Vaishali Rameshbabu and Dommaraju Gukesh (FIDE photo) NEW DELHI: The entire nation woke up to a historic realization on Thursday. Two of India’s young chess prodigies, 19-year-old Dommaraju Gukesh and 24-year-old Vaishali Rameshbabu, will square off in their respective World Chess Championship matches. This means that for the first time ever, India has a chance to crown two world champions in the 64-field game.Already the reigning champion, Gukesh will face Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov, who entered the fray after outsmarting his opponents to win the Candidates Tournament with an unbeaten streak and a commendable score of 10/14 points.
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Harika Dronavalli Exclusive: Inside Grenke’s #chess win, viral no-handshake incident and more Vaishali, on the other hand, clinched the Candidates title with a remarkable performance and secured a date with China’s five-time world champion Ju Wenjun.
Javokhir Sindarov raises the title of candidates. (Photo by Niki Riga)
How does FIDE decide the host city?
TimesofIndia.com understands that FIDE will now begin the formal process of selecting a host for both World Cup matches. This starts with a tendering process, which is expected to be published in the month of May.“FIDE will soon open bids to host the matches. The announcement will be published on the FIDE website and sent to all national federations,” a FIDE official told the website.The selection process is expected to be comprehensive. It will contain specific details about the duration of the match and the event, the minimum total budget for the event, the minimum prize pool, the FIDE fee and guidelines regarding sponsors and organizational regulations.While private companies or a consortium from a particular country could be interested in hosting these major matches, FIDE guidelines state that the bid must be submitted through the national federation.“Offers to host matches are received from national federations with detailed requirements for infrastructure, accommodation and official FIDE inspections. The FIDE General Strategy Commission will evaluate all applications and the FIDE Council will approve the final host city,” the official added.Regarding the calendar, FIDE has fixed the World Championship match for November-December 2026. Meanwhile, the women’s match is currently tentatively scheduled for Spring 2027. It is similar to the last cycle, when the FIDE Women’s World Chess Championship 2025 was held in China from 1-16 April 2025, while D Gukesh faced Ding Liren in the World Championship match during November-December 2024.But FIDE is also considering the possibility of hosting both championship matches at the same time. It is understood that this option is being considered and remains a separate option, although it is not a mandatory requirement.
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Which championship game are you most excited for?
The final decision will likely depend on the level of interest the Women’s World Cup generates in terms of bids and commercial sponsors. If the host city or sponsor group sees value in a double header with both the open and women’s titles, the world could see Gukesh and Vaishali fighting for crowns under one roof.
