Chess was an unofficial exhibition sport at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) supervised two matches between Viswanathan Anand of India and Alexei Shirov of Spain, which took place in the Sydney Olympic Village.[1][2] Matches were held in a fast chess format, with each player having 30 minutes total playing time.[3] Both games ended in draws.[3]
The International Chess Federation was recognized by the IOC in 1999.[4] Chess has not featured at an Olympic Games before or since 2000, though it was included in the 2023 Olympic Esports Week run by the IOC.[5]