NEW DELHI: The 100-day countdown to India hosting the 44th Chess Olympiad 2022 for the first time ever kicked off Monday and five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand believes that the Chess Olympiad on home soil will inspire the upcoming Indian chess generation.
“It is a lifetime opportunity for youngsters to get a glimpse of their idols, watch them play and possibly interact with them,” India’s first-ever Grandmaster said.
Scheduled to be held in Chennai from July 28-August 10, the mega event will see world champions, Super Grandmasters and national champions among the top stars participating from more than 150 countries.
“We are sparing no effort to ensure that this Olympiad will be the best ever and hope that people will be talking about it for the next 100 years,” Bharat Singh Chauhan, secretary, All India Chess Federation.
Hundreds of district level players from Tamil Nadu have already put in their requests to witness the games live.
The playing teams will be declared by the respective countries in the first week of May.
India and Russia had jointly clinched the Gold in the last edition of the event, which was held virtually in 2020.
