44th Chess Olympiad
July 1, 2022
In news– India will host the first-ever Chess Olympiad that
will be held from July 28 to August 10, 2022 in Chennai.
About 44th Chess Olympiad-
Apart from India hosting it for the first time, it is
also the first time that a Chess Olympiad Torch has been
instituted.
The venue is the convention center at the Four Points by
Sheraton in Mahabalipuram near Chennai.
It is organized by the Fédération International des
Checks (FIDE) also referred as International Chess
Federation and comprises open and women’s tournaments,
as well as several events designed to promote the game
of chess.
Due to paucity of time, the inaugural edition of the
Chess Olympiad Torch Relay will only transverse in
India.
According to FIDE, starting from the next edition of the
Olympiad, in line with the traditions of the Olympic
Games, the torch will travel across all continents
visiting FIDE member territories.
Furthermore, the Chess Olympiad Torch relay will always
start from India, since the game originates from India,
and FIDE wishes to honour the Government Of India’s
efforts to popularize the game.
Earlier, the mascot for the Olympiad ‘Thami’ and its
official logo were released on June 9.
About FIDET he
International Chess Federation or World Chess
Federation, commonly referred to by its French acronym
FIDE, is an international organization based in
Switzerland that connects the various national chess
federations and acts as the governing body of the sport
of chess, and it regulates all international chess
competitions.
Constituted as a non-governmental institution, it was
recognized by the International Olympic Committee as a
Global Sporting Organization in 1999.
FIDE currently has its headquarters in Lausanne,
Switzerland, but it was initially founded in 1924 in
Paris under the motto “Gens una Sumus” (Latin for “We
are one Family”).
It was one of the very first International Sports
Federations, alongside the governing bodies of the
sports of Football, Cricket, Swimming, and Auto Racing.
It has 195 countries as affiliate members, in the form
of National Chess Federations.
FIDE’s most visible activity is organizing the World
Chess Championship since 1948.
It also organizes world championships for women,
juniors, seniors, and the disabled.
Another flagship event is the Chess Olympiad, a biennial
chess tournament organized since 1924, in which national
teams compete.
In alternate years, FIDE also organizes the World Team
Championship, in which the best teams from the previous
Olympiad compete.
As part of the World Chess Championship cycle, it also
organizes the Candidates Tournament, which determines
who will challenge the reigning World Champion, and the
qualifying tournaments for the Candidates, such as the
Chess World Cup, the FIDE Grand Prix, and the FIDE Grand
Swiss Tournament 2019.