UP Chess and Sports Association, in partnership with AICF, had previously organised a Under-15 chess championship, ‘Chalo Olympiad 2022’. With this, they have filtered the top three boys and girls for the 44th Chess Olympiad which is being hosted in Chennai this year.
Students from government colleges who have participated in the state meet and won, are Siddharth Rathod (Kanpur), Vinayak Singh (Gorakhpur), Shreyansh Singh (Agra), Karanika Sahu (Jhansi), Arohi Yadav (Prayagraj), and Nisha Bhushan (Unnao).
Chennai to Host First Indian chess Olympiad
India will host the Chess Olympiad for the first time, from July 28 to August 10, in Chennai. This 44th edition of the biggest chess event in the world, will have a virtual participant list with most stars joining from across the globe.
“It’s a great honour for India to host such a big event. This shows the position of the country in the chess world. I’m thankful to everyone involved who supported us to make this happen. This is a historic step and I believe it will take Indian chess to greater heights,” said Bharat Singh Chauhan, Secretary, All India Chess Federation (AICF), who played a crucial role in bringing the Olympiad to India.
Check the schedule of all the tournament rounds here.
Here are some interesting facts that led the 44th Chess Olympiad to become a reality for India:
The 44th edition of Chess Olympiad was initially scheduled to take place in Russia. However, with the war-like situation between Russia and Ukraine, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) began searching for new hosts.
Seizing the opportunity, officials at All India Chess Federation (AICF) got in touch with FIDE President, Arkady Dvorkovich. They fulfilled the hosting criteria set by FIDE within less than a week and also ensured the USD 10 million guarantee. This made India’s bid stronger than most other countries.
Chennai, steeped in chess culture, had earlier hosted the World Chess Championship in 2013 between Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen. 1200 rooms for the participants were booked in a single day and the Convention Centre of Four Points Sheraton was decided as the playing venue.
