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After the conclusion of the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, another world sports event will take center stage… at least in the chess world. The 36th Chess Olympiad tournament will begin in six weeks and hopes to surpass the Bled Olympiad record of 135 participating nations. This will prove to be an exciting year for many teams as Viswanathan Anand will hold down board #1 for India. In the past, Anand has opted not to play in the Olympiad, but with his inclusion (and an already formidable side), India may easily vie for a top-five spot.
As usual, Russia will field a strong team with Garry Kasparov on board #1 and perhaps Alexander Morozevich on second. Vladimir Kramnik will be playing Hungary's Peter Leko in the long-awaited match toward unification. Other contending teams will be the Ukraine, Hungary with rising nations such as China and India in the hunt for gold. In other news, IM Watu Kobese will man top board for South Africa after sitting out the past two Olympiad tournaments. Barbados IM Kevin Denny will also return from a hiatus to lead the "Ragin Bajans" to perhaps their strongest team yet.
Stay tuned for Drum coverage of the 36th Olympiad!!
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