Why the coastal town of Mamallapuram was chosen to host 44th Chess Olympiad

The international Chess Olympiad, organised by the Federation Internationale des Echecs (FIDE), will be held in India for the first time ever this year. The coastal town of Mamallapuram in Tamil Nadu was chosen as the venue for the 44th edition of the Chess Olympiad, leaving behind bigger and more well-connected cities like state capital Chennai. According to The Hindu, Mamallapuram’s well-connected transport network and the presence of several luxury hotels all helped in the selection of the coastal town as the venue for the international chess tournament.

Mamallapuram, also known as Mahabalipuram, is a UNESCO World Heritage site located less than two hours away from Chennai by road. A popular tourist destination with a string of 5-star hotels that can cater to the more than 2,000 participants expected to descend there for the Chess Olympiad also helped it become the host city.

Although these facilities are also available in Chennai, Mamallapuram was chosen as the venue so as not to inconvenience the public when politicians, dignitaries, VVIPs and international visitors arrive for the tournament, officials quoted by The Hindu said.

The rush of visitors, officials reasoned, would have become a hassle for school-going children and people going to office on weekdays. The 44th Chess Olympiad will take place between July 28 to August 10.

Meanwhile, a report in Business Line described how the government of Tamil Nadu gave its nod to host the Chess Olympiad in just a few hours. Bharat Singh Chauhan, Secretary, All India Chess Federation (AICF), was trying to find a place to host the Olympiad in India after Russia, which originally bagged the bid to host, invaded Ukraine and FIDE decided to move the venue.

When Chauhan reached out to the Tamil Nadu government, the state bureaucracy worked at top speed to secure the bid and the chief minister met Chauhan the very next day to give his nod.

International Chess Federation (FIDE) was impressed by the beaches and resorts of Mamallapuram and approved it as the official venue after a recce in March.