That the All India Chess Federation (AICF) put together a Chess Olympiad in four months is testimony to its organisational skills. The preparation for the next edition of this biennial event usually starts as the previous one winds up but this had to happen in a hurry. Hosting a Chess Olympiad is nearly as complicated as hosting the Olympics. The host must accommodate 2,500 players, delegates, coaches, etc., and this edition is the largest ever with 350 teams from 187 nations. This meant coordination between the state and Central governments, finding sponsors, evaluating venues, arranging accommodation, plugging in the bandwidth