With 44th Olympiad a week away, Tamil Nadu is going to town with chess

For Tamil Nadu, the world these days revolves around 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. The black-and-white boxes are ruling the state much like the board game that is a passion for its people.

In the capital city of Chennai, the streets are painted black and white, and so are the bridges, in celebration of the mind sport these colours – the darkest and the lightest of the spectrum –represent. Across the city, life-size cutouts of a horse, dressed in a white dhoti and a white shirt and christened “Thambi” (Tamil for “little” or “younger brother”), welcome everyone to the gala event that’s just a week away: the 44th Chess Olympiad.

Photo credit: Shine Jacob

The town of Mamallapuram, 40 km south of Chennai and a Unesco World Heritage Site for its 7th- and 8th-century sanctuaries carved out of rock along the Coromandel coast, is gearing up to host the mega event between July 28 and August 10. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the Chess Olympiad.

Both Mamallapuram and Chennai are now dotted with cutouts of Thambi, the official mascot, and with slogans such as “Namma Chess-Namma Perumai (Our Chess-Our Pride)” and “Idhu Namma Chennai, Namma Chess (It’s our Chennai-Our Chess)” in Tamil and English.

“Chess is a passion for Tamil Nadu,” said Rahul Nath, the collector of Chengalpattu district, where the town of Mamallapuram is located. In the run-up to the event, he said, “we are doing a lot of renovation work and are widening the roads. Beautification work is also on at the monuments of Mamallapuram to match international standards.” The state government, he added, is organising the inaugural and closing ceremonies.

The story of how Mamallapuram came to be the venue began far away from Indian shores.

Photo credit: Shine Jacob

The Chess Olympiad was earlier scheduled to be held in Russia. But after Russia invaded Ukraine in February, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) started looking for an alternative venue. An opportune message to FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich from All India Chess Federation’s (AICF’s) Bharat Singh Chauhan turned the attention to India.

By March, the country had been finalised as the venue. And after tough competition from Gujarat and Delhi, Tamil Nadu won the right to host the world’s biggest chess event.

Chief Minister M K Stalin extended support by setting up a panel of top civil servants in the state to ensure the Olympiad went off smoothly. The state also sanctioned Rs 92 crore for it.

“We got only three months to prepare. Everything was done on a war footing. At this point, 95 per cent of the preparations are over,” Nath said.

Marketing an Olympiad

Photo credit: Shine Jacob

Tamil Nadu has gone to town with chess – and how. The Napier Bridge now resembles a chess board. The Marina Beach has huge Thambi cutouts wherever you look, and so do all tourist destinations. A sizeable number of state transport buses are wrapped in vinyl posters, showcasing Tamil Nadu’s love for the game. Torch rallies and other marketing programmes are being organised. Why, even superstar Rajinikanth has been roped in: he released a teaser video for the Chess Olympiad.

Schools and colleges are conducting special chess tournaments. And school students who win district-level competitions will get a chance to watch the Olympiad in person.

The Chess Olympiad will be held at two venues at the Four Points by Sheraton Mahabalipuram. Around 3,000 police personnel will be deployed for security with some 2,500 players from 187 countries expected to be in town for the event. India will mark its presence with three teams of five players each.

“On July 24, a rapid trial tournament will be held at the venue to ensure there are no technical glitches,” said Anantharam R, vice president, Tamil Nadu State Chess Association. “Four-star and five-star accommodations are ready for the players at the Old Mahabalipuram Road and East Coast Road.” He added that 107 foreign and 90 Indian arbiters would be involved for the smooth conduct of the game.

On event days, green corridors will be created on Old Mahabalipuram Road and East Coast Road so that the contingents reach the venue from their hotels without a hassle. 

Nath said that 21 hotels and 250 buses are ready for the players and accompanying dignitaries. FIDE benchmarks mandate high standards of accommodation, player security and venues that meet global parameters.

“This will be a big boost for Indian chess as our youngsters will get to see top global players at the hub of Indian chess,” Indian Grand Master Neelotpal Das said. “It is after two years that chess will be played over the board (in a physical avatar). Since India will have three teams, we have a strong chance of winning medals as well.”

Board moves

• Tournaments to be held at two venues at the Four Points by Sheraton Mahabalipuram
• 3,000-odd police personnel to be deployed
• 2,500-odd players from 187 countries to participate
• India will have three teams
• On July 24, a rapid trial tournament to be held at the venue to ensure there are no technical glitches
• 107 foreign and 90 Indian arbiters to be involved
• 21 hotels, 250 buses ready for players and accompanying dignitaries