The 42nd Chess Olympiad was opened with a solemn but highly entertaining ceremony, held at the Baku National Gymnastics Arena, attended by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, the President of the World Chess Federation (FIDE) Kirsan Ilyumzhinov and other delegates, world chess champions as well as various state and government officials.
Players, captains and delegates of the 176 participating federations filled the National Gymnastics Arena to enjoy a wonderful evening.
The President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, declared the 42nd Chess Olympiad open.
The artistic part of the opening ceremony featured some remarkable visuals, paired with several dancing sequences that captivated the audience
Former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik and Women’s World Champion Hou Yifan joined the Chief Arbiter Faik Gasanov on stage for the drawing of colors.
Videos by Vijay Kumar and Susan Polgar
