FIDE World Amateur Chess Championship kicks off in Rhodes
The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically affected many areas of life, including chess. Some tournaments were either cancelled or postponed; other ones were held in the online format. The 2021 Rhodes Chess Festival, featuring one of the first over-the-board World Championship in nearly two years, is a big step towards returning to joyful normal life after the pandemic. The Rhodes Chess Festival organized by IO Nikos Kalesis (GRE) includes several events: the 2021 FIDE World Amateur Championship, the 16th IBCA Olympiad, the 2021 IBCA Congress, the 44th World Chess Solving Competition, and the 63rd World Congress of Chess Composition. The festival was only made possible due to FIDE's strategic vision and imitative, its affiliated member IBCA (the International Braille Chess Association), local organizers, and Greek regional and municipal authorities that made sure players could meet face-to-face adhering to the strictest health protocol FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich sent t