2024 was a massive year for chess, with various moments now etched in chess history. In one year, we had the candidates tournament, several world championships, the chess olympiad, and various other events.
Then there was the Magnus Carlsen Jeans Controversy, alongside several tensions with FIDE. With this article, let’s recap the year together.
FIDE Celebrated its 100th anniversary
On July 20th, 2024, FIDE celebrated in Paris to mark the centenary occasion of their founding. It was marked with different occasions aimed at new and former chess fans.
FIDE Guinness World Record Attempt
This event was the most interesting in 2024, as chess fans gathered to set the world record for the most chess games played in 24 hours.
Events took place simultaneously worldwide, including online platforms, schools, and community centers, with over 350 events contributing to setting the record. 109 chess federations took part in this world attempt, with Sri Lanka and India hosting the most registered games.
Lighting of Torch
Also, for its 100th anniversary, FIDE hosted the chess torch relay, a worldwide movement that brought together the entire chess community. A torch was relayed on a global journey through the Indian subcontinent to Africa, Europe, and North America.
Controversies
Chess in 2024 was not without its share of drama, as multiple controversies captured the public’s attention.
Jeansgate
Magnus Carlsen made headlines when he was fined and temporarily disqualified from the World Blitz Chess Championship for violating the dress code by wearing jeans instead of the stipulated smart casual.
The incident sparked a debate about dress codes in professional chess, emphasizing the significance of following rules in the chess community.
In an interview following the incident, he criticized FIDE, expressing disapproval of them and their approach.
The Accusing Finger of Kramnik
Former world champion Vladimir Kramnik stirred controversy by publicly questioning the integrity of several online players on his Twitter handle. He scrutinized their performances, implying that some were using computer assistance.
His accusations sparked intense debates over fair play in online chess and some players. He was also eventually suspended from chess.com.
Clash of Claims/Blames
Tensions flared between Kramnik and multiple grandmasters, leading to heated exchanges over cheating allegations and statistical anomalies in online chess performance.
One of these tensions was against GM Jose Martinez translated to a match over the board, with Martinez winning the first match, and Kramnik claimed chess.com interfered with their game. A rematch was played on another chess website.
Naroditsky on the Spot
Popular chess streamer and GM Daniel Naroditsky found himself embroiled in a fair-play controversy after Kramnik posted some videos on his YouTube channel with barrages of tweets also questioning his OTB performance vs. his online strength.
The incident prompted additional inquiries into the integrity of online chess and the ethical considerations surrounding accusing players.
Chess.com Feud
A high-profile online feud between Kramnik and Chess.com dominated 2024 with litigations and lawsuits involved. Chess.com also suspended Kramnik from their website.
Carlsen-Ian Championship Bromance
Despite the past competitive history, Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi developed a surprising competitive friendship across the 2024 chess calendar, culminating at the World Rapid Finals match after an intense tied match and several draws.
They decided on a controversial decision of sharing the title as champion. Something not done in chess history led fans to dub their decision a “chess bromance”, while some fans were critical of the decision, calling it match-fixing.
Fans let their opinions fly after a video emerged of them contemplating settling on quickdraws if FIDE doesn’t approve their decision to share the title.
Bombshells
Chess continued to be a major topic in mainstream media in 2024, with stories such as the Magnus Carlsen Jeans Controversy, the FIDE Guinness World Record Attempt, and the Clash of Claims/Blames capturing public attention and sparking debates, all of which made chess more popular.
Chess and Netflix 2.0
Following the success of The Queen’s Gambit, Netflix announced a new chess-related series based on the Carlsen-Niemann cheating controversy, generating excitement within the chess community and beyond.
Carlsen vs. Niemann Match
The long-standing battle between Magnus Carlsen and Hans Niemann over cheating allegations concluded in 2024, as we finally saw games between these two since their 2022 Sinquefield Cup row.
Breakout Stars
These players were unexpected breakout stars in 2024, with one of them even stealing the spotlight during the Rapid and Blitz World Championship with his performance.
3-Year-Old Sensation Anish Sarkar
Imagine a 3-year-old being stronger than many chess players. This sensational kid from Kolkata, India, exhibits one of the most impressive displays of intelligence.
It’s impressive for a child to understand how chess pieces move. What’s even more impressive is Anish Sarkar’s ability to understand various rules and be strong enough to play and win against 80% of chess players!
When asked in an interview with ChessBase India about his favorite chess player, he acclaimed Anish Giri—his namesake.
He achieved an impressive rating of 1555 in November 2024, becoming the youngest-rated chess player and surpassing the previous record held by five-year-old Tejas Tiwari with a rating of 1503.
