For the 2024 FIDE World Chess Championship in Singapore, the award had to reflect the city’s manufacturing sophistication and design culture. The biennial event has yielded several exciting designs over the years, and the most recent trophy is no exception.
FIDE tapped Singapore-based brand RISIS to create the trophy, leaning more toward premium-luxury aesthetics than toward traditional industrial design. The result is a trophy that combines the detailed nature of chess pieces with intricate metalworking.
Built from a Single Material
According to RISIS, the trophy’s core material is aluminum finished with a gold anodization. That construction gives the appearance of precious metals without relying on a heavier multimaterial construction. Since aluminum is light relative to bronze or solid brass, easy to machine with precision, and well suited to contemporary trophy designs, the result on the FIDE trophy is crisp edges and a clean silhouette. The anodized gold finish also adds surface protection and color.
The Fabrication Process
RISIS describes the trophy as a combination of artistry, science, and heritage. Using aluminum with gold anodizing requires a production sequence that shapes the metal first and then treats the surface with anodization. This process thickens the natural oxide layer so the finish becomes part of the metal rather than a simple topcoat.
This surface treatment ensures that an award designed to be handled, transported, and displayed retains its finish without wearing like standard paint or plating.
Measured Precision
RISIS says the award measures 330 millimeters high, 122 millimeters wide, and 88 millimeters deep, with a total weight of 2.76 kilograms. These measurements place it in an ideal middle ground: substantial enough to feel important in hand, yet compact enough to preserve the design’s clean look.