Jump to content

World Chess Championship 2024

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
World Chess Championship 2024
Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore
25 November – 13 December 2024
 
Defending champion
Challenger
 
  China Ding Liren India Gukesh Dommaraju
  Born 24 October 1992
32 years old		 Born 29 May 2006
18 years old
  Winner of the World Chess Championship 2023 Winner of the Candidates Tournament 2024
  Rating: 2728
(World No. 23)		 Rating: 2783
(World No. 5)
← 2023
2026 →

The World Chess Championship 2024, officially known as the World Chess Championship 2024 presented by Google for sponsorship reasons,[1][2] will be a match between the reigning world champion Ding Liren and the challenger Gukesh Dommaraju to determine the World Chess Champion. The match is set to take place between 25 November and 13 December 2024, with Singapore chosen as the host country for the match. It will be played to a best of 14 games, with tiebreaks if required.[3]

Defending champion

[edit]

Ding Liren became World Chess Champion in April 2023, after defeating Ian Nepomniachtchi in the 2023 championship match.[4] After acquiring the title, Ding did not appear in professional tournaments for months, an absence which Ding later revealed in interviews to be due to fatigue and depression.[5][6] Ding withdrew from tournaments including the 2023 Asian Games and did not enter the first four events of the 2024 Grand Chess Tour. He returned to classical chess in January 2024 at the 2024 Tata Steel Chess Tournament and announced that he still intended to defend his world champion title.[7]

Ding's return to chess marked a rough stretch of form, with a set of poor performances at this years' Tata Steel Masters, Norway Chess, and the Grenke Chess Classic.[8] Ding's rating fell from 2788 (at the time of the World Chess Championship 2023) to 2728, while his world ranking fell from world number 3 to world number 23. His poor results led several chess grandmasters expressed concern on Ding's overall ability to defend his world championship title, notably Fabiano Caruana, Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura.[9][10][11] However, whilst acknowledging Ding's weakened physical condition during the 2024 Sinquefield Cup, Anish Giri highlighted Ding's improved chess level during the first half of the tournament.[12] Ding's opponent in the 2023 match, Ian Nepomniachtchi, also remarked on Caruana's podcast that Ding would be a clear favorite if he was in prime form.[13]

Reflecting on his poor form in an interview during the 45th Chess Olympiad, Ding admitted that Gukesh is "playing extremely well in this tournament. Maybe he is a favourite in the World Championship Match. He also has a higher rating than me". Albeit, Ding remarked that he has "dropped a lot since last year, but I will fight my best to try to overcome the rating difference".[14] In an October 2024 interview, Gukesh commented that he generally did not "believe in predictions and who are the favorites", and stated that he tried to "be at [his] best every day and play a good game".[15]

Candidates Tournament

[edit]
Main article: Candidates Tournament 2024

The challenger, Gukesh Dommaraju, qualified by winning the Candidates Tournament 2024 in Toronto, Canada, which was an eight-player double round-robin tournament.[16][17] It took place from April 3 to April 22, 2024.[18][19] Fabiano Caruana won the 2023 FIDE Circuit, but had already qualified for the Candidates through the Chess World Cup 2023. Hence, Gukesh qualified for the Candidates via the FIDE Circuit, after overtaking Anish Giri with a win at the Chennai Grand Masters tournament.[20]

The eight players who competed were:[21][22][23]

Qualification method Player Age Rating World
ranking
(April 2024)
2023 World Championship runner-up FIDE Ian Nepomniachtchi[a] 33 2758 7
The top three finishers in the Chess World Cup 2023[b] Norway Magnus Carlsen (winner, withdrew) 33 2830 1
India R Praggnanandhaa (runner-up) 18 2747 14
United States Fabiano Caruana (third place) 31 2803 2
Azerbaijan Nijat Abasov (fourth place, replacement for Carlsen) 28 2632 114
The top two finishers in the FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament 2023 India Vidit Gujrathi (winner) 29 2727 25
United States Hikaru Nakamura (runner-up) 36 2789 3
Highest place in the 2023 FIDE Circuit not already qualified[c] India Gukesh Dommaraju 17 2743 16
Highest rating for January 2024 not already qualified[d] France Alireza Firouzja 20 2760 6

