China withdraws from Chess Olympiad

CHENNAI: China will not take part in the 44th Chess Olympiad, scheduled to be hosted at Mahabalipuram near here from July 28.

Replying to a question on the sidelines of the Candidates tournament in Madrid, World No.2 and China’s top player Ding Liren said that neither he nor the team would take part in the Olympiad. “No, I think the Chinese team will not play,” Liren said.

China did not give any reasons for its withdrawal, according to AICF secretary Bharat Singh Chauhan, who is the Olympiad tournament director. “Yeah...the Chinese men’s (Open) and women’s teams will not play in the Olympiad. The reasons are not clear,” Chauhan told PTI.

China would have been among the top medal contenders and its absence would brighten India’s chances. China’s Open team won the gold medal at the Olympiad held in Batumi, Georgia, in 2018 and in Tromso, Norway, in 2014. The Chinese women’s team clinched the gold medal at the last two Olympiads in Baku, Azerbaijan, and Batumi.

According to leading chess coach and Grandmaster RB Ramesh, the absence of China in addition to that of Russia helps India’s cause. “Yes, without China and Russia, our chances for a medal increase,” said Ramesh, coach of the India’s ‘B’ team in the Open section.