The Thambi is slowly becoming ubiquitous. When the 44 th Chess Olympiad — the first-ever in Chennai — begins at Four Points by the Sheraton Mahabalipuram Resort and Convention Centre on July 28 (actual games begin on July 29), the mascot of the biennial chess event will become a household name. Already, Thambi the knight has started to paint Tamil Nadu ’black and white’ and has sprung up at important tourist locations in the State and along the medians of arterial roads in Chennai.
The All-India Chess Federation (AICF), in collaboration with the Tamil Nadu government, is putting in the hard yards to prepare for the marquee event. The organisers are racing against time but are confident of completing their assigned duties.
R. Anantharam, venue-in-charge (AICF) and Member of the Appeals Committee, said the work for the Olympiad generally starts two years in advance. “For the next cycle (Olympiad 2024), the bidding is already over, and the venue is decided — Budapest (Hungary). Whereas we had just five months to set everything up,” he said. In February 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the World Chess Federation (FIDE), decided to move the event from Moscow, and Chennai was quick to seize the opportunity.
