The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has called for a world championship to be held in 2024, with a budget that has sparked debate in the chess community.
A few weeks after the conclusion of the Candidates Tournament, FIDE is already turning its attention to the next World Championship match. Reigning champion GM Ding Liren will face his challenger GM Gukesh Donmaraj. The match is scheduled to be held from November 20th to December 15th, and the search for a host is currently underway.
Last week, the governing chess body announced its first call for bids for the match. The deadline is May 31st, with a decision expected in June.
Compared to FIDE’s call for bids for the 2023 bout, this bout had some new requirements.
- Minimum total budget: $8,500,000
- Minimum prize pool: $2,500,000
- FIDE fee: $1,100,000
Why $8.5 million?
The announcement sparked reactions from chess luminaries such as IM Levy ‘GothamChess’ Rozman, who said:
“1. Why 8.5 million? 2. What will FIDE do with 1.1 million? 3. Where will the remaining 4.9 million go? Chess should have a media deal. Chess should use influencers more Chess should have more big-name sponsors – I’m not a privateer and I dream of an ecosystem (format, sponsorship, media) that better supports the world’s best players,” he said. /Written to Twitter followers.
Today, FIDE, the international governing body for chess, called for an invitation to the world championship match.
a.Overall budget request – $8.5 million.
b. Player acquisition – $2.5 million
c. FIDE – $1.1 million
I have a lot of questions. I don’t mean to criticize, but I’m really super… pic.twitter.com/oDmAX8fTq8
— Gotham Chess (@GothamChess) April 27, 2024
GM Peter Heine Nielsen, one of FIDE’s biggest critics, also questioned this figure, saying in a response to FIDE CEO Emil Stofsky that the event was a “money-making” move for FIDE. claimed to have become
The Chess World Championship is the treasure of chess, but it has become a cash cow for FIDE https://t.co/gnXilhzdcc
— Peter Heine Nielsen (@PhChess) April 30, 2024
Nielsen also shared a diagram from a Reddit post showing the historical downward trend in prize pools.
Someone did some serious research here: https://t.co/s9otlprQ22 pic.twitter.com/nuYJeLvn52
— Peter Heine Nielsen (@PhChess) April 30, 2024
“We have to generate income,” Stofsky replies.
Stofsky responded to the criticism by arguing that the event was inexpensive compared to other sporting events. He elaborated in an 80-minute interview with ChessBase India’s IM Sagar Shah, explaining that the event is FIDE’s most important in terms of revenue, along with the Olympics.
“We’re trying to maximize the top events and generate revenue. It’s reasonable and no different from what other sports do. 10-12% of the total budget is justifiable. I believe that.”
Stofsky said the proceeds from these events are reinvested into other projects and game promotions.
“We have to generate income to work. Our staff has almost doubled compared to 2018. It’s not just because we want to throw money away; we have more It’s just doing the job. It’s needed,” he said.
Stofsky also answered questions about the remaining budget after prize money and FIDE fees, which totaled $4.9 million.
“A month at a top venue is very expensive. Unless you’re hosting it in a hotel room, that’s unacceptable,” he said, also outlining technology upgrades and anti-fraud measures, especially broadcast improvements. According to FIDE, it does not meet modern standards.
“At the moment I’m not very happy with our broadcast. We’ve had a very seriously improved broadcast of 2011 standards. I remember the first time the 2011 nominees were organized. It was great by then. Now we’ve improved a lot of little things, but it’s still not the standard for television,” he said.
India, Singapore or Argentina?
It has already emerged that the All India Chess Federation (AICF) has expressed a public interest in hosting the match, with its chief Dev Patel commenting: The best world championship will be held in India,” he said.
Stofsky told Chess.com that FIDE has not yet received a formal bid, but confirmed that multiple parties have expressed interest.
“We are in detailed discussions with Argentina, India (multiple stakeholders) and Singapore. These are at an advanced stage.”
Stofsky said FIDE feels the fight will generate a great deal of interest and could result in multiple bids. Asked about rumors that Saudi Arabia is interested in hosting the games, FIDE’s CEO said:
“There are no ongoing discussions with Saudi Arabia about hosting the match.”