Chennai
The All India Chess Federation (AICF) is assessing the possibility of hosting the World Chess Championship in India with the 17-year-old chess Grandmaster (GM) D. Gukesh qualifying to challenge world champion China’s GM Ding Liren, its chief said on Tuesday, AICF President Nitin Narang also said the federation will provide a handsome financial reward to Gukesh in recognition of his recent success.
Gukesh created history by becoming the youngest player to win the FIDE Candidates tournament in Canada’s Toronto, scoring nine points in 14 rounds, half a point ahead of several other players, and qualifying as the challenger for the world chess title. There will be more clarity on the subject in a couple of days, once we understand what is needed to host the event, then we will decide, Narang told sources.
According to him, sponsors and government support are needed to host the world title event. While Narang declined to confirm it, it is learnt that some corporate groups have been sounded out for sponsoring the title match if India successfully bids for the prestigious event. This time around, the world title competition has better chances of coming back to the birthplace of chess if one goes by the views of chess masters.
