On September 2, the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has launched the first round of the competition by making the first move (D2-D4) in the game between a member of the first men's team of Azerbaijan Shahriyar Mammadyarov and chess player from Zimbabwe Rodvell Makoto.Ilham Aliyev inspected the place of competition, watched the chess matches, and made the first move (E2-E4) in the game between Alexandra Kosteniuk (Russia) and Araksamita Grant (Scotland).
Prior to the official opening of the contest the head of Azerbaijan has met with the President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) Kirsan Ilyumzhinov and they both watched the competitions.
The 42th Chess Olympiad was attended by 181 men’s and 142 women's teams, which include more than 1600 players. The chess players from 175 countries of the world arrived in Baku. That it is a record in the number of participating countries in the history of this competition. The contest will be observed by 193 arbiters, 30 of which represent AR.
The Olympics, consisting of 11 rounds, ends on September 13. More than 250 representatives of local and foreign media were accredited to report on the World Chess Olympiad.
Baku gained the right to host the 42th World Chess Olympiad in 2016 by the General Assembly of the International Chess Federation in Istanbul in 2012. Besides the capital of Azerbaijan, for the organization of the Olympic Games claimed the Bulgarian Albena and Estonian Tallinn.
