The FIDE Chess Olympiad, that was pulled out from Russia due to the ongoing war, will now be hosted by India in Chennai tentatively between July 26 and August 8.
The FIDE Council has approved the bid of All India Chess Federation (AICF) to host the 2022 Chess Olympiad in Chennai, the cradle of Indian Chess. The venue will be the Convention Centre at the Four Points by Sheraton, located in the Mahabalipuram area of Chennai.
The 44th Olympiad was supposed to take place in Moscow and Khanty-Mansiysk but was shifted out of Russia following FIDE’s reaction to the war in Ukraine. Around 190 Chess-playing nations will be competing for the medals in this mega biennial event.
Chennai has previously hosted the 2013 World Championship, where Magnus Carlsen was first crowned World Champion. The AICF Secretary Bharat Singh Chauhan, who is also a Chairman of the FIDE Technical Commission (TEC), underlined the importance of the experience already gathered by him and his team in recent years. “The experience with Delhi Chess Open, the largest event of its kind in the world, will be a big help, as we have already dealt with large numbers. But Olympiad is a big game. I am sure we will make it the best,” he said.
