SM Teo Chee Hean at the FIDE World Chess Championship 2024

Mr Arkady Dvorkovich, President of the International Chess Federation,
Minister Edwin Tong
Your Excellencies,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,

A very warm welcome to Singapore and good evening. This year, Singapore is honoured to be able to host the FIDE World Chess Championship. This is only the second time the World Chess Championship has been held in Southeast Asia; the first was in Baguio in the Philippines in 1978.

We enjoy working with our international partners to serve as a venue for world- class sporting events. There has been a number of innovations here in Singapore in the sporting fraternity. The first Youth Olympic Games was held in 2010 in Singapore, the World Table Tennis Singapore Smash, and, just last year, the first ever Olympic Esports Week, which included online chess.

This year’s Championship has special significance for our part of the world. It is the first ever between two grandmasters from Asia, and we are all looking forward to this. The reigning World Champion, Grandmaster Ding Liren from China, and his challenger, Grandmaster Gukesh Dommaraju from India. Singapore is proud to play host for this historic match.

Chess is appealing for many reasons.

While most sports push the physical limits of athletes, a mind sport like chess develops mental tenacity, strategic thinking, and discipline. These are valuable attributes that transcend all forms of sport. It is no coincidence that Singaporean athletes like Olympic medalist kitefoiler Max Maeder and professional footballer Danelle Tan are avid chess players.

Chess is also an inclusive sport. At a recent para-chess event in Singapore, Grandmaster Thomas Luther from Germany shared how chess helped him to overcome challenges as a person with disability. I should add that, with the encouragement of President Arkady, our Singapore Prison Service introduced a chess programme as part of its rehabilitation programme for our inmates last year. More than 50 inmates have participated in this programme as part of their rehabilitation. And with the support and encouragement of President Arkady, several inmates competed in the Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners organised by FIDE last month.

With nothing more than a board and thirty-two pieces, individuals of all ages and skill-levels can engage in games of complex strategy and creativity.

The global popularity of chess extends to Singapore too. 1,600 students from over 200 schools competed in our National Schools Individual Chess Championship this year. The number of community interest groups for chess is also growing here. This includes the bustling Aliwal Chess Club on Aliwal Street where games are open to novices and experts alike.

Singapore’s young chess players have also been making their mark internationally. Earlier this year, eight-year-old Ashwath Kaushik became the youngest player to beat a chess grandmaster in classical chess. Singapore’s fifth and youngest grandmaster, Siddharth Jagadeesh, is just seventeen. And 23-year-old Tin Jingyao recently clinched second place at the Teplice Open in the Czech Republic.

World-class sporting events like the FIDE World Chess Championship boost the development of our local chess scene. They present opportunities for our community to see the world’s best in action, igniting interest in chess in Singapore and inspiring our next generation of players.

I, like all of you and all chess enthusiasts all around the world, look forward to the exciting match ahead, and wish both reigning champion Liren and challenger Gukesh the very best for their games. My congratulations also to the International Chess Federation as you celebrate the significant milestone of your 100th anniversary this year!

Thank you very much to all of you for your presence and we look forward to the wonderful match ahead.