The 44th Chess Olympiad that kicked-off on 27th July to 10th August 2022 in Channai has attracted two thousand five hundred (2,500) delegates drawn from two hundred (200) countries who are taking part in this year’s event.
Lamin Jammeh, head of The Gambia Chess Federation (GCF) confirmed that his delegation had safely arrived at the Olympiad city of Channai.
According to him, Vice President of GCF, Mass Jeng will be among the voting delegates for both the FIDE Congress and the Africa Chess Federation Congress, noting that he would be participating in training of trainers that will pave the way for him to become the national trainer for the country.
He disclosed the 10 players are expected to compete in different categories of events, adding that the male players include Jalamang Jallow, Ebrima Bah, Ousainou Garba, Joseph Dalia and James Riley, while the females players are Ida Njie, Ya Basin Mboob, Sirra Jallow, Hoja Jallow and Fatou Jabbie.
He expressed gratitude to the Gambian community in India for organising a culture tour of the city for him and inviting them for lunch.
Mass Jeng, Vice President of The Gambia Chess Federation, said Gambian players are in good spirit and determine to hoist the Gambian flag higher among participating nations. He added that the national target for his association is Grant Master status as well as to position the country as a powerhouse of Chess in the world.
"Even though, we were late to partake in the previous events, our players did extremely well to earn us the status of Candidate Master and FIDE Master. This time around we arrived early, prepared well and expecting much better results.”
He highlighted that the global event will not only give players the opportunity to compete and improve on their performance but will equally avail them exposure and recognition. According to him, it is also an opportunity for the GCF top delegates to network and establish contacts with other Federation counterparts with the view to promoting the culture of Chess in the country.
He concluded that the ultimate goal of The Gambia Chess Federation is to develop Chess in the country thus taking it to another level.
