They improbably defended their Turin title; Georgia wins womens

Chess between 7 and 83

Chess players are no back numbers. The computer has found the way into the lives of the players:

The president of Armenia visits the Chess Olympiad

Organizers Pleased With Olympiad. As their work ends, time for reflection

Highest-rated player two matches from regaining title

The Chess Olympiad 2012 will take place in Turkey

Former World Champion is never short on words

Teams beginning to look at standings more closely

Sisters Mira and Sanja Dedijer are called „the happy chickens“ or rather „veseli koka“ by their team mates from Bosnia & Hercegovina and other insiders. Why that?

They held the title for much different periods

Suddenly a cold draft waved through the breakfast room of the Westin Bellevue Hotel. Carmen de Jager, fourth board of South Africa's women's team had opened the door to check the aggregate state named snow which she had never touched before.

GM Dominguez and dad of GM Carlsen discuss recent successes

Kareen Jalaluldeen from Iraq

Canada has come to the olympiad with a men’s and women’s team. The North Americans are usually having their meals together. They agreed to some talking before during lunchtime before the seventh round started.

Armenia surprised the chess world at Turin, 2006 with a golden performance. After seven of 11 rounds in Dresden, they did not sneak up on Russia, but were still too much even in an underdog role.

Despite a busy February for GMs Gata Kamsky and Veselin Topalov, managers of both players have arduously hammered out the details at the Chess Olympiad in Dresden. According to Silvio Danailov, Topalov's long-time manager, the contracts were signed today.

Batkhuyag Munguntuul – first board player for Mongolia

Fresh Faces and Old Warriors Leading Teams. Grandmasters of different generations taking over on first board

One of the first players I saw at this year’s olympiad was Sweden’s grandmaster Slavko Cicak. When asking him to attend the press conference at day one he passed that over to his team mate Tiger Hillarp Persson. But after the round on day four Slavko agreed to an interview.

In the 20th anniversary of the Seoul Summer Olympics, South Korea sends two squads to the Olympiad for the first time.

Spanish Grandmaster Alfonso Romero Holmes has come from Spain specially to see the Chess Olympiad in Dresden. He has been 5 times olympic player with Spain, he has been the director in chief of the magazines Jaque and Gambito, and the owner of the prestigious Publishing House Editorial Chessy, and organises chess tournaments.

As Olympiad approaches the half-way mark, teams look to distance themselves from the peloton

24-year old Mira Dedijer is playing third board for Bosnia & Hercegovina in her second olympiad. There are certainly a lot of female players which raise men’s attraction and Mira is one of those for several reasons.
Grandmaster Borki Predojevic is 21 years old and playing board two for Bosnia & Hercegovina. He lives in Sarajevo and Teslic where he originated from.

Husband-Wife Duos Abound at Olympiad. As marriages meld in Dresden, players have two games to worry about.

The final turnout of the participants of the Chess Olympiad is now set. “Replacement or new nominations are not possible anymore”, says Werner Stubenvoll of the Technical Administration Panel (TAP).

A trio of GMs never leaves home without their passports as they hopscotch over international borders

On the morning of the third round I ran into the Icelandic team coaches Sigurbjon Bjornsson (men) and Omar Salama (women) in the lobby of the Westin Bellevue Hotel when they delivered their team lineup. They agreed to give an interview and we sat down nearby.

It is remarkable to see how the city of Dresden come together to make the 38th Chess Olympiad a huge success.

There are 146 teams representing 144 nations at the 2008 Dresden Chess Olympiad. However, some women did qualify to play in the Open team.

Top-level teams mostly took care of business in the open draw in round two; several team in the women's division were upset.

The early bird catches the worm? Or win the point? I was surprised to see Bulgarian grandmaster Kiriel Georgiev entering the dining hall at 7:45 on the morning of the second round. Chessplayers are not known for getting up early. Actually he was not the first one as Sergey Fedorov of Belarus already had a seat at the round table in the Westin Bellevue Hotel. After hesitating for a moment Kiril agreed to an interview during breakfast.

Chinese Trio Lets Their Play Do the Talking; Olympiad Drawing Huge Crowds Online

Those who haven’t been fortunate enough to qualify for the finals of the Germany Cup can sign up for one or more of the collateral tournaments taking place during the Chess Olympiad 2008. No matter what nation, gender or playing ability one has, whether one is organised in a chess club or just playing chess for fun - everyone who loves playing chess is welcome!

„Chess“ has been an important topic in Dresden for a long time already but since 12th November it is on eyeryone’s lips. That night, the 38. Chess Olympiad was officially opened at ice pavilion Freiberger Arena with an impressing and diversified programme.

GM Tiger Hillarp Persson (SWE) as the current Swedish champion was asked whether he can choose to play or not. He answered "unfortunately not - it is strictly up to the team captain to decide".

