Introduction:

An Overview of the 2024 World Chess Championship: An Unprecedented Battle -At Singapore’s Resorts World Sentosa, eighteen-year-old Gukesh sets out on a daring mission to create history. His rival? Ding Liren, the current world champion. Gukesh will become the youngest World Chess Champion in history if he wins; this distinction has roots in a tradition that dates back to 1886.

The Historic Journey of Gukesh

The history books of chess have already been altered by Gukesh. He won the very competitive Candidates Tournament, gaining his place to challenge the champion, and he is the youngest player to ever compete in a World Chess Championship.

.

This year, the traditional format is back, unlike last year when Magnus Carlsen vacated his title, making both contestants challengers.

There have only been 17 World Chess Champions since the tournament’s founding in 1886. Gukesh will be the youngest and 18th person to win the title if he prevails.
Format of the Match
The 2024 championship will feature a total of 14 games. The winner is the first player to reach 7.5 points.If the scores are level after 14 games, the winner will be determined through tiebreak matches with faster time controls..

Time Limits: Each player has 120 minutes to complete the first 40 moves, and then another 30 minutes to finish the game. They also get an additional 30 seconds for each move beginning with move 41.

Gukesh’s Ascent and Self-Assurance

Gukesh is in incredible shape going into the competition. His reputation as a strong player was further cemented when he recently assisted India in winning gold in the Chess Olympiad.

Prominent chess figures such as Anish Giri, Hikaru Nakamura, Garry Kasparov, and Magnus Carlsen have all voiced their belief in Gukesh’s prospects. Ding Liren has said that he is worried about the prospect of a humiliating loss.

Gukesh is realistic about the difficulty, though. “I am fully aware of my opponent. For more than ten years, Ding has been among the best players in the world. Making the best decisions in any circumstance and playing my best game are my main goals. At a pre-championship press conference, he stated, “I think I have every chance to succeed if I do the right things.”

Ding Liren, the reigning champion: A difficult situation

Ding Liren isn’t at her best right now. His performance has been lackluster since he was crowned the 17th World Chess Champion in Astana last year.

Ding acknowledged, “I looked back at my games and realized the quality of my play hasn’t been great,” during a recent news conference. Even from stronger positions, I’ve drawn too many games. It’s not my greatest, and I’m not sure why.
Gukesh vs. Ding Liren head-to-head

In their previous meetings, Ding has a small advantage. Ding has won two of the three classical games they have played; the third was a tie. Ding won with the black pieces in their most recent match, which took place at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament in January.

Despite this, Gukesh, who is ranked fifth in the world with a rating of 2783, is favored by the current FIDE rankings. Ding has a rating of 2728 and is ranked 23rd.

The scene is prepared for a titanic battle. Is Gukesh going to create history? Will Ding, however, defend his title?
Everything You Should Know About the World Chess Championship in 2024: Who Is Rooting for Gukesh?

Although Gukesh has not disclosed the identity of his “second” (chess counselor), Grzegorz Gajewski, his longtime trainer, is at his side. Fascinatingly, Gajewski was Viswanathan Anand’s second in the past. Anand personally suggested that Gukesh join forces with the Grandmaster from Poland. According to Gukesh, Gajewski has had “the biggest influence on my chess career in recent years, apart from my parents.”

Gukesh has also worked with Paddy Upton, a well-known mental coach who helped the Indian hockey team earn a bronze medal at the Olympics in Paris and the Indian cricket team win the 2011 World Cup.
Ding Liren is being helped by whom?

Richard Rapport, the Grandmaster of Hungary, has returned as Ding Liren’s second. Ding benefited greatly from rapport at the 2023 World Chess Championship.
Schedule and Format of the Match

With 14 match days and 4 rest days, the competition will take place across almost three weeks. This is the entire schedule:
Schedule:

November 25 (Monday): Game 1
November 26 (Tuesday): Game 2
November 27 (Wednesday): Game 3
November 28 (Thursday): Rest Day
November 29 (Friday): Game 4
November 30 (Saturday): Game 5
December 1 (Sunday): Game 6
December 2 (Monday): Rest Day
December 3 (Tuesday): Game 7
December 4 (Wednesday): Game 8
December 5 (Thursday): Game 9
December 6 (Friday): Rest Day
December 7 (Saturday): Game 10
December 8 (Sunday): Game 11
December 9 (Monday): Game 12
December 10 (Tuesday): Rest Day
December 11 (Wednesday): Game 13
December 12 (Thursday): Game 14
December 13: Closing Events or Final Day

At 5:00 PM local time (2:30 PM IST), all games will start.

Award Money

The competition has a $2.5 million total prize fund. It is distributed as follows:

Players that win a game get paid $200,000, or around ₹1.68 crore.
The remaining prize pool is shared equally amongst the players.

The split if the game is decided by tie-breaks will be:

The winner received $1.3 million, or roughly ₹10.9 crore.
Second place: $1.2 million, or roughly ₹10.1 crore

An Asian First

Two Asian players—Chinese Ding Liren and the young Indian prodigy Gukesh D—will face off for the most coveted chess title for the first time in the 138-year history of World Chess Championship matchplay.
Why Does Magnus Carlsen, the World No. 1 player, Not Compete?

Are you curious about the format, prize details, and the reason behind the absence of world-ranked player Erik Carlsen? For all the answers to your questions, continue reading!
Examining the 2024 World Chess Championship in More Detail

The Championship will take place where and when?

