Chess Olympiad: PM Narendra Modi torch relay for the first time ever

India's first ever Chess Olympiad Torch Relay has announced on Sunday at Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi. PM Narendra Modi took the initiative to launch the historic torch relay for the 44th Chess Olympiad. This event will be held in Mahabalipuram near Chennai from July 28 to August 10.

Torch Relay, which is a part of the Olympic tradition, was never done in the Chess Olympiad. But now, this Torch will make bond with the Chess Olympiad for the very first time. India will be the first ever country to take the Torch Relay.

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Many sports personalities like, FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich , Indian Chess king Vishwanathan Anand and sports minister Anurag Thakur were present in the opening ceremony of the Torch Relay. FIDE President handed over the Torch to the PM Narendra Modi, who gave it to Vishwanathan Anand.

Firstly this Torch will be taken to 75 cities in a span of 40 days. Chess Grandmaster of every state will receive the Torch. After that, this Torch will be taken to the final destination, which is Mahabalipuram, Chennai.

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Some of the 75 cities are- Leh, Srinagar, Jaipur, Surat, Mumbai, Bhopal, Patna, Kolkata, Gangtok, Hyderabad, Bengaluru.

The International Chess Body, FIDE has instituted the Torch Relay for the very first time. India will be the country, who will host this prestigious event. The country is super excited to witness this historic event.

Narendra Modi Tweet about this event. He said, "At around 5 PM, the torch relay for the 44th Chess Olympiad will be launched in Delhi. This is a special programme for a variety of reasons. It is for the first time that a Chess Olympiad Torch has been instituted. It is also the first time India is hosting this competition".