Now everybody can follow the Chess Olympiad - without even being in Dresden! It was about time, but now the Chess Olympiad finally has its own TV channel where you can watch matches, highlights, interviews and portraits 24 hours a day.

The journalist and writer Guenter Wallraff is one of the Ambassdors of the Chess Olympiad Dresden 2008. In the course of his undercover research projects he discovered his fascination for the strategic game: “During the past years I have been challenged and chevied, mixed up with campaigns and at the same time in the dock. Chess, throughout all this time, has given me tranquillity and endurance; in a game I hop everything behind and leave into another world.  With chess, I have created a calming port in my life, a certain lifeguard. With it, I experience true moments of joy.”

The Olympiad Ambassador Wolfgang Uhlmann was guest at the 11th International Fair for Business Real Estates in Munich on 6 October 2008 to promote the Chess Olympiad Dresden. During an internet blitz match against German junior talent Arik Braun visitors gathered around the presentation booth of the City of Dresden.

650 hours prior to the Chess Olympiad the „Blue Wonder“now also flys the flag of the event in Dresden. On all four towers of the famous Dresden landmark the official Olympiad flags were hoisted this month. After the City Hall, which is decorated with the supersize Olympiad banner, the 150 year old Blue Wonder Bridge now, too, visually promotes the international tournament.

„Black and White Stories“ featured at the „Prague Night” in Dresden
25.10.2008 6:30 to 1:00 pm 

Dear FIDE Members,

The Organizers have sent out via e-mail the official invitation letters to all Federations which requested the letters at our database or via e-mail already weeks ago. Due to the fact that the Chess Olympiad will start in 29 days we would like to call special attention to the Visa application at the respective German embassies!

This question must have concerned the prospective floristry masters of the floristics training course FM 19 at the Dresden Institute for Floristics when they received their assignment task for this year’s master project.

On the occasion of the „Long Night of Sports“ on 27 September 2008 in the Dresden city center the new official image poster of the Chess Olympiad, which thanks to the Co-Sponsor Stroeer will be visible all over the country from Tuesday onwards, was presented to the public.
 

152 federations in the Chess Olympiad 2008
Historical mark of number of participants in Chess Olympiad
 

During the Chess Olympiad not only grandmasters make their moves on the board. Parallel to the Olympiad matches all chess fans have the opportunity to become part of the event by getting involved in one of the many collateral tournaments. Read more for further information.

Saxony welcomes the Chess Olympiad
Nation partner VNG jumps on board

Felix Magath and Artur "Atze" Brauner campaign for the Chess Olympiad

Event though the Chess Olympiad 2008 is in the spirit of chess, Dresden, as cultural metropolis, also offers an ample cultural framework programme.

Those who wish to give themselves over to the royal board game may do so by participating in the numerous collateral tournaments of the Olympiad. In the weeks from 12 to 25 November 2008 open, senior, family and tandem tournaments will take place, Moreover, ...

Sarrasani to be Cultural Partner of the Chess Olympiad 2008
Trocadero Dinner-Variétheater Dresden opens 23 October 2008

André Sarrasani and the Sarrasani Trocadero Dinner-Variétheater Dresden are to become cultural partners of the Chess Olympiad Dresden 2008. An according agreement was signed between Chess Olympiad manager Jörn Verleger and the magician Sarrasani in the course of the latter’s summer party. Sarrasani also was supporter of the opening ceremony of the European Chess Championships in 2007.

We talked with Loek Van Wely about Dresden and the chances of the Dutch team during the multicultural tournament in November.

If the Dutch top player will be nominated at all is still open. As second, Van Wely worked with Kramnik. Topalov and Kamsky. Loek is facing the same problems than his colleague Ivan Sokolov who is eligible to play for the Dutch team. 

Interview with Shakryar Mamedjarow, Vassily Ivantschuk and Sarunas Sulskis.

In a group of four we continue our talks with the top players of the upcoming Olympiad. Besides Vassily Ivantschuk, Ukranian number one player and recent world ranking number 4 with Elo 2781, we met Shakryar Mamedjarow (2742 / 8) and the fugleman of Vasilly, Lithuanian Sarunas Sulskis (2562).

Chess Olympiad 2008: Russia sending the strongest team of all times

„Russia, lead on by world championship candidate Vladimir Kramnik, will participate in the Chess Olympiad with the strongest team ever to take part in a team competition“ announced First Mayor of the City of Dresden, Dr. Lutz Vogel, welcoming the Board of Trustees of the Chess Olympiad 2008.