So, if a 3-year-old can get to a 1500 rating, you can get to 1800 chess rating.
Denis Lazavik
Denis Lazavik might be a familiar name for those who are avid followers of chess because of his impressive performances in previous years, considering he had an impressive 2023 as well. However, he simply established his dominance in 2024 with a good string of victories.
First, he started by cruising through a play-in event for the Chess.com Speed Chess Championship, defeating Yuriy Kuzubov, M Pranesh, and Dmitry Adreikin on the way without losing a single game in all 14 games.
Later, Denis Lazavik took part in the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championship. He finished with 8/13 points in the rapid event, tying for 22nd out of 180 players. His only losses were against world number 2, Fabiano Caruana, and Alexander Grischuk.
He defeated Magnus Carlsen in their encounter, among other big names. In the blitz segment, he tied for 14th with 8.5/13 points.
Volodar Murzin
Volodar Murzin is a Russian grandmaster who made history by becoming the second-youngest player to win the World Junior Chess Championship at 18 years old, achieving an undefeated score of 10/13.
Despite being undefeated in the 2023 Rapid Championship, he remained relatively out of the limelight.
However, 2024 was his year as he had a spectacular performance at the 2024 FIDE World Rapid, leading to his victory as the second-youngest player to win the title.
He delivered consistent brilliance throughout the tournament, securing wins against strong opponents like Hikaru Nakamura, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu. Murzin’s undefeated score of 10/13 propelled him to world number 66 in the rapid rankings.
45th Chess Olympiad
The 45th Chess Olympiad was a monumental event from September 10th to 23rd, 2024, in Budapest, Hungary. It featured 197 teams in the open section and 183 teams in the women’s sections.
The event was an immense success, with India securing their first overall victory at the Chess Olympiad by winning both the women’s and open sections.
One highlight of the tournament was that the Indian team totally dominated it, with India winning gold on several boards.
Overall, this event was another important one for most federations, as it allowed several countries to play with the world’s best players.
World Championship
This was perhaps the most important event of the year and was one of the most hyped matches ever in the history of world championships.
The championship was a match between reigning world champion Ding Liren from China and Gukesh Dommaraju from India.
The match took place in Singapore from November 25th to December 12th, 2024, with Gukesh emerging victorious over Ding Liren with a score of 7 1/2 to 6 1/2 to become the youngest undisputed world champion at 18.
Gukesh’s dominance throughout the year is really impressive—from candidates to the Olympiad and then the match against Ding Liren as he etched his name in the history of the World Championship. One can be sure he’s world championship caliber and will be here for a while.
Events and Sponsorships
The FIDE 2024 World Chess Championship had Google as its major sponsor. This collaboration was groundbreaking as it was the first time a major leading technological company sponsored the world chess champion.
Predictions
Most people predicted Gukesh as a close favorite to win by a wide margin. Everyone was in for a shocker as Ding held his own throughout a closely contested match.
Youngest ever champion
Some might argue that Gukesh is not the youngest-ever classical world champion, and they would have a case. Ruslan Ponomariov shares this claim, owing to a time when there were two world champions—FIDE and PCA. However, it’s definitely correct to say Gukesh is the youngest undisputed world champion at 18.
Notable Performances
Some players stood out for their performances, but unfortunately, not all who stood out did so for good reasons.
Women
A few players caught the eye for their great performances amongst other women.
Humpy Koneru
Humpy Koneru had a splendid 2024 winning the FIDE Rapid World Championship for the second time. She did it while defeating top players like Jun Wenjun and Kateryna Lagno to clinch the title with 8.5 out of 11 points. It was one of the most impressive runs in a world championship, considering she lost her round-one match.
She had won the silver medal in the 2023 edition as well. Humpy overcame personal challenges, including contemplating retirement, subpar tournament performances, and sleep deprivation due to jet lag, to achieve this remarkable victory.
Ju Wenjun
Ju Wenjun, the reigning classical world champion, secured another blitz title after defeating Alexandra Kosteniuk in the final round, making her one of the few to hold two world titles concurrently.
Apart from her world title win in December, she had earlier won the Chess.com Speed Chess Championship in September.
She also delivered an impressive 2694 rating performance at the TePe Sigeman tournament, beating Vincent Keymer and Anton Korobov, and finished even in a field with an average of 2700.
Beyond expectations
Some players performed beyond expectation, establishing themselves as strong players in their own rights.
Arjun Erigaisi
Arjun Erigaisi’s 2024 tournament performance was exceptional, with record-breaking achievements like winning Chess Olympiad golds and reaching the 2800 ELO milestone. 2024 was one of his best years because of consistency and big milestones achieved.
