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44th Chess Olympiad Tournament-2022- Chennai - TamilNadu

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"44-வது சர்வ தேச சதுரங்க ஒலிம்பியாட் போட்டி -2022" 

44th Chess Olympiad Tournament-2022  CHENNAI -TAMILNADU.

JULY 28th TO AUGUST 10th


5 TIMES CHESS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP HOLDER Mr.VISWANATH ANANAD RECEIVING 44TH CHESS OLYMPIAD TORCH FROM PM Mr.NARENDRA MODI.


India created history after hosting the first-ever torch relay for the upcoming 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with GM Viswanathan Anand and members of Indian team for 44th Chess Olympiad


























About the 44th International Chess Olympiad:

One of the biggest chess events in the world, the FIDE (Fédération Internationale des Échecs) Chess Olympiad 2022 is set to start on July 28 in Chennai and will run till August 10. The FIDE Chess Olympiad is being held in India for the first time since the inaugural tournament in 1927. This edition is the first in Asia in 30 years. 

Comprising open and women's tournaments, as well as several events designed to promote the game of chess,

  • This year, the Fédération Internationale des Échecs will organise the 44th International Chess Olympiad in Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu.
  • The 44th International Chess Olympiad, the world’s biggest chess event, will be held at Poonjeri Village in Mamallapuram from July 28 to August 10. The venue is a UNESCO heritage site, located about 50 kilometres from Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
  • The prestigious chess tournament has generated tremendous buzz on social media. The hype around the event is growing with each update on social media.

With a record 187 countries taking part with 188 Teams in Open section and 162 in the Women's section, the Olympiad will witness highest ever participation.

A record total of 30 Indian Players across six teams (three in open and three women) will be participating at the Olympiad. Each team will have 5 members out of which four will be fielded in each round. The Captain of the Team, in most cases non-playing, will decide the team composition. 

The Olympiad will be an 11 Round Swiss League event. The host countries can field two teams but India could field one additional team in both categories as the total number of teams were odd.

The three Indian open teams are seeded 2nd, 11th and 17th respectively. 

*The second seeded India-1 Open team consists of Vidit Gujrathi, P.Harikrishna, Arjun Erigaisi, S.L. Narayan and Sasikaran Krishnan. 

*The India-2 Open team members are Nihal Sarin, D.Gukesh, B.Adhiban, R. Praggnanandhaa and Raunak Sadhwani.

*The India-3 open team comprises Surya Shekhar Ganguly, S.P. Sethuraman, Abhijeet Gupta, Karthikeyan Murali and Abhimanyu Puranik.

Incidentally, all the 15 players in the Open Team are Grandmasters.

 In the women's section, 
The India-1 team is seeded first while India-2 and India-3 team are seeded 11th and 16th respectively. 

*The India-1 women's team consists of Koneru Humpy, D.Harika, R.Vaishali, Tania Sachdev and Bhakti Kulkarni.

*The India-2 women's team members are Vantika Agrawal, Soumya Swaminathan, Mary Ann Gomes, Padmini Rout and Divya Deshmukh. 

*The India-3 women's team comprises Eesha Karavade, Sahithi Varshini, Pratyusha Bodda, Nandhidhaa PV and Vishwa Vasnawala.

In the 2014 Chess Olympiad held at Tromso, Norway India won a bronze medal in the open category and
in the 2020 virtual Olympiad, India won the joint gold medal while 
in the 2021 virtual Olympiad, India finished with a bronze medal.

Indian Chess Players for Chess Olympiad



VENUE: 
The 44th Chess Olympiad will be held at the Four Points by Sheraton Mahabalipuram Resort and Convention Centre from July 28 to August 10. The resort is located on the East Coast Road, Chennai.

FORMAT: 
All the matches at the Chess Olympiad will be played in the Classical Swiss League Format

MATCHES: 
The tournament will begin with 'Round 1' on July 29 and continue till 'Round 11' on August 9. There will be a rest day on August 4 and teams will depart on August 10.

TIMINGS: 
All the matches will start at 3:00PM IST. 

SCHEDULE: 
July 29: Round 1 
July 30: Round 2 
July 31: Round 3 
August 1: Round 4 
August 2: Round 5 
August 3: Round 6 
August 4: Rest Day 
August 5: Round 7 
August 6: Round 8 
August 7: Round 9 
August 8: Round 10
August 9: Round 11 

PRIZES: 

The Olympiad features team and individual non-monetary prizes based on performance.