Cooperation contract wrapped up – Musical „Chess“ premiere nearly sold out

With a resolute hand shake Wolfgang Schaller, director of the Dresden State Operetta, took on the challenge and opened the chess match against mayor Winfried Lehmann. “It stands out that the State Operetta seized the municipal suggestion and supports us in such a preeminent way regarding the cultural field“ states Lehmann excitedly while actress Nadine Eisenhardt in the musical starring role watches both protagonists at their game.

ORWO Net to become Co-Sponsor of the Chess Olympiad

Photo service provider ORWO Net presents book and calendar for the Chess Olympiad. Mayor Winfried Lehmann welcomed ORWO Net GbmH CEO Gerhard Köhler in Dresden Tuesday for the contractual agreement and thanked him for the engagement by the company from Bitterfeld-Wolfen: “The photo books and the calendar are an ideal extension of our product range concerning the Chess Olympiad. A strong partner like ORWO Net is always attractive for such a big sporting event as the Chess Olympiad.“

DGT becomes official supporter of the Chess Olympiad Dresden 2008

CEO of the Chess Foundation GmbH, Jörn Verleger, presented one more supporter of the Chess Olympiad. The Dutch enterprise DGT Projects BV is manufacturer of chess clocks and boards and long-time partner of the world chess association FIDE. In autumn, DGT will supply the required traditional chess equipment for the collateral tournaments of the Olympiad free of charge.

Chess has contributed its part to every era of cultural history. The character of the game made it popular for royal dynasties. For centuries, people have been portrayed playing the game of chess, chess materials exist in every possible color and shape. With new media of the 20th century numerous new ways of expression have been added. Chess is sung, heard, danced, felt, painted, photographed, shaped and visualized.

Self-evidently, we make great efforts to offer a well-balanced cultural programme. Here you find an overview of cultural and artistic events during the Chess Olympiad.

Ignatius Leong compliments City of Dresden for her preparations

Ignatius Leong, Chief Arbiter of the Chess Olympiad and General Secretary of the world chess association FIDE, surprised journalists at a press conference Tuesday, 03 June 2008.”We will have considerable renewals regarding the regulations in the 2008 Olympiad in Dresden,” the man from Singapore declares. For the first time, federations have to nominate their candidates until the fixed date of 12 September 2008.

FIDE has also completed the list of international arbiters to be appointed for the Chess Olympiad. Read here who makes ist way to Dresden.

German Olympiad arbiters announced

Deputy Chief Arbiter of the Chess Olympiad Dresden 2008, ISR Klaus Deventer, has published the list of German arbiters nominated for the tournament. Among them are 13 with an international license, like Deventer himself. They are from all over Germany, except for Bremen and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern all states are represented – some more, some less. All well-known first and second German league arbiters are in.

As the Dresdner Neueste Nachrichten, media partner of the Chess Olympiad Dresden 2008, reports in today’s issue, the tenth world champion of chess history, Boris Spasski, will visit Dresden during the Chess Olympiad. He was very happy to receive an invitation from the mayor of the City of Dresden.

The complete interview in German can be found here.

Bulletin 1 contains all vital information for registration, accomodation and dates

The City of Dresden, the German Chess Association and FIDE have officially invited all member federations to participate in the Chess Olympiad Dresden from 12 to 25 November 2008. Worldwide, all national federations were given the invitation in form of the ‘Bulletin 1’ 6 months prior to the event.

Deutsche Bahn offers reduced fare tickets for visitors of the Chess Olympiad
Throughout the whole country for only 89,- Euro round trip

Chess fans can now look forward to a cheap and comfortable visit of the Chess Olympiad in Dresden. The Deutsche Bahn (German Railways enterprise) provides a special ticket for the duration of the Chess Olympiad from 10 – 27 November 2008, valid for a German wide round trip.

Roadshow to take off in KaufPark Nickern
Kick-off event for tour around Saxony on 29 May 2008

The as „Roadshow“ entitled tour of the organizing office of the Chess Olympiad 2008 through various well-known Dresden shopping malls will be launched May 29. At the KaufPark Dresden Nickern the Chess Foundation GmbH will promote the great chess event of November over the duration of three days and will animate shoppers to visit the Chess Olympiad by presenting an attractive (chess) programme.

Second youth dance project of the Dresden State Operetta
„Johann Georg Palitzsch“ school and Bertolt-Brecht highschool students excitedly looking forward to the Chess Olympiad

„It is an immense pleasure for the Dresden State Operetta to bring dance, music, theater and professional artists closer to more than 100 Dresden students for the second time already!“ launches the director of the operetta theater, Wolfgang Schaller, the press conference at the stage premiere of the project „Chess Fever“.

They come from the cities of Berlin, Hamburg and Dresden, but also from Graz (Austria), Pano Lefkara (Cyprus) and St. Petersburg (Russia) – the volunteers of the Chess Olympiad Dresden 2008. If you would also like to join the team got to online registration.