44th Chess Olympiad: From chess-board painted bridge to musical anthem and chess knight mascot, how Chennai has prepared to welcome the world

From painting the Napier bridge to look like a chess board to having a chess knight mascot Thambi dressed in all-white cultural clothes (veshti-sattai), and a video anthem by renowned music composer and songwriter AR Rahman featuring CM M K Stalin, Chennai went all out to welcome the world for Chess Olympiad 2022.
Street art of the 44th Chess Olympiad mascot- Thambi

Image Courtesy: International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess)

Photo : Twitter
Chennai: The 44th Chess Olympiad will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai today, July 28. A torch rally as a part of the Chess Olympiad was also carried out in the city on Wednesday evening.
This is the first time India will be hosting the Chess Olympiad which will start from today, July 28, onwards in Mamallapuram and go till August 10. In the international tournament, 349 teams from 187 nations will be a part of this Olympiad, breaking previous records of participation.
Chennai is welcoming the world with open arms. From painting the Napier bridge to look like a chess board to having a mascot Thambi dressed in all-white cultural clothes (veshti-sattai), and a video anthem by renowned singer and music producer AR Rahman, let's have a look at some of Chennai's popular efforts to promote the Olympiad-
-The iconic Napier bridge in Chennai was painted in chess board colours (Black and white checks)to promote the Chess Olympiad 2022. Looking like a chess board, the bridge was a major attraction amid the Olympiad preparation in the city.
-A video anthem was released to welcome participants from all over the world. In the video, A R Rahman and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin can be seen walking along the chess-board painted Napier Bridge, humming the tunes of the anthem. Both the personalities were dressed in all-white, surrounded by Bharatanatyam dancers in black, resembling the pieces on a board.
The teaser of this video which says "Welcome to Chennai" was launched by South-Indian superstar Rajnikanth.
-And then comes the major attraction Thambi. Tamil Nadu launched the official logo and mascot, a chess knight called Thambi. Dressed in the all-white veshti-sattai just like the CM and AR Rahman in the video, Thambi sculptures and graffiti can be seen everywhere in the city, welcoming the world to Chennai.
The International Chess Federation recently shared the street art of Thambi on their Twitter handle.
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