It was Russia which was supposed to host the 44th Chess Olympiad and the state government of Tamilnadu grabbed the opportunity of hosting the biggest chess event in the world as soon as the Russians lost the chance due to their invasion into Ukraine. State government of Tamilnadu left no stones unturned to get the opportunity of hosting the event and the result is, players and authorities from several countries has been expressing their admiration over the reception and infrastructure they were provided.

On seeing the arrangements that are made in Chennai for the 44th Olympiad, Spanish Chess Grandmaster Francisco Vallejo hailed the Olympiad Hall in Chennai saying that it looks like the best one he has ever seen and elaborately praised the organizers for giving him the best ever experience.

That looks like the best Olympiad playing hall ever ! #ChessOlympiad2022 pic.twitter.com/XYXuuqucNv

— GMVallejo (@Chessidharta) July 26, 2022

The Chess Olympiad is being held in Chennai for the first time and the tournament is going  to take place in Mamallapuram. Players from over 187 countries are participating in the Olympiad with three Indian teams each in the open and women’s sections. Prime minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the event at the Nehru Indoor Stadium on 28th of July in the presence of Tamil nadu chief minister MK Stalin while the matches will begin from 29th July and ends on 10th of August.

To get the opportunity of hosting the event, State Government was pretty much fast in making decisions, said the officials of All India Chess Federation (AICF). While Bharat Singh Chauhan, secretary of AICF said that took the Tamilnadu government just a few hours to decide on hosting the prestigious 44th Olympiad at Mamallapuram near Chennai.

The World Chess Olympiad is taking place in the birthplace of chess! It’s a momentous occasion for India.

Wishing the entire Indian contingent & everyone taking part all the very best for the tournament. #ChessChennai2022 #ChessOlympiad

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) July 27, 2022

Bharath Singh Chauhan had to movie really fast to bring the event to India for the first time as Poland and Uzbekistan were looking to host the event keenly. It is notable that the event didn’t take place anywhere in Asia for the past 30 years.

The AICF secretary was invited to visit Chennai on the same day after he reached out to the Tamil nadu government, considering it as one of the potential states to host the event. The State bureaucracy worked at top speed and Mamallapuram was pitched as a venue, says reports.

Tamil nadu chief minister MK Stalin freed up his schedule to meet with Chauhan the next day and gave his nod to conduct the event in the state. “Decision making of the state government was very fast” the AICF officials said after they received a formal letter from the state government by 4 PM on the same day.

Painting the Napier Bridge in Chennai in chess colours is such powerful symbolic gesture that the city is welcoming the FIDE Chess Olympiad 2022 with open arms!#chess #chessbaseindia #chessolympiad2022 #chennaichess pic.twitter.com/WKRrNtvmnr

— ChessBase India (@ChessbaseIndia) July 23, 2022

International Chess Federation got impressed after witnessing the beaches and resorts of Mamallapuram. After an initial recce, they approved the venue in early March. The Tamil nadu government and AICF had just little over 4 months to execute the event. To conduct the Olympiad, the state government sanctioned Rs. 92 crore of budget. It deployed 37 IAS officers across departments to oversee and ensure that everything was done to create the necessary infrastructure for the event.

The state government also came up with an idea of unveiling “Thambi”, The mascot for the 44th Olympiad and started creating a publicity blitz around the event. Academy award winning music director A.R Rahman was roped in to compose the chess anthem with director Vignesh Shivan directing the song that featured Chief minister MK Stalin, actress Adhithi Shankar and A.R Rahman.

Not just in Chennai, the publicity was made across the state with roads and bridges being painted like a chess board. Hoardings and banners promoting the event were erected across the state. Chess competitions were held in 38 districts and the winners got the opportunity to witness the Olympiad live.

The hall which is going to have the maximum number of boards was constructed in just 40 days. On July 29, all 700 boards are expected to be in action. 3000 people will land in Chennai and it includes 1400 players. The players started arriving to the city and they were accommodated in 30 plus hotels in an around the venue. AICF officials, after seeing the arrangements made by the state government, said “It is great to have a host like Tamil nadu” and were confident about staging a flawless event.

Source : The Hindu