Results

[edit]
Standings of the 2024 Candidates Tournament
Rank Player
 Score SB Wins Qualification GD HN IN FC RP VG AF NA
1  Gukesh Dommaraju (IND) 9 / 14 57 5 Advance to title match ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 0 1 1
2[e]  Hikaru Nakamura (USA) 8.5 / 14 56 5 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 0 0 1 1 1 ½
3[e]  Ian Nepomniachtchi (FIDE) 8.5 / 14 56 3 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 ½ ½ ½
4[f]  Fabiano Caruana (USA) 8.5 / 14 54 4 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½
5  R Praggnanandhaa (IND) 7 / 14 42.5 3 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1
6  Vidit Gujrathi (IND) 6 / 14 40.25 3 0 ½ 1 1 0 0 ½ 0 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½
7  Alireza Firouzja (FRA) 5 / 14 32.75 2 1 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 1 ½
8  Nijat Abasov (AZE) 3.5 / 14 25.5 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ 0
Source: [27]

Tie-breakers for first place: (1) results in tie-break games for first place;

Tie-breakers for non-first place: (1) results in tie-break games for first place, if any; (2) Sonneborn–Berger score (SB); (3) total number of wins; (4) head-to-head score among tied players; (5) drawing of lots.[28]

Note: Numbers in the crosstable in a white background indicate the result playing the respective opponent with the white pieces (black pieces if on a black background). This does not give information which of the two games was played in the first half of the tournament, and which in the second.

Championship match

[edit]

Organisation

[edit]

Bids were originally to be presented to FIDE no later than 31 May 2024.[29] Early interest was expressed in June 2023 by Argentina, India, and Singapore.[30]

In June 2024, FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky announced that FIDE had received three bids to host the championship, two from India (Chennai and New Delhi), and one from Singapore.[31][32] In July 2024, FIDE announced that the match would take place in Singapore from 20 November to 15 December 2024, with four venues being considered.[33][34] Ultimately, the Singapore Chess Federation revealed that the Equarius Hotel at Resorts World Sentosa was chosen as the venue to host the world championship match.[35]

The prize fund allocated for the event is US$2.5 million.[36] Each player receives US$200,000 for each game won (including forfeits), and the remainder of the money is split equally. If there is a tiebreak, however, the winner will receive US$1.3 million and the loser will receive US$1.2 million. That will also be the distribution if the final score is 7½–6½ with 13 decisive games or 8–6 with 14 decisive games.[37]

Match regulations

[edit]

The regulations and format of the world championship are slightly different from the 2023 edition.[37]

The time control for each game in the classical portion of the match is 120 minutes per side for the first 40 moves and 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with a 30-second increment per move starting with move 41.

The match will be best of 14 games; a score of at least 7½ would win the world championship. If the score is equal after 14 games, tiebreak games with faster time controls will be played:

  • A match consisting of 4 rapid games with 15 minutes per side and a 10-second increment starting with move 1 would be played. If a player scores 2½ points or more, he would win the championship.
  • If the score is still equal, a mini-match of two rapid games would be played, with 10 minutes per side and a 5-second increment starting with move 1. If a player scored 1½ points or more, he would win the championship.
  • If the score is equal after the rapid portion, a mini-match of two blitz games would be played, with a time control of 3 minutes per side and a 2-second increment starting with move 1. If a player scored 1½ points or more, he would win the championship. A drawing of lots would take place before each mini-match to decide which player plays with the white pieces.
  • If the blitz mini-match are tied, a single blitz game with a time control of 3 minutes per side and a 2-second increment starting with move 1 would be played, and the winner would win the championship. A drawing of lots would decide which player plays with the white pieces. If this game was drawn, another blitz game with reversed colours would be played with the same time control, and the winner would win the championship. This process is repeated until either player wins a game.

