Chess stars and officials gathered in Paris on International Chess Day – July 20 – as the chess world marked the centenary of the founding of the International Chess Federation (FIDE)

FIDE officials, including President Arkady Dvorkovich, Deputy Chair of FIDE’s Management Board Dana Reizniece-Ozola (who also heads the FIDE100 celebrations), FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky and FIDE Director for Chess Development Nigel Short, along with former world champions Vishy Anand, Zhu Chen, Alexandra Kosteniuk, and a host of other renowned players and chess officials from France and around the world, met in Paris for the central ceremony celebrating 100 years since the founding of FIDE.

On International Chess Day, FIDE also launched its Guinness World Record attempt for the most games played online and over-the-board in 24 hours. Over 109 national federations and major online chess platforms took part, with almost 350 events globally.

“This is a memorable day for the entire chess world. Our organization is among the oldest sporting bodies in the world. Over the past 100 years, FIDE has been the central driving force for the development of chess globally, and that remains one of our organization’s key goals. Today, we are not celebrating just the centenary of FIDE. We are also celebrating human strength, creativity, and innovation, which the chess world has been demonstrating since its early days,” said Arkady Dvorkovich, President of FIDE.

The celebrations started on the morning of July 20 with a walk to the historic 9th Arrondissement (City Council), the place where FIDE was founded in 1924. The guests – including representatives from nations who participated in the 1924 event – signed a replica of the original Memorandum of FIDE. From there, the guests proceeded to the famous Montmartre Cemetery where, among many well-known people from history, lies the final resting place of the great Alexander Alekhine (world champion between 1927-1935 and 1937-1946) and the founder of FIDE Pierre Vincent.

The guests then gathered at the Chateau de Asnieres, an 18th-century palace on the banks of the Seine, for a simul hosted by world champions as well as the official opening of the book “Chess Players, from Charlie Chaplin to the Wu-Tang Clan,” a collection of images of chess players from the last 130 years.

The central celebration of the day was the FIDE100 Torch Relay, which has been traveling the world for several months now, celebrating chess and creating a symbolic link between FIDE and the Olympic spirit. The ceremony took place at the Chateau de Asnieres, with the guests and FIDE officials welcoming the torch.

“I am delighted that we are having the Torch Relay ceremony in Paris, just a few days before the start of the Olympic Games. Throughout the year we have had celebrations across the globe – from India, to Africa, North and South America, places in Europe and now in Paris. The Torch Relay isn’t over, nor are our celebrations. We plan more events, including the Chess Olympiad in Budapest, and I am looking forward to all of them,” said Dana Reizniece-Ozola, who has been in charge of organizing the celebrations globally.

Photos: Niki Riga