Singapore first time to host World Chess Championship Match

The 2024 match will take place between 20 November and 15 December.

The Singapore Chess Federation has won the bid to host the FIDE World Championship Match 2024, featuring the defending Champion Ding Liren from China and the Challenger Gukesh D from India to take place between 20 November and 15 December.

The winner of the match will receive $3.38m (US$2.5m).

FIDE received three hosting applications from New Delhi, Chennai, and Singapore. Singapore submitted its bid on May 31, with venue inspections held on June 11-12. 

Guidelines for the venue selection include:

1.   Playing Area

• It should ideally be situated in a hotel where players are accommodated or nearby.
• It should not be less than 5n square metres in size, where n is the number of players. See Annex for the recommended table layout for individual competitions.
• Tables,  electronic  boards,  pieces  and  clocks  shall  be  of  the  highest  quality according to FIDE standards (Handbook Art C.02).
• The temperature should be 21 – 23°C.
• Lighting shall be at least 450 lux. Lighting should not cast shadows or cause pinpoints of light to be reflected from the pieces.
• The floor should be carpeted.
• There should not be extraneous sources of noise.

2.   Rest of the Playing Venue

• A players’ lounge should be made available.
• A fair-play check room should be made available.
• An outdoor space for players should be available. This may additionally be used as the smoking area.
• Water, coffee, tea and soft drinks should be made available for players and staff free of charge. These should either be next to the playing area, or in the players’ lounge if it is available.
• Plentiful toilet facilities shall be available, preferably restricted to players.
• An analysis room (optional) should be near to the playing area.
• A broadcast room should be available, with capacity for a team of 5 people and technical equipment (approximately 30m2) and provided with stable electricity supply and a high-speed Internet (at least 100Mb/s).
• A commentary room of minimum 10m2 should be available.
• A Press Conference with a press wall should be available, with a high-speed Internet (at least 100Mb/s).
• An interview zone with a press wall should be available. This may be situated in the commentary room or the Press Conference room.
• A VIP room should be made available.

Four venues are being considered for the match, and the final location decision will be announced in due course.