CHENNAI: The city is bracing itself for the upcoming International Chess Olympiad, 2022, which is set to be held in Chennai from July 28. Grammy and Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman was recently seen performing in a promotional video for the Olympiad.
In the video titled 'Welcome to Namma Ooru (Our City) Chennai', Rahman can be seen dressed in all white. He dons a fusion of traditional and contemporary clothing. The composer paired the traditional veshti with a white shirt rounded up with a white jacket and black shoes.
The video shows the composer singing and swinging to the jingle beats created by him as he walks on the famous Napier bridge constructed over the Cooum river. The bridge which connects Madras University and Island Grounds has been painted thematically like a Chess board.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin also joins Rahman in the video as the dancers perform against the backdrop of Mamallapuram monuments. 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.
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The International Chess Olympiad, organised by Federation Internationale des Echecs (FIDE) is a biennial chess tournament in which teams representing nations of the world compete. The 2020 and 2021 Chess Olympiads were held online because of the Covid-19 pandemic, which affected the player's online ratings.
The birth of the Chess Olympiad dates back to 1924 when it was conducted officially. FIDE organised the first Official Olympiad in 1927 which took place in London.