PM Modi to inaugurate 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai on July 28

This metropolis and the ancient town of Mamallapuram are getting ready to welcome over 2,000 chess players from across the globe for the 44th Chess Olympiad which is likely to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 28.

Tamil superstar Rajinikanth on Friday released a video teaser for the Chess Olympiad being held in India for the first time. The teaser titled ‘Welcome to Namma Ooru (Our City) Chennai’ directed by filmmaker Vignesh Sivan features Chief Minister M K Stalin and legendary music composer A R Rahman.

The state government is sprucing up the coastal town, which also played host to a high-profile informal summit between PM Modi and visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping in October 2019, and organising a slew of events across the state by roping in school students.

The gala inauguration ceremony will be held at the sprawling Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in the heart of Chennai on July 28 – a scintillating cultural feast including dance performances and a concert by popular musicians will enthrall the audience. The state government has requested PM Modi to inaugurate the event with sources saying the Prime Minister has accepted the invitation.

With Stalin indisposed due to Covid-19 infection, a delegation comprising senior parliamentarians T R Baalu, Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, and Chief Secretary V Irai Anbu will meet PM Modi on July 19 and hand over the formal invitation on behalf of the Chief Minister.

Mamallapuram, known for its magnificent architecture of the famed Pallava Kingdom, will play host to the 44th Chess Olympiad from July 28 to August 10, after the international event was shifted out of Russia due to its offensive against Ukraine.

Over 2,600 rooms, mostly sea-facing, in luxury resorts that dot the scenic East Coast Road (ECR) connecting Chennai with Mamallapuram, have been booked for the Chess Olympiad.

The event will be held at Four Points by Sheraton – a sprawling and luxurious resort on the ECR just outside Mamallapuram – while players and delegates will stay at high-end hotels like Taj Fisherman’s Cove, Sheraton Grand, Radisson, and Intercontinental among others, sources told DH.

The state government has made elaborate arrangements for the conduct of the chess event. It has constituted 18 Working Committees headed by senior bureaucrats and Director General of Police Sylendra Babu to oversee the preparations for the world championship.

The committees include transport, sponsorship, hospitality, media and publicity, security, food, medical services, electricity, and organising school chess events. Since this is the first time that India will be hosting the world championship, the Tamil Nadu government is pulling all stops to ensure that event is successful.

Mamallapuram is one of the top tourist destinations in Tamil Nadu attracting lakhs of foreign tourists every year. The magnificent Shore Temple, Arjuna’s Penance, one of the Group of Monuments declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, Krishna’s Butterball, and Five Rathas are major tourist attractions in the coastal town.