan Anand claiming victory in 2000 and finishing as the runner-up to Magnus Carlsen in 2013.
The FIDE Council will deliberate on the matter and announce the host city later this month. Sutovsky revealed that representatives from the bidding cities will be invited to present details and respond to queries during the council meeting scheduled for next week.
The Chennai bid was put forward by the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu, while the All India Chess Federation represented New Delhi. Despite FIDE not prohibiting multiple bids from the same country, it is uncommon for such occurrences.
FIDE has set the basic criteria for prospective hosts, including a budget of Rs 8.5 million (approximately USD 11.3 million) and a facilitation fee of USD 1.1 million (Rs 9 crore). The tournament is slated to run for 25 days, with regulations expected to be finalized by July 1. The total prize money, increased from USD two million in 2023, will be approximately USD 2.5 million.
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