Players are not allowed to agree to a draw before Black's 40th move. A draw claim before then is only permitted if a threefold repetition or stalemate has occurred.[38]

Previous head-to-head record

[edit]
Ding (left) and Gukesh (right) during the 2023 Tata Steel Chess Tournament.

Prior to the match, Ding and Gukesh have played thrice against each other at classical time controls. Ding won two games with the black pieces during the 2023 and 2024 editions of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament,[39][40] whilst their most recent pre-championship game during the 2024 Sinquefield Cup resulted in a draw.[41]

Head-to-head record[42]
Ding wins Draw Gukesh wins Total
Classical Ding (white) – Gukesh (black) 0 1 0 1
Gukesh (white) – Ding (black) 2 0 0 2
Total 2 1 0 3
Blitz / rapid / exhibition 0 1 1 2
Total 2 2 1 5

Seconds

[edit]

Before the match, Gukesh specified that he is working with Grzegorz Gajewski, who was also his second during the 2024 Candidates Tournament.[15][43]

Schedule

[edit]

The games begin at 17:00 local time (SGT), 14:30 (IST), which is 09:00 UTC.[37]

If the match ends in less than fourteen games, then the closing ceremony may be moved forward.[37][44]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Russian players' flags are displayed as the FIDE flag, as Russian and Belarusian flags have been banned from FIDE-rated events in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[24]
  2. ^ The regulations stated that it would be the top three finishers other than Ding and Nepomniachtchi. (And that if both finished in the top four of the World Cup, then the World Cup qualifiers would be the other two players in the top four; and two players with the highest rating in the January 2024 ranking list would qualify for the event instead of one). However neither of these players reached the World Cup semifinals: Ding elected not to play, and Nepomniachtchi lost in the fifth round.
  3. ^ Fabiano Caruana finished first in the 2023 FIDE Circuit, but had already qualified for the Candidates through a third place finish at the Chess World Cup 2023. As a result, the qualifying spot was awarded to the highest finisher of the FIDE Circuit who had not already qualified for the event (Gukesh Dommaraju).[25][26]
  4. ^ Provided the player has played at least 4 classical time control tournaments eligible for the 2023 FIDE Circuit.
  5. ^ a b SB scores, total numbers of wins
  6. ^ SB scores