 TEAM PRIZES: 
1st place in the Open section: Hamilton-Russel Cup 
1st place in the Women's section: Vera Menchik Cup 
1st place in combined classification: Nona Gaprindashvili Trophy 

Players from the top-three teams also receive team medals: 
1st place: Gold medal 
2nd place: Silver medal 
3rd place: Bronze medal 

INDIVIDUAL PRIZES: Players assigned to the same board number compete for individual medals, awarded according to their performance rating: 

HIGHEST EVER PARTICIPATION LIST: 

CHENNAI, 2022: 188 (open), 162 (women) 
BATUMI, 2018: 185 (open), 151 (women) 
BAKU, 2016: 180 (open), 142 (women) 
TROMSO, 2014: 177 (open), 136 (women) 
ISTANBUL, 2012: 157 (open) 127 (women) 
KHANTY-MANSIYSK, 2010: 148 (open), 115 (women) 

*44th Chess Olympiad will show the West that India isn't just a land of snake charmers: Bharat Singh Chauhan 

What is the format of the 2022 Chess Olympiad? 

The 2022 Chess Olympiad will be played in a classical format. The players will have to make 40 moves within 90 minutes, following which an additional 30 minutes will be awarded with 30 seconds increment. The players can offer a draw to their opponent at any point in the match.

Where to watch the 2022 Chess Olympiad? 

The 2022 Chess Olympiad will be telecasted by Doordarshan on television. 

Where to watch the LIVE stream of 2022 Chess Olympiad? 

The 2022 Chess Olympiad is expected to be LIVE streamed on the YouTube pages of Chessbase India and FIDE.

























Bus stop with chess painting.

Bus stop with chess painting.








Bus stop with chess painting.






AAvin milk cover with chess add.

AAvin milk cover with chess add.

Metro Train with chess add.

Lakeshore with chess add.






Thambi @ Chennai airport.


Laser show Thambi @ Rippon building.












Chess awarness Cycle rally. 

Govt school Students playing chess. 


Chess kolam.





Chess board and Thambi mascot Face painting by students.






44th Chess Olympiad: 6,400 Sq Ft Mammoth Chessboard Erected By Private School In Chennai -






Chess Olympiad 2022: How Tamil Nadu clinched the hosting rights

Thambi @ Toll plaza.

Decision-making of the State government was very fast, say AICF officials



It took the Tamil Nadu government just a few hours to decide on hosting the prestigious 44th Chess Olympiad at Mamallapuram near Chennai. It was the last week of February and Bharat Singh Chauhan, Secretary, All India Chess Federation (AICF) was at his wits end trying to shortlist a venue at short notice.

Russia, which had originally bagged the event, had lost its chance after invading Ukraine. With Poland and Uzbekistan keen to host the event, he had to move really fast to bring the event into India for the first time. The last time the Olympiad was held anywhere in Asia was 30 years ago.

Swift decision

When he reached out to the Tamil Nadu government, which was one of the States on his list of potential hosts, he was asked to come to Chennai the same evening. The State bureaucracy worked at top speed. Mamallapuram was pitched as a venue, and the Chief Minister freed up his calendar to meet with Chauhan the next day and gave his in-principle nod. A formal letter was issued by the State Government by 4 pm the same day. “Decision-making of the State government was very fast,” AICF officials said.

Mamallapuram, with its beaches and resorts, impressed the International Chess Federation (FIDE), who, after an initial recce, approved the venue early in March. The Tamil Nadu Government, along with AICF, had just a little over 4 months to execute the event.

Funds and mascot

Soon, the state government sanctioned ₹92 crore for conducting the Olympiad. It also deployed 37 IAS officers across departments to oversee and ensure that everything was done to create the necessary infrastructure for the event.

The mascot, Thambi, was soon unveiled and the State Government started a publicity blitz around the event. Music director AR Rahman, was roped in to compose the chess anthem. Roads and bridges were painted in Chess colours and hoardings were erected across the State, not just in Chennai. Chess competitions were held in all 38 districts, and the winners would get a chance to see the Olympiad live.

The venue is ready and Hall-2, which will have the maximum number of boards, was erected in just 40 days. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the event on July 28.

On July 29, all 700 boards will be in action. In all, 3,000 people will land in Chennai, including 1,400 players from across 187 countries (a new record). The players have started to arrive and have been accommodated in 30 plus hotels in and around the venue. “It is great to have a host like Tamil Nadu,” say AICF officials,who are confident of pulling off a perfect event.



AR Rahman unveils anthem ‘Vanakkam Chennai’ for 44th International Chess Olympiad

Grammy and Oscar-winning music composer, AR Rahman has come up with the 'Vanakkam Chennai' (Welcome Anthem) for the upcoming International Chess Olympiad, 2022.


