CHENNAI: Chess buffs in the city are in for a rare treat as Chennai is set to host the 44th FIDE chess Olympiad 2022. The government of Tamil Nadu along with the All India Chess Federation president Dr Sanjay Kapoor on Wednesday announced this on Wednesday. The dates are not finalised but should be held during July and August (July 26 to August 8).
After FIDE declared that it was pulling the Chess Olympiad 2022 out of Russia due to the ongoing war situation the chess world scrambled to find an able host. The AICF team acted swiftly and with the support of the Tamil Nadu government managed to bag the deal. In fact, chief minister MK Stalin took keen interest in hosting event.
“I am happy to announce an event which will be a milestone in the history of Tamil Nadu. This is a proud moment for all Tamils and the state is deeply connected to this amazing game. Starting from world renowned grandmaster Viswanathan Anand to the young prodigy R Praggnanandhaa, Tamil Nadu has been continuously producing world class chess players,’’ said Stalin in a video message at the function.
“The tournament which will see participants from over 150 countries across the globe will be one of the biggest sporting events to be hosted in India. I thank FIDE and AICF. I resolve to conduct this chess Olympiad in a great manner and welcome all the chess wizards from across the globe,’’ said the CM, adding that the event would take TN’s hospitality and culture to the global arena.
The TN government was represented by chief secretary V Irai Anbu and member secretary of SDAT Dr R Ananda Kumar during the official announcement on Wednesday. “It will be the first time that an Olympiad will be held in India,” said Bharat Singh Chauhan, the secretary of the chess federation. “It is a big moment for all of us. Everything went on smoothly. We met the Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin and within five minutes he agreed.’’
The last big event was in 2013 World Championships match between Magnus Carlsen and Anand. The last over-the-board Olympiad, the 43rd edition was held in 2018 in Batumi, Georgia. The 2020 Olympiad was originally awarded to Minsk, but the city withdrew following the political unrest in Belarus. Online Olympiads were held in 2020 and 2021 during the Covid pandemic. “It will be the first big over-the-board tournament in the world after covid. We have the experience of organising the Delhi Chess Open where large number of players participated. But Olympiad is a big game,”said Bharat Singh.
Full story: newindianexpress.com