Resorts World Sentosa, an island resort off the southern coast of Singapore, will host the Best-of-14 games competition from November 23 to December 15. Only twice has the World Chess Championship taken place in Southeast Asia; the first time was in 1978, when Anatoly Karpov defeated Viktor Korchnoi in Baguio City to win the title again.
Meet the Players: Gukesh Dommaraju and Ding Liren

China’s Ding Liren became the country’s first male World Chess Champion last year in Kazakhstan after defeating Ian Nepomniachtchi in a tiebreaker. The 32-year-old from Zhejiang Province is the highest-rated Chinese player ever and is renowned for his precise, calm play and positional advantages. Ding, a law school graduate from Peking University, previously went 100 classical games without losing; Magnus Carlsen broke that record in 2019.

At just 12 years and 7 months old, Gukesh Dommaraju (India), also known as Gukesh D, an 18-year-old Chennai prodigy, became the third-youngest Grandmaster in history. When Gukesh, then 17 years old, won the eight-player Candidates Tournament in Toronto in April, he stunned the chess community and became the youngest-ever challenger for the World Championship. Gukesh is renowned for his aggressive, strategic approach, frequently establishing intricate situations to confuse his adversaries. At the age of 22, he could surpass Garry Kasparov’s record as the youngest uncontested World Champion.

Who is the world number one right now?

With a FIDE classical rating of 2831, Magnus Carlsen continues to hold the top spot. For more than 14 years, the 33-year-old Norwegian has been ranked first. Even though Carlsen was considered the finest in the world before he defeated Viswanathan Anand to win the World Championship in 2013, he cemented his legacy in 2021 by defeating Nepomniachtchi in Dubai to win his fourth title defense.

Carlsen, however, declined to defend his championship in 2023, claiming he was unmotivated to put in the demanding months of training. Bobby Fischer’s choice in 1975 was the only other time in history that a reigning champion declined to defend their crown.

How Do Gukesh and Ding Compare?

Ding and Gukesh have only played against one another three times in classical games because of their age difference. Since their most recent meeting at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament in January 2023, Ding has maintained a 2½–½ advantage.

However, Ding is not playing well going into this match. He has only participated in 44 classical games in 19 months since taking home the World Championship. His play has been affected by a reported battle with depression, which resulted in four straight defeats earlier this year and a last-place result in the Norway Chess Tournament in May. He is now the lowest-rated World Champion in the Elo era, having fallen to 23rd in the FIDE rankings.

Gukesh, on the other hand, is seen as a strong favorite and is ranked fifth with a FIDE rating of 2783. Magnus Carlsen even made the following observation: “Gukesh is undoubtedly a big favorite. He should have little issue winning the match if he hits first. But since Ding lacks confidence and has the potential, it will be better for him if it drags on without any decisive games.

Breakdown of Prize Money

The total prize pool for the competition amounts to $2.5 million.. It will be distributed as follows:

Wins per game, including forfeits, give each participant a total of $200,000.
The players will split the remaining prize pool evenly.
If tie-breaks are used in the match:
Winner: $1.3 million
Second place: $1.2 million

Payouts for Prizes and Match Structure

One month prior to the first game, each player has already received a $200,000 advance payment from the prize pool. Within 14 working days following the conclusion of the match, the remaining sum will be paid after this amount has been subtracted from their overall winnings.
How Do the Tournament and Schedule Operate?

Match Structure: There will be 14 traditional games between Ding Liren and Gukesh. One point is awarded for a win, while half a point is awarded for a tie. The match will finish early if necessary, with the winner being the first player to reach 7.5 points.

Time Control: For the first 40 moves, each player has 120 minutes.
After move 40, another thirty minutes is added, with each increment of thirty seconds beginning with move 41.
Except in situations of stalemate or threefold repetition, players cannot agree to a draw prior to Black’s 40th move.

Tiebreaks: The victor will be determined by a sequence of quicker tiebreak games if the score is tied after 14 games.

Important Details Regarding the World Chess Championship

Biennial Event: Although the exact timing has changed, the World Chess Championship is normally contested every two years.

Disagreements between FIDE and the newly established Professional Chess Association (PCA), which was started by British general manager Nigel Short and Garry Kasparov, resulted in the division and reunification of championships in 1993. In 2006, these were ultimately combined.

Demands on the body and mind: playing chess at the top level is taxing. Top athletes can burn up to 6,000 calories a day during a tournament, according to Stanford biologist and neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky. This is three times the normal daily caloric intake.
Anatoly Karpov lost twenty-two pounds in the historic 1984 World Championship battle against Kasparov, which was controversially stopped after five months and forty-eight games because of health issues.

Gukesh’s Momentous Success

In chess history, Gukesh’s bid for the World Championship is a significant event. Teenagers had a hard time getting noticed in the Candidates Tournament until lately. The only competitors who started the race younger than Gukesh were Magnus Carlsen (2006) and Bobby Fischer (1959), both of whom were only sixteen.
The Cultural Impact of Ding Liren

Ding won the title and received €1.1 million ($1.2 million) in April 2023. With Ding’s triumph, China became the current world champion in both men’s and women’s chess, joining Shanghai-born Ju Wenjun. This accomplishment was unthinkable during the Cultural Revolution, when chess was outlawed as a “decadent Western activity.”

Conclusion:

With the matchup between Gukesh and Ding Liren representing the spirit of competition, tenacity, and legacy, the 2024 World Chess Championship is sure to be a landmark event in the history of the game. Gukesh’s quick ascent as a teenage prodigy taking on a defending champion represents a change in chess play between generations. The story is made more difficult and intriguing by Ding’s will to overcome his recent setbacks and defend his title.

Beyond the chessboard, this intense conflict represents both personal triumphs and cultural turning points. Notwithstanding the result, the championship will usher in a new period in chess history, motivating upcoming generations and enhancing the game’s enduring appeal.