The 44th International Chess Olympiad will be held in Mamallapuram, Chennai, from July 28 to August 10. More than 2000 players from 187 countries are participating in the event. Special arrangements have been made by the Tamil Nadu government to welcome the players. In addition, 2000 rooms with modern facilities and parking arrangements have been made for the accommodation of players, journalists, the International Chess Federation and guests.
A government order was subsequently issued on July 28 to grant a local holiday to the four districts of Kanchipuram, Thiruvallur, Chengalpattu, and Chennai exclusively, excluding the offices of other government agencies, schools, and colleges, as well as departments that offer critical services. To make up for the holiday, the fourth Saturday has been designated as a workday.
The event is also going to be a star-studded affair. Several Kollywood biggies, including Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Thalapathy Vijay and Ajith Kumar, have been invited to participate in the competition as special invitees. And that is not the only Kollywood connection.
The Tamil Nadu government has released the theme song Vanakkam Chess Chennai to welcome the participants, spectators and guests of the chess tournament. Directed by Vignesh Shivan, the theme song is composed by AR Rahman. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and Tamil Nadu chess players have featured in the song.
The well-known Napier Bridge, which was constructed earlier to span the Cooum River in honour of the Olympiad, has a chessboard-inspired paint job. Music Maestro AR Rahman released a video for the song Welcome To Namma Ooru Chennai while he was standing on this bridge. The bridge connecting Madras university and Theevu Ground is a famous landmark of Chennai.
