Sawt Falasteen - 'Once-in-a-lifetime': fans revel in Singapore chess showdown

World chess champion Ding Liren, 32, from China, is defending his crown against 18-year-old Indian prodigy Gukesh Dommaraju, who is seeking to make history by becoming the youngest ever undisputed titleholder in the sport.

Excitement has gripped chess enthusiasts since the World Chess Championship duel opened in Singapore on November 25.

Hundreds of fans, locally and overseas, have flocked to a posh Singaporean hotel to watch the matches with players relying more on a mastery of strategy than brute force.

Vivaswan Damle, 29, from Pune in India took leave from his work as an investment advisor to fly to Singapore.

"I was expecting Gukesh to dominate but Ding has been quite strong," he told AFP, adding that he still expected his compatriot to win.

The score is tied at 6-6, with only two more games to go.

He praised Singapore's smooth organisation of the tournament.

"The security is good, the fan zone is good because you get to interact with multiple people," he said.

- 'Inspire the kids' -

Singapore, one of Asia's richest countries, outbid the Indian cities of Chennai and New Delhi for the right to host this year's tournament, offering itself as a more neutral venue.

Singaporean Preeti Aggarwal, 42, brought her eight-year-old son Aadi Singal to the venue on Wednesday with the boy's own chessboard.

At the fan zone, the boy laid out his chessboard and waited for a friend to arrive and they began playing.

"He likes to play chess, so I want to encourage him. And this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for kids in Singapore to see the world champion competing," she told AFP.

"I'm sure this is going to inspire the kids a lot."

Other fans just lazed on beanbags and watched the match live on television screens, with commentary on the intricacies of the moves.

Interactive screens where fans can read information about their chess idols are placed around the room.

Nearby is a bigger and special room for VIPs and paying fans where they can watch the players through a one-way glass panel.

While no roaring crowds of thousands are present, the struggle inside the carpeted arena is intense. It is a battle of the mind where every move is a strike and every counter is a parry.

For Singaporean financial consultant and chess enthusiast Lee Peng Keong, 43, the tournament has exceeded expectations.

"Chess is already doing well in Singapore. But with this World Chess Championship, it's just going to create another level of boom," he said.

"Singapore is a very ideal platform to showcase this tournament."

He is rooting for Ding, a native of China's so-called "chess capital" of Wenzhou.

"It's really very exciting. There were so many draws and then all of a sudden there were two decisive games," Lee told AFP.

H.Nasr--SF-PST