Grandmaster Vishy Anand is expected to travel to New Zealand for the torch ceremony. Photo: Johansen, Carina / NTB via AFP
New Zealand has been given a special role ahead of the Olympics of Chess, the Chess Olympiad.
The biennial competition is set to take place in Budapest, Hungary next month.
This year's 45th Chess Olympiad is celebrating 100 years since the governing body of chess competitions, the World Chess Federation (FIDE), was created.
To mark the momentous occasion, FIDE has chosen New Zealand to represent Oceania in a global torch relay.
The Olympiad torch has arrived in New Zealand from Kazakhstan, for a special ceremony in Auckland on Sunday.
Several high-ranking chess officials will attend the ceremony, put on by the New Zealand Chess Federation, including Grandmaster Vishy Anand.
New Zealand Chess Federation vice president Paul Spiller said it was significant for New Zealand to be recognised by the global chess body.
"This is a very exciting event for New Zealand chess. It's a rare occasion for New Zealand to get a visit from a deputy president of FIDE and also a former five-time world champion, Vishi Anand, who is a very popular sporting figure in India.
" [Anand] is certainly attracting a lot of interest. People are coming from all over New Zealand to hear him."
New Zealand Chess was sending two teams of five to compete in the Olympiad's open team and women's team events. The competition was expected to be stiff, with a record 3000 players from across the world participating.
Since the pandemic and the release of Netflix's The Queen's Gambit, Spiller said chess had grown in popularity, particularly among young people.
"Chess benefitted from the pandemic when people couldn't participate in other activities, but could go online and play chess. The Netflix series no doubt popularised chess as well and it has become a young person's game."
He said there were now more opportunities in chess than ever before.
"There's more chess in the news these days, there are more tournaments, and there is more money involved. Chess is now seen as a career opportunity. Not only playing, but being arbiters, photographers and chess coaches."
Most of New Zealand's Olympiad players were under the age of 22.
Sixteen-year-old Felix Xie, who had been playing chess competitively since he was eight, was one of the youngest players representing New Zealand at the competition. Xie said competing in the 2022 Olympiad in Chennai, India when he was just 14 was one of his proudest achievements.
"The first time I competed I was quite proud of that. Even though I didn't have the greatest tournament, it was a really proud moment to be all the way in India representing New Zealand."
He was pleased to see chess gaining popularity among his peers.
"It's great more people are getting into chess. It's not just a board game you play with your grandpa - it really makes you think."
He was looking forward to meeting Anand at the torch ceremony this weekend and the opportunity to take part in the upcoming Olympiad.
People can watch the Olympiad from 10-23 September live on [www.FIDE.com FIDE's website].