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Google announced as Title Sponsor of World Chess Championship 2024". FIDE. 12 September 2024. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  2. ^ Melvyn Teoh (13 September 2024). "Tech giant Google to sponsor Fide World Chess Championship in Singapore". The Straits Times. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  3. ^ "FIDE World Championship Cycle 2023-2024". FIDE. Archived from the original on 30 August 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  4. ^ Nicholas Yong (1 May 2023). "Ding Liren becomes China's first male world chess champion". BBC.
  5. ^ Amit Kamath (30 May 2024). "Ding Liren exclusive interview: 'My aim at Norway Chess is not to finish in last place'". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 13 July 2024.
  6. ^ Melvyn Teoh (2 October 2024). "World chess champion Ding Liren opens up on mental struggles ahead of title defence in S'pore". The Straits Times.
  7. ^ Leonard Barden (5 January 2024). "Chess: forgotten world champion Ding Liren to return at Wijk aan Zee". The Guardian.
  8. ^ Barden, Leonard (2024-06-03). "Chess: World champion Ding Liren loses four in a row in Norway". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 2024-06-03. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
  9. ^ Leonard Barden (3 May 2024). "Chess: Magnus Carlsen calls Ding Liren 'broken' as teenage star Gukesh emerges". The Guardian.
  10. ^ Brian Pempus (3 June 2024). "Magnus Carlsen: 'I Feel Bad' For World Chess Champion Having A Meltdown". Forbes.
  11. ^ David R. Sands (4 June 2024). "Ding Liren's woes mount with shaky showing at Norway Chess tournament". Washington Times.
  12. ^ Amit Kamath (31 August 2024). "Chess World Championship: Gukesh looks tense but hyper-focused, Ding Liren nervous, says Grandmaster Anish Giri". The Indian Express. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  13. ^ Tarjei Svensen (10 May 2024). "Nepomniachtchi, Caruana On Ding Mystery, Gukesh, And World Championship Match". Chess.com.
  14. ^ "Ding Liren on Gukesh: 'He is playing extremely well, he is a favourite to win World Chess title'". The Indian Express. 16 September 2024.
  15. ^ a b Peter Doggers (15 October 2024). "Gukesh: 'I'm Quite Eager to Start the Match'". chess.com. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  16. ^ Sunaadh Sagar (April 22, 2024). "D Gukesh, aged 17, wins FIDE Candidates 2024; will play Ding Liren for World Champion title". ESPN. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  17. ^ "Indian teenager Gukesh to challenge China's Ding for world chess title". Al Jazeera English. 22 April 2024.
  18. ^ "Toronto will host the 2024 FIDE Candidates Tournaments". FIDE. 27 March 2023. Archived from the original on 9 July 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  19. ^ Levin, Anthony (28 March 2023). "FIDE Candidates, Women's Candidates 2024 To Be Held In Toronto". Chess.com. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  20. ^ Venkatachalam Saravanan (21 December 2023). "Gukesh Wins Title On Tiebreak, Overtakes Giri In Candidates' Race". Chess.com. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  21. ^ "FIDE reforms qualifications paths to Candidates Tournament". FIDE. 7 January 2023. Archived from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  22. ^ Green, Nathaniel (15 December 2022). "FIDE Announces 2024 Candidates Tournament Qualification Paths". Chess.com. Archived from the original on 14 April 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  23. ^ McGourty, Colin (15 December 2022). "FIDE revamp Candidates qualification system". Chess24. Archived from the original on 21 December 2023.
  24. ^ Doggers, Peter (28 February 2022). "FIDE Condemns Military Action; Takes Measures Against Russia, Belarus". Chess.com. Archived from the original on 7 March 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  25. ^ Svensen, Tarjei (13 December 2023). "FIDE Clarification On Candidates Race Draws Reactions". Chess.com. Archived from the original on 28 December 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  26. ^ "FIDE Circuit 2023". FIDE. Archived from the original on 2024-01-29. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  27. ^ "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2024". candidates.fide.com. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  28. ^ Regulations for the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2024, (PDF) FIDE
  29. ^ "FIDE World Championship Match 2024 - Call for bids". FIDE. 27 April 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  30. ^ Tarjei J. Svensen (6 May 2023). "FIDE's Call For World Championship Bids Sparks Reactions". chess.com. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  31. ^ "India submit two bids for hosting World Chess Championship". The Indian Express. 1 June 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  32. ^ "Singapore makes bid to host World Chess Championship". The Straits Times. 1 June 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  33. ^ "Chess-Ding v Gukesh world championship match to take place in Singapore". Reuters. 1 July 2024. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  34. ^ "Singapore Chosen For Ding vs. Gukesh FIDE World Championship". Chess.com. 3 July 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  35. ^ "Ding-Gukesh World Championship Match Venue Announced". Chess.com. 16 August 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  36. ^ "Singapore to host 2024 World Chess Championship Match". FIDE. 1 July 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  37. ^ a b c d Regulations for the FIDE World Championship Match 2024, FIDE, 2024
  38. ^ "FIDE World Championship Cycle". International Chess Federation (FIDE). Retrieved 2024-04-22.
  39. ^ Anirudh Menon (23 April 2024). "D Gukesh vs Ding Liren: A way-too-early preview for the World Chess Championship".
  40. ^ Leonard Barden (26 April 2024). "Chess: Gukesh, 17, shocks favourites to become youngest challenger for title".
  41. ^ "Gukesh vs Ding Liren: World Chess Championship trailer ends in tame draw at Sinquefield Cup". The Indian Express. 19 August 2024. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  42. ^ "Gukesh vs. Ding". Chessgames.com. Archived from the original on 12 September 2024. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  43. ^ Aaditya Narayan (26 October 2024). "Gukesh showing mixed form with 30 days to go for World Chess Championship". ESPN. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  44. ^ "Schedule - FIDE World Chess Championship 2024". Chess.com. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=World_Chess_Championship_2024&oldid=1256105107"