Proud to have Anand in my team: Dvorkovich ahead of elections

CHENNAI: The FIDE (International Chess Federation) president Arkady Dvorkovich on Thursday said that the world body’s upcoming elections – slated to be held on August 7 – would be highly competitive.

Addressing the media at the 44th Chess Olympiad pre-tournament press conference at the venue, Dvorkovich added that he is proud to have five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand in his team. For the uninitiated, the legendary Anand, the mentor of India teams at the Olympiad, is running for the vice president’s post.

“First of all, the anticipation now is on starting the Olympiad. That is the most important thing. Of course, I believe that it (Olympiad) is a huge festival, not just a sporting one. It creates a positive mood, positive atmosphere for the FIDE Congress as well and all the delegates,” said Dvorkovich, who is likely to be re-elected.

“He (Anand) is a great person and has a great personality. He has been a long-time friend. Already, he is extremely popular all around the world. Not just in this state, wherever I go, his personality and contribution are acknowledged and recognised as a big part of FIDE history and FIDE future. We have a really good team,” added Dvorkovich.

When asked about Magnus Carlsen’s decision not to defend his World Championship title, Dvorkovich replied: “First of all, he is with his national team. He will try to get a medal. It is good that we have the world champion in the Open section [of the Olympiad]. He will also continue playing chess. We will respect his decision. He has been the strongest player for the last 10 years. I believe that we will see him many times in the next few years.“

Meanwhile, All India Chess Federation (AICF) secretary and Olympiad tournament director Bharat Singh Chauhan said that the hosting of the international event “still feels like a dream”. “We have done so many things in four months. I do not really know. Everyone supported us. Whatever we touched became gold. Everyone is putting in their best effort. The support from the Government of Tamil Nadu and the Government of India are just amazing. The Tamil Nadu government has been spending a lot of money. It is really hard to believe how we have done it, but we have [eventually] done it,” said Chauhan.