Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 44th Chess Olympiad at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on 28 July. ,
The Tamil Nadu government is all set to give a boost to the much-awaited event which will see over 2000 participants from 200 countries.
Preparations for the 44th Chess Olympiad have revamped Chennai at several key venues and the theme of chess is in vogue. The mascot of the event is a horse in a white shirt and a white vest. The image of the mascot has been used widely across the city to greet people with the lines “Namma Chennai, Namma Chess”.
Security has been tightened and a five-tier security arrangement has been made for the Prime Minister’s visit. 22,000 police personnel have been deployed in the city for security purposes. Drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles are banned from flying within the city limits on 28 and 29 July.
The Prime Minister will inaugurate the Chess Olympiad on 28 July and attend the convocation ceremony of Anna University College of Engineering, Guindy on 29 July.
As a curtain raiser for the Chess Olympiad opening ceremony, the Olympiad torch rally was held from the Presidency College grounds to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on 27 July. The torch was brought to this event by his Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand of Chennai. to the stadium.
“The whole experience of bearing the torch in 2001 when I came back as a world champion was an amazing ride through the city. It was one of my most cherished memories and it was even better. It was even longer and Many people greeted me by buses etc,” Viswanathan Anand said.
On the occasion of Chess Olympiad, 28 July has been declared as a holiday for Chennai, Chengalpet, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur.
The arrangement of the event has also received appreciation from the players. “Best Olympiad Playing Hall,” praised Spanish chess GM Francisco Vallejo.
Spanish GM Francisco Vallejo Ponce also praised the fast track process for exiting the airport. He took to social media and wrote, “Just arrived at a hotel in Chennai. It’s 5 in the morning. Maybe I’ll find something to complain about haha, but so far, everything is absolutely wonderful. All the volunteers and Incredibly warm welcome by the staff, fast immigration lines to the Olympiad, the fastest hotel check I’ve ever had. Really glad to be here, now it’s up to me not to forget too many pieces) and my To enjoy 10th!! #ChessOlympiad as a player.”
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