The 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai, India, set to start on the 29th of July, will be the most prominent chess gathering of the year. The historical participation records are updated with 189 teams registered for the Open and 162 in the Women's section.

With your help, we're looking forward to making this Olympiad not only the biggest in numbers but also the most elegant. We are happy to announce that the most stylish teams wearing the best uniforms will get special awards.

With hundreds of players from all over the Globe, Chess Olympiads are a celebration of diversity and friendship, putting FIDE's motto "Gens Una Sumus" ("We are one family") in the spotlight. Every Olympiad has plenty of media attention, with photographers' shutters heavy at work every day - the perfect setup to showcase your national colours and cultural features.

At the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, the athletes' uniforms have long become an eye-catcher, with state-of-the-art outfits for teams created by the likes of Ralph Lauren and Armani, along with sportswear giants. Recent Chess Olympiads have also boasted of attention-grabbing team uniforms and individual outfits, and we hope that Chennai will reinforce this forming tradition.

We are also glad to announce that we will install a special photocall in Playing Hall 1, near the entrance to the VIP zone. We expect all teams and players to pass by it and have a professional headshot taken. These headshots will be used for the FIDE ID profiles, so we recommend not to miss this opportunity!

Photo: David Llada and Alina L'Ami