Hello everyone,

By now you probably already know that the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics kicked off a few days ago. For me, and I believe for many of you, this is one of the greatest symbols of how sports can unite people and promote healthy competition instead of the sad armed conflicts that seem to be increasing in recent years. Personally, I cannot wait to see the Kiwi athletes from New Zealand make me proud by giving their best and, as usual, coming up a long way short of a medal. 

Now jokes aside... as a passionate fan of this event, I wanted to take this opportunity to write and explain to my readers the connections between chess and the Olympic Games. The aim is to answer some of the most important questions about it, but also to delve a bit into history, curious facts, and my own insignificant but honest perspective.

Therefore, this article will be the usual blend of informative content mixed with my personal opinion, where I plan to cover the following topics: 

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PART 1 - ATHLETES IN PARIS 2024 WHO PLAY CHESS

1.1 - Carlos Alcaraz

1.2 - Giannis Antetokounmpo

1.3 - Jakob Schubert

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PART 2 - CHESS AND THE OLYMPICS

2.1 - Why is chess not part of the Olympic programme?

2.2 - Is chess considered an Olympic sport?

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PART 3 - THE CHESS OLYMPIADS

3.1 - History

3.2 - Format

3.3 - Champions

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PART 4 - MY OPINION

4.1 - About the Chess Olympiad

4.2 - Predictions for the 2024 Chess Olympiad

4.3 - Should chess be included in the Summer Olympics?

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PART 5 - CONCLUSION

5.1 - What can we expect for the future?

5.2 - Acknowledgements

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PART 1 - ATHLETES IN PARIS 2024 WHO PLAY CHESS

1.1 - Carlos Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz is a Spanish 21-year-old tennis player who is competing in his first Olympic Games. In addition to being one of the favorites in the singles draw, the four-time Grand Slam champion has also teamed up with the legendary Rafael Nadal in the doubles, making him a strong contender to win two medals for his country.

Like me, Alcaraz was taught to play chess by his grandfather when he was a child, and his passion for the game continued into adulthood. This proves that he and I are very similar people. Small differences in tennis talent and the amount of money in our bank accounts are just irrelevant details.

In an interview for Vogue magazine, he said:

I love chess. Having to concentrate, to play against someone else, strategy - having to think ahead and try to do something that will make your opponent uncomfortable. I think all that is very similar to the tennis court.

Alcaraz has also always emphasized the benefits of playing chess for his tennis skills, as he declared in another interview with the Spanish sports newspaper Marca:

It helps me to be faster mentally, to observe the moves, to see the move you want to make, the strategy... to concentrate all the time.

Find out more: Tennis and Chess: Tennis Star Carlos Alcaraz Explains Similarities

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1.2 - Giannis Antetokounmpo

Giannis Antetokounmpo, a 29-year-old professional basketball player for the NBA franchise Milwaukee Bucks, is representing Greece in Paris 2024. He is undoubtedly one of the most talented players in the league and one of his country's best hopes for a place on the podium.

The NBA superstar is a chess enthusiast, having taken up the game after being influenced by his former teammate Tony Snell. In 2017, he told ESPN that he started playing as a way to challenge his mind and as a method to distract himself from basketball. However, he rarely succeeded in the latter goal.

I'm like, ‘The only reason I'm playing chess right now is to get my mind off basketball.’ So, I'm still thinking about basketball! So, I'm getting ready to make a move and I’m like, ‘Ah, sh*! I'm thinking about basketball again.’

During the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, Giannis posted a photo of him and his girlfriend playing chess at home, which even caught the attention of world champion Magnus Carlsen. With a bit of humor, the Norwegian took a dig at the basketball star, commenting on his photo: "Chess is hard, it takes skill, you can't just be 7 feet tall and dunk over everyone."

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1.3 - Jakob Schubert

Jakob Schubert is a 33-year-old Austrian professional rock climber who is also an avid chess fan. He is a specialist in competition climbing (lead and boulder), sport climbing, and bouldering. His achievements include being a four-time World Champion (2012, 2018, 2021, 2023) and a three-time World Cup winner (2011, 2014, 2018). In August 2021, Schubert won a bronze medal for his country at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

In 2022, during the 37th European Chess Club Cup in Mayrhofen, Austria, he paid a visit to the venue and even met his idol Magnus Carlsen, chatting with him about both sports. Carlsen is said to be an enthusiastic mountaineer himself, although I could not find too much information about this.

Schubert once explained his opinion about the similarities between climbing and chess during an interview for the official Olympics website, focusing on the analytical and logical thinking aspects. He also mentioned that he finds inspiration in different activities that help him become a better athlete, even though he says he is not particularly good at chess.

I like chess because it has all those things that I love to do. It has this analytical, logical thinking. I really like this, and it also helps me in climbing.

