Although there are a substantial number of chess tournaments happening around the globe this November, the 2024 FIDE World Championship Match commencing November 25 takes precedence. Chinese grandmaster Ding Liren is the world champion and Dommaraju Gukesh of India is the challenger. The 14-game classical match is sponsored by Google and will be played in Singapore. The chess column will feature each contender before the match begins starting with the world champion. The prize fund is a guaranteed US$2.5 million.
Ding Liren was born on October 24, 1992 in Wenzhou, China, and learned the game from his mother at age four. At an early age he was coached by Chen Lixing who also coached Women’s World Champion Zhu Chen. Liren’s first notable successes on the global stage were tying for first places in the Under-10 and the Under-12 World Youth Championships 2003 and 2004.