Chess players in Tamil Nadu are gearing up for the 44th Chess Olympiad. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will declare the grand inauguration programme being organised at JLN Indoor Stadium, Chennai on Thursday. Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur will also grace the event. Earlier today (July 28), Superstar Rajinikanth on extended his greetings by wishing the best of luck to the many contestants who will be participating in it. 

He took to his official Twitter handle and posted an undated photograph of him playing chess and appearing completely immersed in it. It read, "#ChessOlympiad2022 An indoor game I love the most … wishing all the chess minds the very best .. god bless ". Check it out: 

#ChessOlympiad2022 An indoor game I love the most … wishing all the chess minds the very best .. god bless. pic.twitter.com/nVZ8SU51va

— Rajinikanth (@rajinikanth) July 28, 2022

The Prime Minister also launched the first-ever Chess Olympiad Torch Relay at the Indira Gandhi National Stadium in New Delhi on June 19. The torch travelled to 75 iconic locations in the country for over a period of 40 days, traversing close to 20,000 kilometres and culminating in Mahabalipuram before it heads to the FIDE Headquarters, Switzerland.

The sporting event will be held in nearby Mahabalipuram, about 50 km from here from July 28 to August 10. It is being held at the Four Points by Sheraton Mahabalipuram Resort and Convention Centre in Mahabalipuram. The Chess Olympiad was initially scheduled to be held in Russia and was moved to Chennai following this year's major act of violence - Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The upcoming edition will witness a record 188 teams in the Open section and 162 in the women’s category.

The 44th Chess Olympiad starts today on July 28 and will run till August 10.