India to bid for World Chess Championship hosting rights, reveals AICF secretary Dev Patel

Gukesh D outclassed Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura, and Ian Nepomniachtchi to become the 2024 FIDE Candidates winner.

All India Chess Federation (AICF) secretary Dev Patel stated on Thursday that India will bid for the hosting rights of the World Chess Championship clash between the Candidates winner Gukesh D and defending champion Ding Liren of China later this year.

Earlier this week, India’s Gukesh became the youngest chess player to win the FIDE Candidates in the tournament’s history. The 17-year-old broke chess great Garry Kasparov’s almost four-decade-old record to reach the peak. Kasparov was 20 years and 11 months old when he clinched the FIDE Candidates title in 1983/84.

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Following his incredible triumph, the chess prodigy attracted praise from top celebrities around the globe. The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, and World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen also lauded the 17-year-old for his incredible performance at the prestigious tournament.

With the victory, Gukesh also secured a place in the World Chess Championship, which will take place later this year. Hence, AICF secretary Dev Patel has claimed that the Indian federation is holding talks with FIDE regarding the venue selection for the upcoming World Chess Championship. Dev Patel was quoted as saying by PTI:

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“We are open to discussion with FIDE, the apex chess body, and we are certain that the best world championship will be held in India. For me now, the most important aim is not to look at this as a World Championship proposal to FIDE, but to actually manifest this into making chess a popular sport in the country.”

The two federations are expected to have a meeting on Friday (April 26). The states in contention for hosting the World Chess Championship are Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh.

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