Chess Olympiad 2024: Indians in action, schedule, format, live streaming, pairings — all you need to know
Chess Olympiad 2024: Here’s everything you need to know before the FIDE Chess Olympiad tournament scheduled to start from September 11 to 22 in Budapest, Hungary.
Published : Sep 11, 2024 17:18 IST , CHENNAI - 3 MINS READ
FILE PHOTO: India boasts a supremely talented lineup of D. Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, R. Praggnanandhaa, Vidit Gujrathi and Pentala Harikrishna. | Photo Credit: FIDE/Stev Bonhage
The 45th edition of the Chess Olympiad will take place in Hungary from September 10 to 23.
This will be the first time since 1926 that the world’s biggest multi-national chess tournament returns to Budapest.
A total of 193 teams in the Open section and 181 in the Women’s will battle it out over 11 rounds in a Swiss Format.
Here’s all you need to know about the FIDE Chess Olympiad 2024:
PREVIEW
Chess is an individual sport by nature, but the excitement and dynamics of playing it in a team format elevate the Olympiad to a unique and special status. This year, the world’s biggest multi-national chess tournament returns to Budapest for the first time since 1926, with the 45th Chess Olympiad set to take place in Hungary from September 10 to 23.
A total of 193 teams in the Open section and 181 in the Women’s will battle it out over 11 rounds of the Swiss format for a chance at a podium finish. India, which hosted the previous edition, bagged bronze medals in both sections and will be looking to build on that success.
With an average rating of 2755, India enters the open section as the second-seeded team, just behind the USA (2758). It boasts a supremely talented lineup, including world championship challenger D. Gukesh, world No. 4 Arjun Erigaisi, and world No. 12 R. Praggnanandhaa. They are well supported by the experienced shoulders of Vidit Gujrathi and Pentala Harikrishna, making India one of the strongest contenders.
SCHEDULE
- Tuesday, September 10, 2024 - Arrival, Opening Ceremony & Technical Meeting
- Wednesday, September 11, 2024 - Round 1
- Thursday, September 12, 2024 - Round 2
- Friday, September 13, 2024 - Round 3
- Saturday, September 14, 2024 - Round 4
- Sunday, September 15, 2024 - Round 5
- Monday, September 16, 2024 - Round 6
- Tuesday, September, 17, 2024 - Rest Day — Bermuda Party
- Wednesday, September 18, 2024 - Round 7
- Thursday, September 19, 2024 - Round 8
- Friday, September 20, 2024 - Round 9
- Saturday, September 21, 2024 - Round 10
- Sunday, September 22, 2024 - Round 11
— All matches start at 15.00 Budapest time, or 18:30 IST
FORMAT
The Olympiad will be played in an 11-round non-elimination Swiss system format with all teams being paired in every rounds.
TIME CONTROL
The time control for both open and women’s categories is 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, then 30 minutes for the rest of the game, plus a 30-second increment per move starting from move one.
Players are permitted to offer a draw at any time
ALSO READ | Koneru Humpy to skip Chess Olympiad 2024
PRIZE MONEY
The winning team in the open section of the Chess Olympiad comprises the recipients of the “Hamilton-Russell Cup”.
The winning team in the women’s section of the Chess Olympiad comprises the recipients of the “Vera Menchik Cup”.
The winning federation in the combined classification of the Chess Olympiad comprises the recipients of the “Nona Gaprindashvili Trophy”.
VENUE
The 45th Chess Olympiad will be held in the BOK Sports and Conference Centre in Budapest.
PAIRING
ROUND ONE PAIRINGS:
OPEN SECTION
WOMEN’S SECTION
LIVE STREAMING INFO
Where to watch the live stream of the Chess Olympiad 2024?
The live streaming of the Chess Olympiad 2024 will be available on the FIDE YouTube channel.
Which TV channel will broadcast the Chess Olympiad 2024 chess?
There has been no official announcement for the broadcasting of the Chess Olympiad 2024 in India.
ALSO READ | Chess Olympiad 2024: Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa to headline Indian team
INDIANS IN ACTION
OPEN SECTION
WOMEN’S SECTION
FILE PHOTO: The second seed India that won bronze in Chennai will miss Humpy Koneru this time, but with a rising star Divya Deshmukh joining Rameshbabu Vaishali, Harika Dronavalli, Vantika Agrawal and Tania Sachdev in Budapest.
TOP FIVE SEEDS IN THE WOMEN’S SECTION
1. Georgia (2459) Captain: Vladimir B Tukmakov
2. India (2458) Captain: Abhijit Kunte
3. Poland (2416) Captain: Marcin Dziuba
4. China (2416) Captain: Yang Shen
5. Azerbaijan (2414) Captain: Mihail Shereshevsky
RELATED | When India played its first Chess Olympiad - a slice of history from 1956