The International Chess Federation (FIDE) approved a bid from Chennai, India, on March 15, to host this year’s Chess Olympiad. The biennial event began in 1927 and is hugely popular, attracting some 175 countries and approximately 2,000 players. It will be held from July 26 to August 8, tentatively. This year’s 44th Chess Olympiad was programmed initially for Russia but the FIDE Council approved a motion for an alternative venue.
The city of Chennai is the capital of Tamil Nadu with a population of seven million. Its most famous son is grandmaster and a former world chess champion Viswanathan Anand. Chennai was also the home to Manuel Aaron, India’s first international master in chess. Currently, India is considered a chess powerhouse worldwide boasting 70 grandmasters and a number of lesser masters.
