Chennai, India (CU)_ Celebration mode is on in Chennai and the entire city looks balck and white. The city is hosting the 44th Chess Olympiad. During the opening of the world’s largest chess championship, the event was launched with a snazzy anthem by music legend AR Rahman. Additionally, the other distinguished guests who graced the occasion were Prime Minister Modi, Chief Minister MK Stalin, actor Rajinikanth and other prominent guests.
The event’s distinguished guests are another indication of its magnitude. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the grand event. He also tweeted his joy for the competition. In Tamil Nadu, no occasion is complete without a touch of Rajinikanth. Last week, Rajinikanth held a superstar guest to the Indian chess grandmaster Praggnananandhaa R and wished the young grandmaster the best of luck for the big game. Praggnananandhaa R posted some photographs from the meeting on social media.
Chess fever is currently widespread throughout the city. To mark the occasion, the city’s famed Napier Bridge was transformed into a chessboard. Ahead of the tournament at Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin unveiled a 45-feet sculpture and toured the venues for the 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad. Before the grand opening, Stalin also met with the participants and wished them success. The tournament’s mascot is “Thambi,” and massive banners of the “Thambi” poster were placed throughout the city, including in metro stations.
The location for this year’s Chess Olympiad is Mahabalipuram, which is located around 60 kilometers from Chennai and is stretched out across 44,000 square feet with hundreds of seats set up in enormous rooms. India is hosting the tournament for the very first time. India is seeded second in the open section and is fielding six teams, three men’s teams and three women’s teams. The topper United States and third ranked Norway are likely to be the tough competitors to India. In the 2021 Chess Olympiad, India shared the gold medal with Russia; hence, there is confidence that India will win the Gold this year.
