Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, his spouse Mehriban Aliyeva and family members attended the opening ceremony of the 42nd World Chess Olympiad in Baku.

The opening ceremony was held at the National Gymnastics Arena.

Azerbaijan’s First Deputy Prime Minister Yaqub Eyyubov and President of the World Chess Federation (FIDE) Kirsan Ilyumzhinov made speeches at the event.

President Aliyev declared the 42nd World Chess Olympiad open.

It is noteworthy that 176 countries have been registered to participate in the 42nd World Chess Olympiad. As many as 181 men’s and 142 women’s teams will compete for championship in this event in Baku.

The 42nd World Chess Olympiad will have a record number of participants. Moreover, this Olympiad will become the largest scale event for Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan will be represented by three teams in the event. The Olympiad, to be held at Baku Crystal Hall, consists of 11 rounds. The first round will be held Sept.2. The Olympiad will end Sept.13.