What does it imply for FIDE that India has efficiently bid for the Chess Olympiad?
When the Olympiad was pulled out of Russia, FIDE didn’t have a bunch. We clearly welcomed India’s bid. There have been just a few extra contenders, however we set a transparent deadline. And solely India was in time to submit a correct bid. That underlines a serious work of All Indian Chess Federation (AICF) as one needs to be well-prepared with a purpose to come up prepared for such an enormous occasion on such a brief discover.
India, Indonesia and the USA are a few of the international locations the place chess is rising. And what are your projections when it comes to development for India?
The development of India is noticeable. It has nice gamers and groups, however most importantly nearly 50% of the world’s finest Under-18 gamers are Indian. That will clearly give India a standing of chess superpower for years to come back. Another necessary issue is the recognition of chess. Millions are following chess. Of course it began with (Vishwanathan) Anand, however now it has turn out to be a form of nationwide heritage. We really feel that the Olympiad in Chennai will additional elevate chess as a big a part of Indian tradition.
During the pandemic, the game of chess was booming, particularly on-line chess. How necessary is it that the Chess Olympiad, which might be a serious over the board occasion, is successful for FIDE when it comes to viewership?
The Olympiad is a large factor, and it’s greater than any of the web occasions. Not solely due to the variety of groups and members (we count on round 350 groups from 190+ international locations). But this Olympiad, which is to be staged after a 4-year break (opposite to ordinary 2 years) is very important. Loads of new groups, younger era, many contenders for the victory. An complete chess group is ready for this excellent occasion.
While the AICF are the hosts for the match, what sort of help will FIDE be offering?
FIDE will work carefully with AICF to make sure the visibility of the occasion. Not solely domestically, and never solely on chess platforms. We count on it to be featured in main media all around the world, East and West, and that might be a breakthrough second for chess generally, and for Indian chess particularly.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
