It’s official! Chennai is all black & white. The city is all set to host the 44th Chess Olympiad today and everybody is talking about it. From the swanky anthem launched by music legend AR Rahman to the Chief Minister MK Stalin making a guest appearance, the stage is set for the opening night of the biggest chess championship.
#ChessChennai2022 ♟is bringing the world to our Chennai. I am honoured to have had the opportunity of composing the anthem for such a truly international event. https://t.co/0vaJUMRTBB— A.R.Rahman (@arrahman) July 21, 2022
The chief guest for the event is yet another reminder of the scale of the event. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be inaugurating the event. PM Modi tweeted his excitement for the tournament.
I am looking forward to being in Chennai for the inauguration of the 44th Chess Olympiad at 6 PM tomorrow evening. This is a special tournament and it is our honour that it is being held in India, that too in Tamil Nadu, which has a glorious association with chess.— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 27, 2022
No event in Tamil Nadu is complete without a tinge of Rajinikanth. Last week, the superstar hosted a superstar guest – Indian chess grandmaster Praggnananandhaa R. Rajinikanth wished the young grandmaster the best for the big night. Praggnananandhaa R shared pictures of the meet.
A day to remember!!! Met @rajinikanth uncle today with my family! Inspired by his humbleness despite reaching great heights! #Respect #Magizchi pic.twitter.com/Xfg2XUg5RD— Praggnanandhaa (@rpragchess) July 23, 2022
The Chess fervor is now all over the city. The city’s iconic Napier Bridge turned chess board to mark the event.
Aerial night view #napierbridge @chennaichess22 #VanakkamThambi #ARRahman????#chessolympiad #chennaichess @FIDE_chess @mkstalin @CMOTamilnadu @arrahman #ChessOlympiad @chennaicorp @Grandmasters @bbctamil @THChennai @polimernews @behindwoods #NammaChennaiNammaChess pic.twitter.com/Ma0PS3Wwhn— dr_vijaybalaji (@DrVijaybalaji) July 27, 2022
Yesterday, Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin inaugurated a 45 feet sculpture and inspected the venues for the 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad at Mamallapuram. Stalin also interacted with players and wished them luck ahead of the big opening.
உலகு போற்றும் தமிழர் பண்பாட்டின் அடையாளமான விருந்தோம்பலை #ChessOlympiad2022 கலந்துகொள்ளும் பன்னாட்டு பங்கேற்பாளர்களுக்கு வழங்க மாமல்லபுரத்தில் மேற்கொள்ளப்பட்டுள்ள பணிகளை மாண்புமிகு முதல்வர்@mkstalin அவர்களுடன் இன்று ஆய்வு செய்தோம்.@katpadidmk @evvelu @thamoanbarasan @SMeyyanathan pic.twitter.com/yYaeJPmHf1— Udhay (@Udhaystalin) July 27, 2022
The mascot for the event is ‘Thambi’ and huge cutouts of the ‘Thambi’ poster were put up across the city including at metro stations.
With Thambi at Marina beach. @rpragchess @adhibanchess @arjunkalyan555 pic.twitter.com/PjPp3EUeyn— Ramesh RB (@Rameshchess) July 27, 2022
The venue for the Chess Olympiad is Mahabalipuram – about 60 kilometers from Chennai and is spread across 44,000 square feet with hundreds of chairs setup in huge halls. This is the first time India is hosting the event. India is seeding second in the open segment, fielding six teams, three teams in the men category and three in the women’s category. Top-seed USA and third-placed Norway are expected to give India a tough challenge. There is optimism that India would bring home the Gold this year as India shared the gold medal in last year’s Chess Olympiad with Russia.
READ FULL STORY: Mamallapuram’s Tryst with Chess as the Best in the World Come to Town
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