New Delhi is likely to be the venue for this year’s chess World Cup. World chess governing body FIDE and the All India Chess Federation are soon expected to announce the host city of the tournament, which had been allotted to India.
It is learnt that the central government is also backing the capital as the venue for the World Cup, one of the major events in the chess calendar. More than 200 players are expected to compete in the event, which is especially significant as slots for the Candidates tournament — the qualifying event for the World championship — are available from it.
This will be the first chess event India is hosting since the Chennai Chess Olympiad in 2022. India had organised the World Cup in 2002 at Hyderabad, where Viswanathan Anand was the champion.
New Delhi was the host of the 2000 World championship for the matches up to the semifinals. The final was held in Tehran, where Anand became the first Asian to become the World champion.
Published – March 04, 2025 06:25 pm IST