Scheduled for July 20, those in attendance include the International Chess Federation (FIDE) President Arkady Dvorkovich as well as chess Grandmasters Viswanathan Anand of India, Vladimir Kramnik of Russia, Levon Aronian of Armenia and Hou Yifan of China - the latter being regarded as the best active female chess player in the world.

The event will be attended by the UN and Government officials as well as stakeholders and will be broadcast live by the UN as well as on FIDE's YouTube channel.

It aims to provide a platform to discuss the capabilities leveraged by chess in supporting social cohesion, equality and inclusion with a focus on COVID-19 recovery.

International Chess Day was formally recognised by the UN General Assembly in December 2019 with a resolution that acknowledges the opportunities offered by chess for social inclusion and peace.

In a statement the UN said: "Throughout history, games and sports have helped humanity to survive times of crisis by reducing anxieties and improving mental health.

"While the coronavirus outbreak has forced most gaming and sports activities to scale down, chess has demonstrated remarkable resilience, adaptability, and very strong convening power in time of the pandemic.

"Over the past few months, the overall interest in chess is reported to have doubled, with more players than ever coming together to participate in chess events that are being increasingly held through online platforms."

FIDE has celebrated International Chess Day every July 20 since 1966, marking the date when FIDE was established during the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris.