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FIDE World Championship 2024: Gukesh draws White in the first game

by ChessBase India - 24/11/2024

The second event of the FIDE World Championship Match 2024 was the opening ceremony. The magnificent Capitol Theatre was packed to the brim with more than 400 guests. It is an architectural and lifestyle gem in the heart of Singapore's civic and cultural district, hosted the festivities. The Draw of Lots witnessed a beautiful technological display where both players participated. The end result as shown in the cover picture revealed Gukesh to have the white pieces in the first game. Game 1 starts on Monday 25th November at 5 p.m. local time, 2:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Eng Chin An

The 2024 FIDE World Championship match between Ding Liren and Gukesh D kicked off this afternoon with the opening ceremony.

 

Packed to the brim with more than 400 guests, the magnificent Capitol Theatre, an architectural and lifestyle gem in the heart of Singapore's civic and cultural district, hosted the festivities.

The gala evening included a wonderful musical performance, three motivational opening speeches, the two national anthems, and, most importantly for the players, the drawing of colors for the first game of the match.

 

In an unprecedented technological display in which both players participated actively, the drawing of colors awarded D Gukesh the white pieces in the first of the fourteen games. Three of the many attending guests of honor addressed the audience, highlighting the significance of the event for the Singapore chess community.

Mr Teo Chee Hean, Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security, was the first on the stage and was eager to keep in mind the huge impact of the championship on his country. "This year's World Championship has spread special significance for our part of the world. It is the first ever between two Grandmasters from Asia. Singapore is proud to play host for this historic match," he said.

FIDE President, Mr Arkady Dvorkovich, began his speech by thanking the media for paying so much attention to the match. He also mentioned the many side events organized around the event. In addition, he highlighted the fact that special attention had been given to the younger generation, "The match itself is the most important thing, but today we already had dozens of kids coming to the playing venue. I would like to thank both players for sharing their time with the kids: they will remember this moment for the rest of their lives, and maybe some of them will compete at the highest possible level at some point."

Dvorkovich also directed his attention to the worldwide audience and chess legacy, "Now, for the first time in history, the Indian Tiger faces the Chinese Dragon in the fight for the world crown. We are about to witness a monumental clash as Gukesh, just 18 years old, challenges the reigning World Champion, Ding Liren, one of the strongest players ever to emerge from China. This match will not only shape the history of the game, but also its future, with millions watching worldwide".

Finally, the President of the Singapore Chess Federation, Dr Hsu Li Yang, also an International Master in his own right, was confident that the match would help inspire the new generation of players in Singapore, "My federation and I hope that this match will serve as a powerful catalyst for our thriving chess community, inspiring the next generation of chess players in our country and around the world. Singapore has long valued education, innovation, perseverance and the pursuit of excellence – qualities that are the essence of chess and which both Champion and Challenger possess in spades."

Opening Ceremony - FIDE World Championship 2024 | Video: ChessBase India
Fans love Gukesh | Video: ChessBase India

Written by IM Michael Rahal (Singapore)

Photos: Eng Chin An and Maria Emelianova

About the event

Current World Champion Ding Liren, representing China, and challenger D Gukesh, from India, will face each other in a fourteen-game classical chess match. The player who scores 7.5 points or more will win the match, picking up the better part of the $2.5 million total prize fund. The first of the fourteen scheduled games will take place on Monday, November 25 at 5 pm local time. Gukesh will open with White. The match will be hosted at the luxurious Resorts World Sentosa and will be broadcasted live with expert commentary on the FIDE YouTube Channel.

World Championship 2024 Schedule:

The match schedule includes 14 game days, interspersed with rest days. A tie-break, if needed, will be held on December 13, followed by the Closing Ceremony on December 14.

FIDE World Championship 2024 Schedule | Photo: FIDE

Source

Photo Gallery

Gukesh's father Dr. Rajinikanth and coach GM Grzegorz Gajewski (POL) | Photo: IM Sagar Shah

Vishy Anand meets Jan Buettner and Torsten Hock from Freestyle-Chess | Photo: IM Sagar Shah

GM Eugene Torre (PHI) with his wife Babushka and FM FT IA Peter Long | Photo: IM Sagar Shah

Fairplay officer for the event GM Aleksandar Colovic (MKD) with presenter - GM FT Maurice Ashley (USA) | Photo: IM Sagar Shah

Chief Arbiter of the event Hamid with Peter Long | Photo: IM Sagar Shah

Singapore prodigy 8-year-old Ashwath Kaushik with his father | Photo: IM Sagar Shah

Jan Buettner and Holly Hock of Freestyle Chess attended the opening ceremony | Photo: IM Sagar Shah

Theo Wait, Director of Operations of lichess.org flanked by the official commentators at FIDE World Championship 2024 - IM Jovanka Houska (ENG) and GM David Howell (ENG) | Photo: IM Sagar Shah

Dr. Shilpak Ambule, High Commissioner of India to Singapore, meets D Gukesh along with AICF President - Nitin Narang | Photo: IM Sagar Shah

Our Cofounders IM Sagar Shah and Amruta Mokal with D Gukesh | Photo: IM Sagar Shah

Sagar and Amruta with the man who single-handedly revolutionized chess in India - Vishy Anand | Photo: IM Sagar Shah

Two men who have made it possible with their hard work - Kevin Goh Wei Ming and Jimmy Tan from the local organizing committee of the World Championship 2024 | Photo: IM Sagar Shah

Links

Side events

Official site

World Championship 2024 Match Regulations


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