World championship finals may be held in London

CHENNAI, AUG. 4. The Week In Chess (TWIC) website from London attributes a story of the Spanish daily El Pais of Saturday in saying that the finals of the next FIDE World Chess Championship match is likely to be held in London from January 2-12, 2002.

However, FIDE, in its press release on its website on August 2 has only finalised the start dates as November 25 and has left the venue open to the announcement of its president Mr. Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, who also pumps in the $3 million prize money.

The British website gives information that the preliminaries will be held at Monte Carlo in Monaco or at Cannes in south of France, both in the French Riviera.

India's Viswanathan Anand, the reigning World chess champion will be defending his title in the event. Anand will also attend the FIDE Congress at Greece next month in his capacity as the World champion.

The event which was held in Groningen/Lausanne in 1997-98, Las Vegas 1999 and in New Delhi/Teheran 2000 returns to Europe for the second time under the knock out format.

- Our Chess Correspondent.

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