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PART 2 - CHESS AND THE OLYMPICS

2.1 - Why is chess not part of the Olympic programme?

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has labeled chess as a sport and FIDE as an official federation. So, if you are still wondering whether it can be considered a sport, the answer is yes. However, just being recognized doesn't guarantee a place in the Olympics and, unfortunately, our beloved game is still not approved at the moment. One reason is that it does not meet the criteria in the same way as traditional Olympic sports.

Throughout history, the IOC has accepted sports that primarily involve physical exertion or athleticism. Board games, on the other hand, have never been included in the list of Olympic events. While chess is often considered a "mind sport" due to its mental challenges and competitive nature, it is still fundamentally a board game.

Some of the main criteria used are:

• The sport must be widely practiced across different countries and continents. (✔)
• It must add value to the Olympics while respecting tradition. (✔)
• Some types of sports, such as purely mental games or those that rely on machines, are not allowed. (×)

The recent efforts to include chess in Paris 2024, as you can read here, were a good step towards recognition, but it wasn't yet its time to shine.

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2.2 - Is chess considered an Olympic sport?

As explained and discussed above, the plain and simple answer to this question is no. Basically, according to the current definition, if a sport is not included in the Olympic Games, it is not considered an Olympic sport. Of course, the possibility remains open for future editions, and the debate over its inclusion continues, especially as digital and virtual competitions have recently begun to gain more recognition.

The growing popularity of e-sports may therefore strengthen the case for their inclusion by highlighting the public and commercial interest in mind sports, which could also potentially pave the way for chess on the Olympic stage. The community remains hopeful that the game will finally receive the recognition it deserves. In the meantime, we must continue to wait and enjoy a very similar event called the Chess Olympiad!

Yes, you have read correctly. Although not part of the Olympics, FIDE has created a separate competition: the Chess Olympiad (could this name be some kind of hint?), a prestigious biennial tournament that has historically featured the best players in the world, with teams representing the nations and competing against each other for individual and team medals. Time to read more about this in the next part! 

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PART 3 - THE CHESS OLYMPIADS

 3.1 - History

The first Chess Olympiad was unofficial and took place simultaneously with the 1924 Olympic Games, both held in Paris. An earlier attempt had been made to include chess in the official programme but failed because of problems with distinguishing between amateur and professional players.

Few people know that the International Chess Federation (FIDE) was founded on Sunday, July 20, 1924, the closing day of the 1st Chess Olympiad. So, despite the problems we all know the Federation has, we should thank this event for being the spark that allowed chess to become a more globally coordinated sport.

FIDE then organized the first official Olympiad in 1927, which was held in London. Subsequent editions occurred occasionally and at irregular intervals until the Second World War. Since 1950 they have been held regularly every two years. The next edition in 2024 will be the 45th.

Despite the dominance of the USSR, which took first place in all but two Olympiads from 1952 to 1990, the competition has never lost its prestige, always attracting the best players of the time. There are examples of several Soviet "dream teams", such as in 1962, which included Mikhail Botvinnik, Mikhail Tal, Tigran Petrosian, Boris Spassky, Paul Keres, and Efim Geller. Too strong, don't you think? 

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3.2 - Format

Each country may enter one team in the Olympiad. The only exception is the host nation which is usually allowed to enter two or three teams. They consist of up to five players, four of whom are regular players, and one is a reserve. Until 2008, there were two reserves.

In the first editions, each team played all other ones, but over the years this became impractical. It was in 1976 that a Swiss system of 11 rounds was adopted, as in most open individual chess tournaments. The teams must designate a player for each board from 1 to 4 (usually the strongest on board 1 and the weakest on board 4, but this is not mandatory) and the four games are played simultaneously to determine which country wins the match.

The first criterion for determining the tournament's final ranking is the so-called match points. Teams get 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss. The final score of each match (e.g. 4-0; 3.5-0.5; 3-1; etc.) is a tie-breaker.

Since 1976 there is also a separate women's competition, held at the same time and place as the open event, with the two tournaments forming the Chess Olympiad. 

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3.3 - Champions

As you can see from the table above, in 44 editions of this competition, the USSR won about two-fifths of them, a truly impressive record. If we add to this the six titles won by Russia, which was the largest of these republics, the three won by Armenia, the two won by Ukraine, and the recent triumph of Uzbekistan, we can say that they got a gold medal in more than two-thirds of the tournaments played (30 out of 44).

This proves that the investment in chess and the fact that the sport is so deeply rooted in the culture of these countries is undoubtedly worthwhile. The excellent results achieved show this discrepancy between them and the rest of the world, especially in the last century. However, it's worth noting that the last title won by Russia, considered to be the most powerful chess nation, came more than 20 years ago, in 2002.

Recently, the United States and China have emerged as the main favorites, although their high ratings are not always reflected in their performance on the board. As for the future champions, I have my own predictions, which will be shared soon in this same article.