In February, he played in the 5th Shangzhen Masters, coming in second place, then the Menorca Opens with a clear first place.
He came second at the TePe Sideman and Co Chess tournament, both in April and also the Stepan Avagyan Memorial in June, coming first before winning the huge WR Masters Cup in October.
Arjun racked up a third-place finish at the Chennai Grand Masters, alongside several other tournament wins throughout the year. Arjun consistently won super GM events, making him a star of the year.
Volodar Murzin
Volodar Murzin performed beyond expectation in 2024 as he won the World Rapid Championship, all while being a 2500-rated Grandmaster. One can only wait in anticipation to see what Murzin brings in 2025.
Ding Liren
Virtually every chess player predicted Ding Liren to be a complete underdog in his match, given his string of below-par performances ahead of the championship match. Even Magnus said in an interview that he feared Ding might be permanently broken.
Ding surpassed expectations by brilliantly winning games against Gukesh, who seemed invincible before the match.
The championship showed that Ding still had what it took to play at the very top, even with his openly admitted mental health struggles. It’s a pity that he lost the match to a one-move blunder in the last moments of the match, which you definitely should learn how to avoid.
Below expectations
Throughout the year, these players delivered subpar performances compared to their ratings and previous performances.
Ding Liren
As the reigning world champion who dethroned Magnus, Ding Liren played several tournaments before his world championship match, losing rating points and winning no event in 2024.
For instance, in Norway Chess, which was held in June, he finished at the bottom of the field of 6 players with 3 points.
His Tata Steel Master’s performance was also a lackluster finish, placing 9th out of 14 players. Overall, he played below expectations.
Richard Rapport
Richard Rapport, who was Ding’s second in his world championship match, performed below expectations considering the Ding team couldn’t deliver a match victory. Aside from that, Richard Rapport also didn’t have a major tournament and has been under the radar considering how talented he is.
2024; Year of the Youth
In 2024, we witnessed the rise of several young talents who made significant impacts on the international chess scene, such as achieving historic victories, breaking records, and reshaping the competitive landscape.
Bodhana Sivanandan
Bodhana Sivanandan, an English chess prodigy, took the chess world by storm. She began playing during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 and rapidly progressed.
By 2022, she won silver medals in both rapid and blitz at the European Under-8 Girls Championship and later clinched the World Under-8 Championship in 2023.
Her incredible performance at the European Blitz Championship in December 2023, where she finished 73rd out of 555 players, showcased her immense potential.
In early 2024, at just nine years old, she achieved a live rating of 2000+ and was selected to represent England’s women’s team at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest—making her the youngest person ever to represent England in any sport.
Ferdinand Tersee
Ferdinand Tersee, born in 2007, became a chess star in Nigeria. In December 2024, at just 17 years old, he won the Nigerian National Chess Championship, making history as the youngest champion in the country’s history.
Tersee’s remarkable victory over experienced and titled players solidified his status as one of Nigeria’s and Africa’s top chess talents.
CM Robert Mcligeyo
Robert Mcligeyo Oluka, a Kenyan chess player born in 2005, made headlines in 2024 when he became the youngest national champion in Kenya’s history at just 19 years old.
With a FIDE rating of 2000+, he is one of Kenya’s brightest talents. His 2024 championship victory earned him national recognition—and a brand-new car.
GM Dommaraju Gukesh
Indian grandmaster Dommaraju Gukesh had a phenomenal year, culminating in him becoming the youngest world champion in chess history at just 18 years old.
His performance at the Tata Steel Wijk aan Zee tournament, where he defeated elite players like Anish Giri, solidified his status as a rising legend. His disciplined, fearless style drew comparisons to a young Viswanathan Anand.
GM Volodar Murzin
Russian grandmaster Volodar Murzin, born in 2006, made news by winning the 2024 FIDE World Rapid Chess Championship. At just 18 years old, with an undefeated score of 10/13, he became the second-youngest player to hold the title.
Murzin’s rapid rise, from winning the European U12 Chess Championship in 2018 to winning the World Rapid title, shows he has a bright chess future ahead.
Conclusion
The year 2024 was a landmark year for chess. Young prodigies like Gukesh, Murzin, Dennis Lazavik, and others reshaped the competitive landscape, proving that the future of chess is in capable hands.
Meanwhile, controversies surrounding fair play, dress codes, and online accusations kept the chess world buzzing. Chess also maintained its place in popular culture, with continued media interest and legal battles making headlines.
As the game continues to evolve, 2024 will be remembered as a year of transition—one where the next generation of superstars took center stage while chess itself faced new challenges and opportunities.
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