44th Chess Olympiad

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 centre at the Four Points by Sheraton in Mahabalipuram near Chennai.
It is organised by the Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) also refered 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 ‘Thambi’ and its official logo were released on June 9.

About FIDE-

The 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.