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PART 4 - MY OPINION

4.1 - About the Chess Olympiad

It will come as no surprise to my closest friends that I simply love the Chess Olympiad! An event that brings together the strongest players from all over the world, playing in the same venue and proudly representing their country, is something amazing to watch. I recognize that since chess is an individual sport, the FIDE Candidates or World Championship matches are tournaments of greater importance, but a team competition will always be my favorite to follow.

Whether the IOC should include chess in the Olympics is something I will discuss in topic 4.3, but I would never be happy if the current FIDE Olympiad ceased to be held. I'm already counting the days until September 10th and cannot wait to cheer for our chess heroes from New Zealand, Germany, Brazil, and Spain. (To know why, read this blog).

The format is also good in my opinion and I see no reason to change it. The only open question is who should get the individual medals on each board. That is, whether it should be decided by the number of points scored, as in the past, or by the rating performance, as since the last edition. But apart from this detail, the rest works perfectly for my taste.

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4.2 - Predictions for the 2024 Chess Olympiad

Check out the team's composition.

Before starting with my silly predictions, let me remind you that I am just a lover and not a chess analyst, so please do not take my guess as something serious or extremely well-founded. Anyway, I must start with the most favorite to win, which would be India. How can we bet against such a team? They are counting on Arjun Erigaisi, the 4th ranked player in July 2024, along with world title contender Gukesh, and Candidates players Vidit and Praggnanandhaa.

The USA team, still seeded #1 by the ratings average, is of course not to be ruled out and will certainly be the strongest threat to the favorites. They've had some disappointing performances lately, but if Caruana, Wesley So, and Aronian can play their best chess, their opponents should tremble. Despite being ranked #3, I don't have too much faith in the Chinese team, considering the recent exhibitions of their star player Ding Liren.

If I had to choose countries that could surprise us, I would say Uzbekistan, the current champions led by a great young generation, or even Armenia, who despite not having the strongest players, somehow always have great performances at Olympiads and maybe can fight for a place among the best again.

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4.3 - Should chess be included in the Summer Olympics?

What can I say here? It seems pretty obvious that chess is still somewhat of a "niche" sport and doesn't have enough fans worldwide to justify a mandatory presence at the Olympics. However, this is also true of many of the other sports that are included, so that's not what would make me against it.

As a big chess fan, it's natural that I would like to see the best in the world competing for Olympic medals in Paris 2024 and beyond. But we should also recognize that there is a downside. In an environment as dynamic as the Olympics, with so many different competitions going on at the same time and competing for people's attention, a classical chess game, which can last more than five hours, would surely be a low priority for viewers and broadcasters.

So, in my opinion, the ideal would be a rapid (or rapid & blitz) tournament of about five days maximum, with just 20 or 30 players, preferably the best in the world, of course, but respecting the rule of having representatives from all continents. Whether it would be a success from the IOC's point of view is a good question, but I'm sure the chess community would love it.

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PART 5 - CONCLUSION

5.1 - What can we expect for the future?

Sincerely, I am optimistic that chess will be included in the Olympics in the near future, given the recent boom in popularity. Let's remember that until the 2010s, online streaming was not something so widespread and it was certainly very difficult for the main TV networks to show a game that is considered rather slow and not so dynamic compared to other popular sports. Not to mention a live audience at the venue, as it's impossible to get thousands of people around a table to watch a chess game.

Today, however, with the possibility of live streams and simultaneous events being shown on different Internet channels of the viewer's choice, it is much easier to reconcile this dilemma and broadcast a board game without losing the audience of the most watched sports such as basketball, tennis or athletics.

As for the traditional Chess Olympiad, I hope that it will not become extinct, but will coexist with a chess competition in the Summer Olympics. If I had to guess the main favorites for future editions, it would not be so different from what I said earlier, so I consider India, the USA, and Uzbekistan to be the main contenders, but we never know, and surprises are always welcome.

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5.2 - Acknowledgements

First of all, thanks to you for making it this far. I hope you enjoyed the content and learned more about the relationship between our beloved chess and the Olympic Games. The last few posts on my blog have been very entertaining-focused, which I know some readers like, while others prefer something more serious. So, this time I wanted to offer you a more informative article that I thought might be useful and related to an event that is in the news.

I would also like to express my hope that chess can be part of the Olympics in the future, perhaps already in 2028, which I'm sure would bring even more visibility to the sport we love and could encourage more people to join our community.

And of course, a huge special thanks to my friend @llsu who helped me with the thumbnail, and my dear mate and great judoka Leticia (@PokeGirl93) for giving me the tip on Jakob Schubert, since I had trouble finding a third athlete who plays chess. For those who don't know, the only reason she's not in the Olympics is because the organization and the other competitors thought it would be unfair and unexciting for someone to win so easily.