The 44th Chess Olympiad is a chess tournament in which teams representing the nations across the world compete with each other. The 2022 Chess Olympiad, which started from July 28, 2022 is underway and will run upto August 10, 2022. The tournament is organized by the International Chess Federation, also known as FIDE once every two years, and they also select the host nation for the event. The 44th Chess Olympiad is being held in Chennai, India as they host the competition for the first time. Even during the Covid-19 pandemic FIDE held an Online Chess Olympiad in 2020 and 2021. 44th Chess Olympiad Mascot: All You Need to Know About 'Thambi' Ahead Of 2022 FIDE Event in Chennai.

The first Unofficial Chess Olympiad was played in Paris, alongside the 1924 Summer Olympics and on the closing day of the first Unofficial Chess Olympiad (July 20, 1924), FIDE was formed. FIDE organized the first official Chess Olympiad in 1927, which was held in London. Until the World War II, the Olympiads were held at irregular intervals but later turned into a biennial event from the ninth edition in 1950.

44th Chess Olympiad Open Standings:

Ranking Country Matches Played TB1 TB2 TB3 Points
1 Uzbekistan 11 413.5 30.5 15/4 19
2 Armenia 11 382.5 28.5 15/9 19
3 India B 11 427.5 32.5 15/5 17
4 India A 11 409 29 15/8 17
5 USA 11 352 26.5 15/7 17
6 Moldova 11 316.5 28.5 13/5 17
16 India C 11 311.5 26 14/4 14

44th Chess Olympiad Women Standings:

Ranking Country Matches Played TB1 TB2 TB3 Points
1 Ukraine 11 413.5 30.5 15/7 18
2 Georgia 11 392 29 15/8 18
3 India A 11 396.5 29 15/7 17
4 USA 11 390 31.5 16/0 17
5 Kazakhastan 11 352 28 14/3 17
8 India B 11 369.5 30 14/9 16
17 India C 11 313 27 14/6 15

For the first time, the birthplace of the game will host the event. It is expected to be the biggest Chess Olympiad edition with a total of 187 countries, and 343 teams taking part in the tournament. 189 teams in the open section and 154 teams in the women's section have been registered in total by all the nations. Sitting at top of the all-time Chess Olympiad medal table, the Soviet Union has a total of 19 medals, including 18 gold and 1 silver. Just below them in the standings is the USA with 6 gold, 6 silver, and 8 bronze medals. Russia comes third with a total tally of 12 medals, including 6 gold, 3 silver, and 3 bronze. India currently ranks 21st on the all-time medal table, along with Estonia and Bulgaria with one bronze medal each. 44th Chess Olympiad: Music Great AR Rahman Shares ‘Vanakkam Chennai’ Theme Song for 2022 Edition.

The 44th edition of the Chess Olympiad is the biggest to date and will be taking palace in India. This will be a great opportunity for the hosts to triumph over the big names in the game such as Russia, the USA, Hungary as the likes of R. Praggnanandhaa, Vidit Gujrathi, and Arjun Erigaisi will be representing the country.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 31, 2022 06:09 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).