In the historic building of the National Assembly of Serbia players from all continents, FIDE officials, members of the Serbian government, chess celebrities and guests gathered to inaugurate the first-ever Chess Olympiad for people with disabilities

The Serbian National Assembly building is a majestic and breathtaking structure. It has been the epicentre of many historic decisions and events which shaped Southeast Europe and, this evening, it was a place where new pages of chess history were written. The International Chess Federation (FIDE) and the chess world have come together to in recognising the importance of chess in helping people with disabilities to overcome their challenges and achieve their full potential.

In the central hall of the Assembly building, usually reserved for presidents, Prime Ministers, monarchs and politicians, the chess world – represented by about 150 admirers of the game, from various backgrounds and cultures – took centre stage.

The ceremony began with a short video about the previous important events in chess history tied to the capital of Serbia (once, Yugoslavia); to name a few: the days when all top world players and champions in the second part of the 20th century often played in the city, to the huge crowds gathering at the Palace of Unions (which sits just diagonally across the Assembly building) where the first match USSR vs The Rest of the World took place in 1970, to the Fischer-Spassky match in 1992. The video was subtitled and there were also sign language interpreters for people hard of hearing.

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