AR Rahman unveils anthem 'Vanakkam Chennai' for 44th International Chess Olympiad_40.1

Grammy and Oscar-winning music composer, AR Rahman has come up with the ‘Vanakkam Chennai’ (Welcome Anthem) for the upcoming International Chess Olympiad, 2022. Directed by Vignesh Shivan, the music video features chief minister MK Stalin, grandmaster Vishwanathan Anand, and music maestro AR Rahman, who has composed and sung the theme song. The music video also features director Shankar’s daughter as a Bharatanatyam artiste. The terrific music video has been praised by netizens for showing the culture of Tamil Nadu impressively.


**Chess Olympiad 2022: Tamil Nadu to give health insurance cards to 2,000 players.



The teams and India’s prospects 

The Americans boast a line-up that includes the likes of Fabio Caruana, Wesley So, Levon Aronian, Sam Shankland and Leinier Dominguez with an average ELO rating of 2771 and should be considered the hot favourite simply on the basis of the gulf (on average rating). However, in a team event, especially the Olympiad, teamwork is also key apart from the form of the players.

In the Open event, the India 'A' team comprises the seasoned P Harikrishna and the fast-rising Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi, who was captain when the country shared the gold with Russia in the 2020 Online Olympiad, the experienced K Sasikiran and SL Narayanan. While the No.2 seeded India 'A' would consider themselves in the frame for a medal, the 'B' team seeded 11th and boasting of talented youngsters - D Gukesh and R Praggnanandhaa - along with Nihal Sarin, Raunak Sadhwani and the experienced B Adhiban has the ability to beat stronger teams, according to coach RB Ramesh. Being a longish event, he feels the players need to find ways to keep themselves motivated through the 11 rounds and this would be crucial in the final analysis.

Reigning world champion Magnus Carlsen has also spoken highly of the Indian players and felt the teams could be in the reckoning for medals. "Both Indian teams have a very strong and impressive line of players and I think both have a chance to be amongst the medals," Carlsen said. The five-time world champion is in Chennai and is part of Team Norway, which is ranked third among the 187 nations taking part in the event. India’s 'C' team, seeded 17th, has a mix of experience and youth, and with Surya Shekhar Ganguly at the forefront, can be expected to spring a few surprises. 

The India 'A' side is the top seed in the women's event and will be gunning for gold with the experienced Koneru Humpy and D Harika in the ranks. Apart from the seasoned duo, the fast-improving R Vaishali and Bhakti Kulkarni add further strength to the team. The challenge for India ‘A’ could come from countries such as Ukraine, Georgia and Kazakhstan, which are seeded second to fourth respectively. The other two Indian teams in the women’s section could also spring surprises.

The Indian teams are: 

Open: 

A: Vidit S Gujrathi, P Harikrishna, Arjun Erigaisi, S L Narayanan, K Sasikiran.

B: Nihal Sarin, D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, B Adhiban, Raunak Sadhwani.

C: Surya Shekhar Ganguly, S P Sethuraman, Abhijeet Gupta, Karthikeyan Murali, Abhimanyu Puranik.

Women: 

A: Koneru Humpy, D Harika, R Vaishali, Tania Sachdev, Bhakti Kulkarni.

B: Vantika Agarwal, Soumya Swaminathan, Mary Ann Gomes, Padmini Rout, Divya Deshmukh.

C: Easha Karvade, Sahithi Varshini. Pratyusha Bodda, P V Nandhidhaa, Vishwa Vasnawala.

What are they playing for:

Winner in the Open section: Hamilton-Russel Cup

Winner in the Women's section: Vera Menchik Cup

1st place in combined classification: Nona Gaprindashvili Trophy

Number of teams: 

Open: 188

Women: 162

Format: 

All the matches at the Chess Olympiad will be played in the Classical Swiss League Format.

Venue: 

Four Points by Sheraton, Mamallapuram (located about 58 km from Chennai).

Preparations and traffic diversions

A five-tier security ring will be in place ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to inaugurate the 44th Chess Olympiad on Thursday, Chennai police said, adding that  22,000 police personnel will be on duty, including senior officials. Under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), the police prohibited the flying of objects like microlight aircraft, hot air balloons, gas-filled balloons, small-sized powered aircraft and para-jumping, on July 28 and 29, in connection with the security measures ahead of Modi's visit. Over 3500 plants have been placed in the driveway in front of the Chennai Airport Arrival Terminals to beautify the arrival zone. 

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