Fide, the world governing body of chess, has announced the dates for the World Cup. It will be played between October 31 and November 27.
Initially Fide, on its website, mentioned “India” as the venue, but later changed it to “to be announced”.
A senior All India Chess Federation official, however, said India would be the host and a formal announcement will be made soon. Chennai had hosted the Chess Olympiad successfully in 2022.
Chennai and New Delhi had both bid for the 2024 World Chess Championships, but in the end Singapore won the rights to host, where Dommaraju Gukesh became the youngest to win the world title.
The Fide World Cup offers the top-three finishers a spot in the Candidates. The winner of the Candidates will challenge Gukesh at the next World Championship. Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi and Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa will try to excel in the World Cup, where 206 players will be seen in action.
Praggnanandhaa finished runner-up to Magnus Carlsen in the 2023 edition held in Baku. That was Carlsen’s maiden World Cup triumph. Praggnanandhaa’s exploits had caught the country’s imagination and Gukesh’s record-breaking feat in Singapore last month took the game’s popularity to its zenith.
The Fide Grand Swiss will be held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from September 3 to 15. Vidit is the defending champion.