Watch | Chennai’s Napier Bridge decked up like a chessboard ahead of Olympiad – Hindustan Times

The iconic British-era Napier Bridge in Chennai has been decked up like a chessboard ahead of the 44th Chess Olympiad beginning July 28. Supriya Sahu, additional chief secretary of environment climate change and forests in the Tamil Nadu government, wrote on Twitter, “Chennai the Chess Capital of India is all set to host the grand Chess Olympiad 2022.”

She also shared a video of the bridge which has been painted in a pattern of black and white boxes to resemble a cheeseboard on Twitter. The bridge painted in the colours of a chessboard looks almost animated as a car rides past the route, giving a tour of the painted portion of the bridge.

A day ago, a 39-second teaser, ‘Welcome to Namma Ooru (Our City) Chennai,’ to promote the Chess Olympiad was released by South superstar Rajinikanth.

The promotional material, showcasing performances of traditional and modern dance forms to capture the cultural ethos of Tamil Nadu, was directed by filmmaker Vignesh Shivan. The music has been composed by Oscar-winning musician AR Rahman.

While the clip begins with ‘Welcome to Namma Ooru Chennai,’ the words ‘Varuga Varuga Tamizhnattukuu Varuga (Warm Welcome to Tamil Nadu) are interspersed and also ends with such words. Chief minister MK Stalin and Rahman are featured in the video, which also showcases the bridge.

The 44th edition of the world’s biggest chess event will be held in Mahabalipuram near Chennai from July 28 to August 10. Earlier, Russia was scheduled to host the 44th Chess Olympiad, but it was moved to India, due to its invasion of Ukraine.

(With agency inputs)