You may be wondering, why have you travelled all the way to Georgia, south of Russia, to attend the Chess Olympiad? You are not an official player, you are not an official arbiter, you are not an official delegate – so why take the time away to go? Well that is easy! Let me tell you why!
1. Chess Community
People involved with chess instantly become a community of friends. We see that in the Adelaide Hills, the Campbelltown library chess club and the wider (South) Australian Chess Community. The same applies for the chess community around the world. We have made some fantastic friends over the years and the Olympiad brings them all together. It is a great way for us to catch up with chess friends from everywhere.
2. Seeing the world
Who doesn’t love to travel the world? It is healthy to plan a break regularly and take time out from your day to day activities so that you can recharge. These Olympiads take us to some amazing places every two years. We often take a week before the Olympiad start to discover the sites, before we settle in to report on the chess Olympiad.
3. Learning from the greats
Surrounding yourselves with the best, will allow you to grow and become a better person. Always try and learn from people that have already walked the path or are more experienced. At the Olympiad we learn every day, not just from the players, but also from the photographers, the reporters and the supporters. It allows us to see how others do things and how we can improve to make chess back home even better!
4. Promotion of Australian Chess
Chess is a big deal around the world. Many have made playing the game their profession. There are arbiters that travel from tournament to tournament and of course there are many professional chess reporters. Australia is only at the beginning of their journey, with the amount of GM’s doubled in the last few years and the amount of coverage about the Australian players growing. We are here to assist that growth and help wherever we can to promote Australian chess.
5. Promotion of Junior Players
We love seeing the young legends rise to the top of their abilities. The Australian junior players have been showing us they have what it takes, it is just a matter of time. In fact, this year’s Open team for Australia is one of the youngest the country has seen playing. However, they are not alone, there are hundred and thousands of amazing young chess players around the world. We will showcase some of them, so you can be inspired and continue to follow your dreams.
As you can see there are lots of reasons to attend the Olympiad. The chess community is a great community to be part of and we are proud to be able to represent Australia as official press. In fact, we recommend that you one day plan a trip to an Olympiad just to experience the atmosphere!
