It's Official! India To Host 44th Chess Olympiad 2022 In Chennai

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin took to Twitter on Tuesday night to confirm that the 44th Chess Olympiad will be held in Chennai this year.

New Delhi: The 44th Chess Olympiad will be held in Chennai this year after Russia was stripped of the tournament's hosting rights due to its ongoing conflict with Ukraine. This is the second major global chess tournament to be held in India after the World Championship match in 2013. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin took to Twitter on Tuesday night to make the official announcement about the same.

"Delighted that the Chess Capital of India is set to host the 44th Chess Olympiad! A proud moment for Tamil Nadu! Chennai warmly welcomes all the Kings and Queens from around the world! #ChessOlympiad2022," he said in the tweet.

"It's official now....India will host the 44th World Chess Olympiad 2022 at Chennai!" the All-India Chess Federation added on its Twitter handle.

The All-India Chess Federation (AICF) handed over a guaranteed amount of $10 million to the global governing body of chess, FIDE, to host the tournament. Russia was stripped as the host of the 44th Chess Olympiad following its invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

The Chess Olympiad is a team competition held every two years in which teams from around 190 countries participate in a two-week tournament. Earlier, the much popular tournament was slated to take place in Moscow from July 26 to August 8.

The invasion of Ukraine has led to a slew of sporting cancellations in Russia with the International Olympic Committee urging member countries to ensure that no events are hosted by the country.

"It's a matter of great pride and responsibility that we are entrusted with and we are committed to make it a grand success. The entire Chess fraternity of the country is ready to come together for this," said Dr. Sanjay Kapoor, All India Chess Federation President.

The AICF Secretary Bharat Singh Chauhan added, "I cannot complain about anything in life now. All the countries of the world now have this great opportunity to come under one roof in the country where Chess was born. My thanks to Thiru M K Stalin the Hon'ble CM to make this dream come true."

(With PTI Inputs)