India gets ready for its first Chess Olympiad; PM Modi to be in Chennai to inaugurate

New Delhi, July 28: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the world’s biggest chess event – the 44th International Chess Olympiad – at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on Thursday. It will is scheduled to take place from July 28 to August 10 at Poonjeri village in Mamallapuram

 

 

"I am looking forward to being in Chennai for the inauguration of the 44th Chess Olympiad at 6 PM tomorrow evening. 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," PM Modi tweeted ahead of Chess Olympiad.

 

 

On July 28, CM MK Stalin will share the dais with Prime Minister Narendra Modi for kick off this mega event. Ahead of the inauguration ceremony, Tamil Nadu CM inspected the venues of the Chennai Chess Olympiad in Chennai — the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium and Poonjeri in Mamallapuram where the event would be conducted and reviewed the arrangements being made for it.

 

In view of PM Modi’s visit, the Greater Chennai Police have put in place a five-tier security arrangement and have deployed 22,000 personnel. Flying of drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles has been banned in the city limits on July 28 and 29 under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

 

Apart from this, BJP will be looking forward to set its footprints on a large scale in the South with the help of the world’s biggest chess event - the 44th International Chess Olympiad

 

Speaking about the Chess Olympiad in India, the former world champion and one of Chennai’s own, Viswanathan Anand, could not hide his excitement. “I have never seen the city so excited about chess. I was so happy to see the bridge painted black and white and I am sure that everyone in the city would know about the Chess Olympiad,” he said.