News Highlights
The Chess Olympiad is being hosted in India for the first time, and the 44th Chess Olympiad is being held in Chennai.
Key Takeaways
- The world’s largest team chess competition begins in Mamallapuram, south of Chennai.
The Chess Olympiad:
- It is a biennial chess tournament in which teams representing nations worldwide compete.
- The FIDE (Fédération Internationale des Échecs /The International Chess Federation) organises the tournament and selects the host nation.
- In 1999, the International Olympic Committee recognised FIDE as a Global Sporting Organisation.
- FIDE organised the first Official Olympiad in 1927, which took place in London.
Historical Perspectives on Chess
- The game was known as “Chaturanga,” meaning “four bodies.”
- It was played with counters and Aksha (dice).
- It was also called Astapada, meaning “a game of eight steps.”
- Chaturanga finds its mention in the famous epic Mahabharata, where this game was played between the Kauravas and the Pandavas.
Content Source: PIB