Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 44th Chess Olympiad here on Thursday, with the marquee event being hosted by India for the first time.
Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi, Chief Minister M K Stalin and Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur among others will be present during the opening ceremony at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor stadium in the city.
Modi said he was looking forward to being in the city for the inauguration of the event.
”This is a special tournament and it is our honour that it is being held in India, that too in Tamil Nadu, which has a glorious association with chess,” the PM tweeted.
The tournament will feature three Indian teams each in the Open and women’s events. The legendary Viswanathan Anand will not be playing but will be seen in the role of a mentor to the players.
The Olympiad has captured the imagination of the chess-lovers and general public alike and the Tamil Nadu government has gone all out to promote the showpiece event.