Wednesday, July 27, 2022

44th Chess Olympiad (Signs)


The 44th Chess Olympiad is taking place at Mamallapuram, near Chennai, on the ECR. The chess tournament will be officially inaugurated tomorrow (28 July) in the presence of Prime Minister Mr. Modi and Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Mr. MK Stalin in Chennai Nehru Stadium. The preparations for the tournament began weeks ago, and the Tamil Nadu government is doing everything possible to ensure the success of the Chess Olympiad. 

The event is actually taking place in a village called Poonjeri on the outskirts of Mamallapuram; the government has erected a large stadium/auditorium to host the event, and all the participants from 187 countries have been housed in several resorts in Mamallapuram. To put it simply, the stretch from Chennai to Mamallapuram has been in a celebratory mood, and it is expected that many people will visit during the chess tournament or at least to view the preparations for the event. 

I, too, would like to see the event advertisements and the Thambi, The Knight, the official mascot of the 44th Chess Olympiad, who is touring Tamil Nadu, particularly Chennai. But, due to the unfinished rainwater storm project and health difficulties, I couldn't get out of the house. 

The Thambi, which meant "Little Brother," was designed to emphasize Tamil Nadu culture. The knight wears the traditional garb of dhoti and shirt, and perhaps the brown horse accentuates the South Indian tone (dusky or brown), and the mascot's general dressing style mimics the Chief Minister's, which may have derived from his appearance. 

The Napier Bridge, also known as the Iron Bridge, is another landmark in Chennai that has been completely painted as a chess board (to commemorate the 44th Chess Olympiad); it has also become a shooting spot, with people taking selfies and videos on the bridge.

I hope the event was a huge success and India won the battle so that history will remember it. Images courtesy Google.

Something to know about the Chess Olympiad: The first Olympiad was unofficial! An attempt was made to incorporate chess into the Olympic Games for the 1924 Games, yet, this failed due to difficulties distinguishing between amateur and professional players. The first unofficial Chess Olympiad took place in Paris at the same time as the 1924 Summer Olympics. 

Every two years, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) organizes the tournament and chooses the host nation. This time their choice was India!

10 comments:

Tom said...

...I don't play chess, but my son does. The Napier Bridge is amzing.

George said...

This sounds like an amazing event for our area. I hope everything goes well. The bridge is absolutely fantastic.

Bill said...

The Napier Bridge looks incredible especially with the motor cyclist riding on it. Great photo, Jeevan.

carol l mckenna said...

Fascinating post on the chess event ~ always wished I had learned to play chess ~ namaste ~


Seeing the good in each moment, or trying anyway

A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)

Kirtivasan Ganesan said...

Hey Jeevan, forgive me once again. I shall strive to control anger.
My ELO is about 1600.
Keep playing chess app in your free time.
Best wishes for 44th chess olympiad.

Nancy Chan said...

Hubby play Chinese chess and I don't play chess at all. Must be an exciting time looking forward to the opening and start of the Chess Olympiad. Fantastic bridge.

ashok said...

Nice to see that you have captured the event in your blog.

eileeninmd said...

Hello Jeevan,
The chess event sounds nice. I love that bridge.
Take care, enjoy your day and the new week ahead.

Twilight Man said...

Wow! Chess tournament is such a big event until your PM Mr.Modi supports it. Great.
The Napier Bridge looks stunning!

Nux V said...

the bridge is definitely a crowd puller!