The Price of a Title Shot: When challengers had to pay to face the champion

AI Summary

The article traces how historical world chess championship challengers had to secure funding and negotiate directly with reigning champions to obtain title matches. It contrasts those arrangements with the modern qualification system ahead of a reported $2.5 million title match in Geneva between Gukesh and Sindarov.

For much of its history, the world chess championship was not a title a player could simply qualify to challenge for. From Steinitz–Zukertort in 1886 to the long disputes involving Lasker, Capablanca and Rubinstein, challengers had to raise money, negotiate terms and persuade champions to play. As Gukesh prepares to defend his title against Sindarov in Geneva, the USD 2.5 million match offers a striking contrast: the challenger has earned his shot through a formal qualifying system.