The chess Olympiad is a chess tournament that was organized by the FIDE since the year 1927. Since then it has been taking place on even days; however before the World War, the chess Olympiad was sometimes played once a year. In addition these chess Olympiads, there was also an ‘unofficial’ series of Chess Olympiads which ended in the year 1976.
Although chess Olympiad has coverage in most sports sections of newspapers around the world, it is not a recognized Olympic sport. However there is a possibility of it becoming an Olympic event in the future as the FIDE is presently a member of the International Olympic Committee and keeps to its rules. On the contrary, some knowledgeable observers feel that the chess Olympiad will not become an Olympic event.
Before the start of the chess Olympiad, there was a world team competition of chess that took place in Paris in 1924, along with the Olympic Games. This competition brought 54 players from 18 countries to the competition where Czechoslovakia was the country that won the Gold Medal. Hungary got the Silver medal, and Switzerland, the Bronze. Herman Mattison of Latvia was the winner of the individual gold medal. There was another world team competition in 1926 in Budapest where only 4 teams showed up. Hungary had won the event then. The first chess Olympiad of 1927 was held in London where 16 teams participated and Hungary won the gold medal. However women did not participate in a chess Olympiad till 1957 while the official title of Chess Olympiad did not occur till 1952. It was Alekhine who first scored 100% out of 9 games while the second person to accomplish the feat was by Robert Gwaze of Zimbabwe in 2002. There was an attempt to hold a chess Olympiad in Munich in 1936 so that it coincided with the Olympic Games. However as Germany was not a member of the FIDE, it was an unofficial chess Olympiad. The first woman to play in the Chess Olympiad was Chaude de Silans in the year 1950 when she was a member of the then French team. An interesting fact of the Havana chess Olympiad of 1966 was that Tal, one of the players of the tournament, was hit on the head with a bottle in a bar as he was flirting with the wife of another player. This was why he had missed the first five rounds of the chess Olympiad. In the year 1970, Andrew Sherman participated in the chess Olympiad as a representative of the Virgin Islands. He was only 11 then. Ion Gudju of Romania participated in the 1984 chess Olympiad that was held in Thessaloniki Greece when he was 87 years old. He is probably the oldest player to participate in a chess Olympiad and also takes pride in having played in the first chess Olympiad of 1924, in Paris. The next chess Olympiad is slotted to be held in Dresden, Germany after it had successfully beat the other bidder for the spot, Tallinn.
Although chess Olympiad has coverage in most sports sections of newspapers around the world, it is not a recognized Olympic sport. However there is a possibility of it becoming an Olympic event in the future as the FIDE is presently a member of the International Olympic Committee and keeps to its rules. On the contrary, some knowledgeable observers feel that the chess Olympiad will not become an Olympic event.
Before the start of the chess Olympiad, there was a world team competition of chess that took place in Paris in 1924, along with the Olympic Games. This competition brought 54 players from 18 countries to the competition where Czechoslovakia was the country that won the Gold Medal. Hungary got the Silver medal, and Switzerland, the Bronze. Herman Mattison of Latvia was the winner of the individual gold medal. There was another world team competition in 1926 in Budapest where only 4 teams showed up. Hungary had won the event then. The first chess Olympiad of 1927 was held in London where 16 teams participated and Hungary won the gold medal. However women did not participate in a chess Olympiad till 1957 while the official title of Chess Olympiad did not occur till 1952. It was Alekhine who first scored 100% out of 9 games while the second person to accomplish the feat was by Robert Gwaze of Zimbabwe in 2002. There was an attempt to hold a chess Olympiad in Munich in 1936 so that it coincided with the Olympic Games. However as Germany was not a member of the FIDE, it was an unofficial chess Olympiad. The first woman to play in the Chess Olympiad was Chaude de Silans in the year 1950 when she was a member of the then French team. An interesting fact of the Havana chess Olympiad of 1966 was that Tal, one of the players of the tournament, was hit on the head with a bottle in a bar as he was flirting with the wife of another player. This was why he had missed the first five rounds of the chess Olympiad. In the year 1970, Andrew Sherman participated in the chess Olympiad as a representative of the Virgin Islands. He was only 11 then. Ion Gudju of Romania participated in the 1984 chess Olympiad that was held in Thessaloniki Greece when he was 87 years old. He is probably the oldest player to participate in a chess Olympiad and also takes pride in having played in the first chess Olympiad of 1924, in Paris. The next chess Olympiad is slotted to be held in Dresden, Germany after it had successfully beat the other bidder for the spot, Tallinn.
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