PM Modi to inaugurate 44th edition of Chess Olympiad in Chennai today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 44th Chess Olympiad on Thursday which will be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai starting from July 29. The Chess Olympiad 2022 opening ceremony is scheduled to take place on July 28 at 7:00 PM IST. The Chess Olympiad 2022 is being held at the Four Points by Sheraton Mahabalipuram Resort and Convention Centre in Mahabalipuram. 

The best chess players from around the world will be battling each other over the chess boards in Chennai for the Chess Olympiad title. The Chess Olympiad was initially scheduled to be held in Russia and was moved to Chennai after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The upcoming edition will witness a record 188 teams in the Open section and 162 in the women's category.

Chess Olympiad 2022 opening ceremony: PM Modi to reach Chennai this evening

Taking to Twitter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote, "I am looking forward to being in Chennai for the inauguration of the 44th Chess Olympiad at 6 PM tomorrow evening. This is a special tournament and it is our honour that it is being held in India, that too in Tamil Nadu, which has a glorious association with chess."

This will be India's chance to assert its dominance in the Olympiad in the absence of powerhouses Russia and China. India will be fielding six teams each in the competition as the number of entries were odd.

Legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar wished luck to the Indian contingent, expressing his delight at the 'momentous occasion' with the World Chess Olympiad being held in the 'birthplace of chess'. 

Chess Olympiad 2022: Tournament format

The Chess Olympiad 2022 will be played in a classical format, where each player will have 40 moves within 90 minutes. While an additional 30 minutes will be awarded 30 seconds increment, the players will be able to offer a draw to their opponent, at any point of the match. Having said that, here’s a look at the full schedule of the Chess Olympiad 2022. 

Team India for Chess Olympiad 2022

The Indian teams:

A: Vidit S Gujrathi, P Harikrishna, Arjun Erigaisi, S L Narayanan, K Sasikiran.

B: Nihal Sarin, D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, B Adhiban, Raunak Sadhwani.

C: Surya Shekhar Ganguly, S P Sethuraman, Abhijeet Gupta, Karthikeyan Murali, Abhimanyu Puranik.

Women: 

A: Koneru Humpy, D Harika, R Vaishali, Tania Sachdev, Bhakti Kulkarni.

B: Vantika Agarwal, Soumya Swaminathan, Mary Ann Gomes, Padmini Rout, Divya Deshmukh.

C: Easha Karvade, Sahithi Varshini. Pratyusha Bodda, P V Nandhidhaa, Vishwa Vasnawala.