Google is celebrating the WCC final between Ding Liren and D Gukesh with an animated doodle.
The 2024 FIDE World Chess Championship kicked off today at the Equarius Hotel in Singapore. The 18-year-old Indian chess prodigy, Grandmaster D Gukesh, is set to face off against the reigning world champion, Ding Liren of China.
Here are 5 interesting facts about the FIDE World Chess Championship 2024:
- After a decade-long wait, India is once again on the brink of chess history. Gukesh, a young Indian Grandmaster, is the first Indian, besides the legendary Viswanathan Anand, to compete for the prestigious World Chess Championship title. Anand, a five-time world champion, last contested for the title in 2014, losing to Magnus Carlsen. Carlsen, a dominant force in chess for nearly a decade, recently decided to step down from the championship cycle, opening the door for new challengers. Gukesh's participation in the World Championship marks a significant moment for Indian chess, as the country continues to produce world-class talent.
- The 2024 FIDE World Chess Championship offers a lucrative prize pool of $2.5 million (approximately Rs 20.8 crore). Each victory in a classical game is rewarded with $200,000 (around Rs 1.67 crore). However, if the match progresses to tiebreaks, the stakes rise significantly. The eventual champion will claim a substantial $1.3 million (Rs 10.83 crore), while the runner-up will receive $1.2 million (Rs 10.1 crore).
- At just 18 years old, Indian Grandmaster Gukesh Dommaraju has made history by qualifying for the 2024 FIDE World Chess Championship. This remarkable achievement makes him the youngest player ever to compete for the prestigious title. Gukesh's exceptional talent was evident early on. With unwavering support from his father, he became the second-youngest Grandmaster in history at 12 years, 7 months, and 17 days. His recent success in the 2024 FIDE Candidates Tournament, where he defeated top players like Alireza Firouzja and Hikaru Nakamura, further solidified his position as a rising star in the chess world. A victory over the reigning World Champion, Ding Liren, would make Gukesh the youngest Classical World Champion in history.
- Ding Liren's victory over Ian Nepomniachtchi in the 2023 FIDE World Chess Championship was a historic moment, making him the first Chinese player to claim the coveted title. This achievement cemented his position as one of the world's top chess players. Liren has consistently ranked among the world's elite. He achieved a significant milestone in 2018 by breaking the 2800 Elo rating barrier. Additionally, he set a remarkable record by winning 100 consecutive classical chess games between 2017 and 2018. Currently, he holds the 23rd position in the FIDE world rankings.
- Google is celebrating the World Chess Championship final between China's Ding Liren (the reigning champion) and India's D Gukesh with an animated doodle. Two chess pieces are swapped in the doodle, which has the colours yellow, red, blue and white. The alphabet G in Google is crowned the king while others have been given the shapes of different pieces of the game. This year's tournament marks the first time in 138 years that two Asian players are pitted against each other in the marquee clash, which is offering a prize of $2.5 million.
