Brands partake in the 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai

The 44th Chess Olympiad is being hosted in Chennai this year, from July 28 till August 10. The biennial event is the largest in the world and is being hosted by India for the first time.

The tournament is represented by its mascot Thambi (which translates to little brother in Tamil) - a horse sporting a white veshti and a matching shirt. Thambi has made an appearance in Aavin's milk packaging - which has been revamped to represent the 2022 Chess Olympiad.

To mark the opening ceremony of the tournament, SpiceJet unveiled a special aircraft livery.

According to a press release, after the special aircraft livery was unveiled, SpiceJet took roughly 150 students from government schools across Tamil Nadu on a special joy ride on its B737 aircraft. The joyride over Chennai skies was an experience of a lifetime for many students and is akin to the airline’s signature program Sapnon ki Udaan, wherein it takes underprivileged children on special joy flights.

Amul, the brand best known for its current events-based puns, released a comic of the Amul girl playing chess with a glimpse of a traditional South Indian temple in the background - to highlight that the event was being hosted in Chennai this year.

The Chennaiyin FC professional football club also posed with Thambi to wish good luck to the chess players participating in the Olympiad.

Parts of Chennai have also undergone checkered makeovers to celebrate the tournament being held in the city for the first time. Napier Bridge, one of Chennai's most iconic landmarks, was decked up in neon, black and white, like a chess board, to celebrate the hosting of the tournament.