Rajinikanth recalls old memory while wishing participants ahead of 44th Chess Olympiad

With just a few hours left for the inauguration of the 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai, legendary actor Rajinikanth recalled an old memory on Twitter while extending his good wishes to the participants. The actor through his post professed how chess is one sport that he loves the most playing. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 44th Chess Olympiad on Thursday which will be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai starting from July 29. The Chess Olympiad 2022 opening ceremony is scheduled to take place on July 28 at 7:00 PM IST.  The best chess players from around the world will be battling each other over the chess boards in Chennai for winning the Chess Olympiad title. 

Rajinikanth send good wishes to participants ahead of 44th Chess Olympiad

The sporting event will be held in Mahabalipuram, about 50 km from Jawaharlal Nehru Indo. Before the commencement of the Olympiad, the Dadasaheb Phalke award recipient who is reportedly believed to add more colours to the mega event while attending the same, took to Twitter and shared an old memory and wished all the participants good luck.

“#ChessOlympiad2022 An indoor game I love the most … wishing all the chess minds the very best .. god bless,” he captioned the post. In the throwback memory, the star who is also popularly addressed as Thalaivaa can be seen sitting with a chess board as he brainstorms his next move.

Earlier, the superstar wished the Indian chess grandmaster Praggnananandhaa for the big game. Praggnananandhaa had shared pictures from his meeting with Rajinikanth on Twitter and wrote, "A day to remember!!! Met @rajinikanth uncle today with my family! Inspired by his humbleness despite reaching great heights! #Respect #Magizchi." 

Apart from the superstar's enthusiastic wishes, another major highlight of the event is the swanky anthem launched by music legend AR Rahman. The Chess fervor is now all over the city. The city’s iconic Napier Bridge turned chess board to mark the event. 

Chess Olympiad 2022: Tournament format

The Chess Olympiad 2022 will be played in a classical format, where each player will have 40 moves within 90 minutes. While an additional 30 minutes will be awarded 30 seconds increment, the players will be able to offer a draw to their opponent, at any point of the match.

IMAGE: @fidechess/Instagram/PTI