Russia, Ukraine set for another 'battle' & it is on Indian soil

AT a time when the world is witnessing an ugly war in Ukraine orchestrated by Russia over months, a small coastal town in India could witness yet another ‘battle’ between the two countries – in the field of chess.

While Mahabalipuram near the southern Indian city of Chennai will host the Chess Olympiad starting late July, voting will take place on the sidelines of the tournament to elect the chief of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), the international apex body for chess.

In the election, current FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich, who is also a former deputy prime minister of Russia, will be challenged by Ukrainian Grandmaster Andrii Baryshpolets, who unveiled his plan to contest the election in May.

Besides the Russian and the Ukrainian, two other contestants are in the fray and they are -- Bachar Kouatly, a current FIDE vice president and Inalbek Cheripov from Belgium.

While Moscow has found itself cornered on several global platforms because of its adventure in Ukraine, Dvorkovich still looks strong to win another term in FIDE. The reasons being chess’s rise in times of the Covid-19 pandemic and the FIDE’s efforts to ensure that the game’s calendar didn’t get disrupted in times of challenges.

While India has refused to condemn Russia over its aggression in Ukraine, it has found itself in close proximity with the Russians as Dvorkovich has announced that former world champion Viswanathan Anand, one of the most celebrated names in Indian chess, would become the FIDE’s deputy president if he wins the election on August 7.

Recently, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi was seen inaugurating a torch relay for the Chess Olympiad in the presence of Dvorkovich and Anand.

Against Anand, who believes that the game has changed for the better under Dvorkovich, is his former coach Peter Heine Nielsen, who also coaches the current world No.1 Magnus Carlsen.