Colourful opening for Black and White battle

The dance floor was converted into a chessboard with 64 squares and the dancers performed the 'moves' like one sees in a game. AR Rahman's music served as the backdrop.
Colourful opening for Black and White battle

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa hailed chess legend Viswanathan Anand as India's greatest sportsman at the glittering opening ceremony of the World Chess Championship match at Nehru Indoor Stadium on Thursday evening.

She lauded Anand's role in making chess popular in the country and particularly in Chennai. The sports-loving chief minister listed Anand's achievements and pointed out to the packed audience that Anand was the only player in the world to win the World Championship in all three formats.

She asked the hundreds of children present at the stadium to emulate Anand and had no hesitation in naming Anand as a role model for any aspiring sportsman.

The Chief Minister also lauded Carlsen for his feats.

The function began with the Tamil Thai Vazhthu followed by the FIDE anthem. Noted actress and dancer Shobana and her team gave a brilliant performance with chess as the theme.

The dance floor was converted into a chessboard with 64 squares and the dancers performed the 'moves' like one sees in a game. AR Rahman's music served as the backdrop.

One also got to see the 'poi kal kutharai' (dummy horse) and tiger dance. Colourful lighting also added flavour to the dance movements.

Bharatnatyam dancer Urmila Satyanarayanan and her troupe comprising of large number of children brightly attired in bharatnayam dresses gave a splendid performance.

Villness Dance Company added Norwegian flavour to the function by showcasing a ballet which was electric and drew a large applause.

Veena Gayathri and her large team gave a scintillating performance showcasing Carnatic music. A large number of musical instruments were on display and it was a memorable performance. The programme was beamed live on five large screens and the children thoroughly enjoyed their outing.

Anand and Carlsen too were seen enjoying the programme hosted in their honour. For Carlsen, it must have been a unique experience seeing a variety of Indian cultural programmes and the cheers from the large crowd must have made him feel special.

Several ministers, bureaucrats, sports lovers attended the function and Anand's parents must have felt proud of their son.

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