New Delhi, 19 June : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the historic torch relay for the 44th Chess Olympiad at Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi today. The Prime Minister will also address a gathering on the occasion.
This year, for the very first time, International Chess Federation, FIDE, has instituted the Chess Olympiad Torch, a part of the Olympic tradition, but was never done in the Chess Olympiad. India is the first country to have the Chess Olympiad Torch Relay.
Notably, taking the Indian roots of Chess to a greater height, the Torch Relay for the Chess Olympiad will henceforth always begin in India and travel across all continents before reaching the host country.
FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich will hand over the torch to Prime Minister Modi, who in turn will hand it over to Grandmaster Vishwanathan Anand. This torch will then be taken to 75 cities in a span of 40 days before the final culmination at Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu. At every location, chess grandmasters of the state will receive the torch.
The 44th Chess Olympiad will be held in Chennai from 28th of next month to 10th of August. The prestigious competition, which is being organised since 1927, is being hosted in India for the first time and in Asia after 30 years. With 189 countries participating, this will be the largest participation in any Chess Olympiad.
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