Today the 38th Chess Olympiad starts in Dresden, Germany. There will be 152 federations participating and this is a historical mark of number of participants in an Olympiad. ChessVibes will bring daily coverage.

Dresden is most probably hosting the largest Chess Olympiad of all times. After the final closing of the registration on 19 September 2008 more than 2000 active participants ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú players, captains, arbiters, delegates, officials and ?¢‚Ǩ?ìothers?¢‚Ǩ? ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú have announced their attendance in the tournament from 12 to 25 November 2008.

With the 152 registered federations Dresden outbids the last Olympiad of Torino with seven additional nations. Participating federations apportion to 275 teams of which 156 in the open and 119 in the women's section, including the second German team and IPCA, IBCA and ICSC equips.

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For a complete list of players and teams, and all other statistics, please check the Chess Results website - highly recommended.

After the Olympic summer games, the Chess Olympiad is the largest sporting event regarding numbers of participating federations worldwide. With record-breaking figures the expectations also grow: in addition to the players the International Congress Center must host arbiters, organizers, officials and volunteers plus hundreds of visitors each day. Among all federations, Russia remains favorite when it comes to title aspirants even though nearly all stars of the chess world will be present.

Dresden also makes history in respect of playing regulations. Thus, the autumn tournament has received the nickname ?¢‚Ǩ?ìReform Olympiad?¢‚Ǩ? thanks to numerous rules changes. Among others for instance that players will immediately lose their match if not present on the board at the time of the beginning of the match. Also, draw agreements are not allowed before the 30th move.

Venue
The playing venue is the International Congress Center in Dresden. Floor plan:

(Click for bigger version or download in PDF)

During the Chess Olympiad not only grandmasters make their moves on the board. Parallel to the Olympiad matches all chess fans have the opportunity to become part of the event by getting involved in one of the many collateral tournaments. There will be a Senior Tournament, a Tandem Tournament, a Tournament for Hearing impaired and Deaf, a Family Tournament, an Open Tournament, an International Youth Camp, the Deutschland Cup and daily Blitz Tournaments.

FIDE Congress
Dresden will also be hosting the annual FIDE Congress. From 16 to 26 November 2008 more than 200 delegates and representatives of the FIDE member federations are expected to attend the meetings of the General Assembly and the Commissions and Committees.

16 November 2008: Arrival
17 November 2008: FIDE Committees & Commissions
18 November 2008: FIDE Committees & Commissions
19 November 2008: FIDE Committees & Commissions
20 November 2008: Executive Board Meeting
21 November 2008: Executive Board Meeting
22 November 2008: Continental Meetings
23 November 2008: FIDE General Assembly
24 November 2008: FIDE General Assembly
25 November 2008: FIDE General Assembly
26 November 2008: Departure

Chess Olympiad TV
Just like with Foidos in Bonn, the Olympiad in Dresden is providing a way of following the Olympiad through streaming internet tv: "Now the Chess Olympiad finally has its own TV channel where you can watch matches, highlights, interviews and portraits 24 hours a day.

To view Chess Olympiad TV you need a Windows-based computer (Vista or XP), an updated version of Windows Media Player and a 2Mbit download Internet connection. To download the player use this link and be first in line for the big launch shortly after the opening ceremony on Wednesday."

ChessVibes TV
Naturally we will be covering the biggest event of the year on a daily basis. During the last six rounds, from 18 to 25 November, ChessVibes will be providing on-the-spot coverage right from the venue in Dresden, Germany!

Links:

• Official website
• Chess Results website