The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has released a bidding notice for the 2024 World Championship match with budget figures that have sparked debate in the chess community.
Just weeks after the conclusion of the Candidates Tournament, FIDE has already turned its attention to the next world championship match. The defending champion, GM Ding Liren, will face the challenger, GM Gukesh Dommaraju. The match is scheduled to take place between November 20th and December 15th, and the search for an organizer has now begun.
Last week, chess’ governing body issued the first call for the match. The deadline is May 31 and the decision is expected in June.
Compared to the FIDE call for the 2023 match, this one had some new requirements:
- Minimum total budget: $8,500,000
- Minimum total prize fund: $2,500,000
- FIDE Fee: US$1,100,000
Why $8.5 million?
The announcement provoked reactions from prominent figures in the chess world, such as IM Levy ‘GothamChess’ Rozman, who said:
“1. Why 8.5 million? 2. What does FIDE do with 1.1 million? 3. Where does the other 4.9 million go? Chess should have a media agreement. Chess should make better use of influencers. Chess should have better known sponsors – NOT private ones. I dream of an ecosystem (format, sponsorships, media) that better supports the best players in the world”, he wrote to his 380 thousand followers on X/Twitter.
Today FIDE, the international governing body for chess, called for proposals for the World Championship match.
The. General Budget Request – $8.5 million
B. Players receive – $2.5 million
w. FIDE – US$ 1.1 million
I have many questions. Not even as a critic, 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 the numbers, claiming in response to FIDE CEO GM Emil Sutovsky that the event had become FIDE’s “cash cow”.
The World Chess Championship is the crown jewel of chess, but it has become a source of income for FIDE
—Peter Heine Nielsen (@PHChess) April 30, 2024
Nielsen also shared a graph from a Reddit post that shows a downward trend in prize funds throughout history.
Someone did some serious research here: pic.twitter.com/nuYJeLvn52
—Peter Heine Nielsen (@PHChess) April 30, 2024
Sutovsky responds: “We have to generate income”
Sutovsky responded to the criticism, arguing that the event is not expensive compared to other sporting events. He went into detail in an 80-minute interview with ChessBase India’s IM Sagar Shah, explaining that the event, along with the Olympics, are the most important in terms of FIDE’s revenue.
“We are trying to maximize our main events, to generate revenue. This is reasonable and no different to what any sport is doing. I believe the amount of 10-12% of the total budget is justified.”
Sutovsky said that proceeds from such events are reinvested into other projects and promoting the game.
“We have to generate income to be able to work. Our headcount has almost doubled compared to 2018. It’s not because we just want to throw away some money. We just work a lot more. It’s necessary,” he said.
Sutovsky also addressed questions about the remaining budget after expenses for FIDE prizes and fees, which totals $4.9 million.
“A top venue for a month is very expensive. Unless you organize it inside a hotel room, which would not be acceptable,” he said, also describing technological upgrades, anti-cheating measures and, in particular, improving transmission, which, according to FIDE, does not meet modern standards.
“At the moment, I’m not very happy with the broadcast we have. We have a much improved broadcast from the 2011 standard. I remember Candidates in 2011 was the first time it was organized. Back then it was great. So far, we have It’s improved a lot of little things, but it’s still not TV standard,” he said.
India, Singapore or Argentina?
It has now been revealed that the All India Chess Federation (AICF) has publicly expressed its interest in hosting the match, with its secretary Dev Patel commenting: “We are open to discussion with FIDE, the governing body for chess, and we are confident that the best world championship will be held in India,” he said.
Speaking to Chess.com, Sutovsky said that FIDE has not yet received any formal proposals, but confirmed that several parties have expressed interest.
“We have detailed discussions with Argentina, India (more than one stakeholder there) and Singapore. These are at an advanced stage.”
Sutovsky says FIDE believes the match is expected to generate so much interest that there could be more than one offer. Asked about rumors that Saudi Arabia would be interested in hosting the match, the FIDE CEO said:
“There are no ongoing discussions with Saudi Arabia about hosting the match.”
