Hosting the event is a moment of pride, says AICF secretary Chauhan
India will see a golden chapter being added to its sporting history when the nation hosts the 44th Chess Olympiad for the first time in Chennai (from July 28 to August 10).
The excitement is palpable amongst the organisers — All India Chess Federation (AICF), players and chess enthusiasts as the global chess event will see world champions and super grandmasters participate from more than 150 countries.
In an exclusive interview with the Free Press Journal, Bharat Singh Chauhan, AICF secretary and tournament Technical Director, reckons this event will set the nation on the path to becoming a chess powerhouse.
How will the Chess Olympiad help India to get global recognition?
Conducting the Chess Olympiad, the world’s biggest chess event, is itself a moment of pride for any nation. India hosting the event for the first time reflects the growth of Indian chess. This is also a great opportunity to showcase our organisational ability, culture and heritage to the world and to bring in more sponsors. India has seen rapid growth in chess in recent years. We have a lot of talent and potential to emerge as the chess powerhouse in the world and hosting the Chess Olympiad is a great step towards that.
How do you reckon the Chess Olympiad will help youngsters in the country?
More than 150 countries will be participating including top nations in the world. There will be chess stars from across the world who will be travelling to Chennai. When do you get to see these many top players in action live? It looks like a dream, isn't it? This is the opportunity to make that dream a reality. Watching the world’s biggest stars live is a great motivation and learning and the Chess Olympiad will provide that to our Indian youngsters. Also, such big events inspire many people to take
up the sport. How have the preparations been so far?
We want to make this event is a big success. We are leaving no stone unturned so that it can be remembered for the next 100 years by the fans. We all, at AICF, have been working hard to put everything in place on time and so far, the execution has been smooth for all the activities that we have planned.