 |  Seychelles at 38th Chess Olympiad - 13.11.2008
SEYCHELLES is being represented at the 38th Chess Olympiad in Dresden, Germany, by a 14-member delegation.
The chesslers on the team are Arnold Mein, Dericka Figaro, Andry Accouche, Lalatianna Accouche, Douglas Accouche, Marianna Eulentin, Keith Vital, Kurt Meier, Peter Meier, Flora Meier and Shirley Annette.
They are accompanied by Seychelles Chess Federation chairperson and coach Benjamin Hoareau, Rachelle Hoareau and Bernadette Mein.
The tournament comprises 11 rounds (per day) and is played on a team basis of four players on one team (2x team total).
Two special rules are being implemented in Dresden. The first says that no draws will be allowed before move 30 of a game. And the second, more radical, says that all players must be present at their boards at the starting time of each round. Anyone who is not there when the clocks are started will be immediately disqualified.
Organised by the City of Dresden, the German Chess Federation (DSB) and FIDE (International Chess Federation), the tournament started yesterday and will end on Tuesday November 25.
During the Olympiad, there will also be the 79th FIDE Congress from November 17-25.
More than 2,000 chesslers are competing at the Chess Olympiad. With 152 registered nations, Dresden surpasses by seven the total of 145 countries represented at the previous Olympiad in Turin, Italy in 2006.
There are a total of 275 teams, 156 in the main tournament, including a second German team, teams for the deaf, blind, and correspondence chess players. In the women's section, there are 119 teams.
The Chess Olympiad is the sporting event with the second largest number of competing nations worldwide after the Summer Olympic Games. | 
