30.07.2016

Baku Olympiad will be the triumph of Ilyumzhinov

A little over a month left before the start of the World Chess Olympiad in Baku. The countdown to the start goes on speedily and inexorably. Thus, very soon, the eyes of all fans of the ancient game will be glued to the capital of Azerbaijan.

As far back as April 15, the registration of participants for future Olympics was opened; hence, the main news sources today are the National Federations that shape the national teams’ setup. Ukraine, Israel, England, Russia, and other counties have already finalized it, therefore, the number of participants will only increase.

Incidentally, during the visit of the President of FIDE Kirsan Ilyumzhinov to Azerbaijan in May, it became known that the representatives of 180 countries were planning to come to Baku. After all, Chess Olympiad is second to Summer Olympics by its impressive scale.
The FIDE Authorities have no doubt that Azerbaijan will successfully carry out the forthcoming event. In May, Ilyumzhinov expressed his opinion that that Baku was ready to hold the Olympic Games, because the basic work had already been done, and the World Cup had been played there last year. Let us recall that Sergey Karjakin managed to fight back in the dramatic final match against Peter Svidler and won a ticket to the contenders tournament in Moscow, which he has also won.
Experts believe that the Olympiad will be equal to the World Cup and perhaps even surpass it by its dramatic effect. After all, the team competitions have their own specifics, and the outcome of a match often depends on the ability to seize an opportunity.
It is understood that the owners of the chessboard will try to realize their dream of contesting for Olympic medals. The national team has already started training. On the other hand, it could be more appropriate to say ‘teams’ in this very case. After all, the organizers have put forward six teams - three men’s and three women’s.
The FIDE Congress, which participants will discuss a number of important issues, will be held in the Azerbaijani capital simultaneously with the Olympic Games. According to experts, there are all prerequisites for chess events coming in September to become another triumph of Ilyumzhinov.