Baku ready for 42nd Chess Olympiad

A press conference dedicated to the 42nd Chess Olympiad has been held at the Baku Crystal Hall. In Opening remarks at the press conference, the press officer of the Baku Chess Olympiad, Sanan Shafizade, provided brief information about the Olympiad participants.

Then remarks were made by Minister of Youth and Sport Azad Rahimov. The Minister said expectations were quite high for the Azerbaijan men’s and women’s teams. Azad Rahimov said that it was a positive development that Azerbaijan was hosting such a prestigious tournament. “The fact that the Chess Olympiad is held in Azerbaijan is a very positive phenomenon. I have attended several Olympiads before. I believe that the Baku Olympiad will overtake all previous Olympiads for the level of organization. Chess is an intellectual game. The progress observed in Azerbaijani sports in recent years is undeniable, and chess has played a special role in that.”

The next speaker was the president of the Azerbaijan Chess Federation, Elman Rustamov. “The day we have been waiting for has finally come. I would like to express my gratitude to the Organizing Committee. A lot has been done to conduct the competition at the highest level. As the final outcome of all this hard work, I can say that Azerbaijan is fully ready for hosting the Olympiad,” he said. Elman Rustamov added that President Ilham Aliyev was constantly monitoring preparations for the Olympiad. “The Chess Olympiad is being held in Azerbaijan on the initiative of President Ilham Aliyev. Azerbaijan is one of the countries that has contributed extensively to chess. Our country has hosted a number of important tournaments in recent years. We have gained tremendous experience in these competitions. The Chess Olympiad is the summit of all competitions in this sport. We are confident that this tournament will be organized at the highest level.”

Elman Rustamov said expectations were quite high for Azerbaijani teams participating in the Olympiad to do well. “Everyone is aware of the results our teams have achieved in the past. Our men have been European champions twice. Our women also have some achievements. We hope to achieve a good result this time as well. Home walls should be of some help. Our teams prepared for the Olympiad in accordance with a plan. All the problems of our sportsmen have been resolved. Trainings have been organized at the highest level. Foreign coaches have been involved in the training process. We do hope to see fruition of all this hard work. Ratings and personal skill are extremely important in chess. Azerbaijan has the most fashionable and beautiful team of the tournament. We can already see that. We expect a result commensurate with our team’s potential. We can’t aim for a specific place. The Ministry and the Federation have done everything possible for the chess players. We wish our sportsmen good luck.”

“In 2014, the World Chess Olympiad Organizing Committee was set up by an order of President Ilham Aliyev. Mr. Yagub Eyyubov was appointed its chairman. From the very first day, he has been doing his best to organize the competition at the highest level,” said the director of the Baku Chess Olympiad Operating Committee and Vice-President of the Azerbaijan Chess Federation, Mahir Mammedov.

He said the Baku Chess Olympiad would set a new record for the number of participating countries. “The venue of the event, the Baku Crystal Hall, is a unique facility. A total of 176 teams will compete in the open section. This is a record. In addition, a FIDE Congress will also be held in Baku, bringing together a total of 183 countries. There will be 146 teams in the women’s section.”

Mahir Mammedov said visa regulations for visitors to Azerbaijan had been simplified. “People have already started arriving in Baku. Everything is being done at the Heydar Aliyev International Airport to meet our guests. Visas were a serious issue, but President Ilham Aliyev issued an order to simplify this procedure. At the same time, a system of electronic visas has been introduced. This has helped us issue visas to a large number of visitors in advance.”

Mahir Mammedov said guests would be accommodated at 12 hotels. “A total of 12 hotels have been allocated. A lot of attention is being paid to the accommodation and catering of sportsmen. The issue of security at the Baku Crystal Hall is also in the spotlight. More than 500 volunteers have been engaged. The opening ceremony will be held on 1 September. We invite the entire chess community to the opening ceremony. The opening ceremony will also be attended by FIDE officials. The first round will begin at 15:00 on 2 September. We wish all chess players good luck. Members of the Organizing Committee have worked day and night to organize the Olympiad well. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has contributed to this cause.”

Asked what result was expected of our teams, Mammedov said, “In sport, it is impossible to achieve a result to order. Chess is rather specific. In most cases, home walls don’t help the players a lot. True, there have been exceptions. For example, Vugar Gashimov won the 2008 FIDE Grand Prix held in Baku, while Shakhriyar Mamedyarov won the latest Shamkir Open. We look forward to all our teams doing well in the Olympiad. In the latest Olympiad in Tromso, our team was in the lead for a long time, but eventually tied for 2nd-5th places. Although this is the best result in our chess history, we did not view it as a success. We are aiming for top three places in the Baku Olympiad. It is impossible to win to order in chess. We also have high hopes for our women. The training sessions were well organized. Renowned experts have been involved in the training. Our women have always performed better than their rating suggests. We are hopeful that this will happen again.”

Mahir Mammedov also spoke about security matters during the Olympiad. “Modern chess is faced with a serious problem. Special measures are being put in place to prevent this. Security officers will pay special attention to people entering the playing hall. No chess player can enter the playing hall with a watch, a pen, an electronic device or a notebook. Spectators can’t enter the playing hall with a mobile telephone. Electronic devices will not be allowed. All players have been verified against the FIDE list.”

Mammedov said that people should not put psychological pressure on sportsmen. “It is not necessary to stress time and again that we need a medal. Our chess players have been involved in a series of training sessions. We should not put psychological pressure on them to finish first. They know what they should do. We treated the issue of dividing our women into two teams very seriously. We have paid attention to the recent successes of Gunay Mammadzada and Aydan Hojjatova. Nargiz Umudova and Turkan Mamedyarova also deserve to be on the first team. We hope that our second team will not be inferior to the first. Interestingly, all three members of the Mamedyarov family will play on first boards in their teams.”

The director of the Baku Chess Olympiad Operating Committee said a lot had been done for the comfort of spectators during the Olympiad. “The mascot of the Olympiad, Chess Mate, is very popular among our people. We have created a hospitality zone where various Azerbaijani regions will display some of their features. There is an analysis zone in the exhibition hall. The analysis will be provided in three languages. People can listen to the analysis via headphones. In addition, there is a chess café and a children’s area. Around the Crystal Hall, we have organized the sale of souvenirs. In other words, we are doing our utmost for the chess fans.”

Closing remarks were made by the chief arbiter of the Baku Chess Olympiad, Faig Hasanov. He said Azerbaijani arbiters had also worked hard to prepare for the Olympiad. “Azerbaijan will be represented by 30 arbiters. Seminars for chess arbiters have been held for these people for three years. They have also been involved in a number of competitions abroad. The last seminar is due tomorrow. Azerbaijan was represented by 10 arbiters in the previous Olympiad. Now this figure has risen to 30.”