Union Sports minister Anurag Thakur will also be present at the grand inauguration ceremony.

Prime Minister had launched the first-ever Chess Olympiad Torch Relay at the Indira Gandhi National Stadium in New Delhi on June 19, The torch travelled to 75 iconic locations in the country for over a period of 40 days, traversing close to 20,000 kilometres and culminating in Mahabalipuram, before heading over to the FIDE Headquarters, Switzerland.

The 44th Chess Olympiad will be held in Chennai from July 28 to August 9.

The prestigious competition, which has been organized since 1927, is being hosted in India for the first time and in Asia after 30 years.

With 187 countries participating, this will be the largest participation in any Chess Olympiad. India is also fielding its biggest ever contingent in the competition comprising 30 players across 6 teams.