Scuba divers play chess underwater to celebrate Chennai Olympiad

A bunch of scuba divers dive into the sea and played chess underwater at a good depth while being strapped with their gear to celebrate the Chess Olympiad happening in Chennai. Images of the underwater game have gone viral on social media.

The excitement over the ongoing 44th Chess Olympiad near here has assumed another dimension, with scuba divers and the marquee game's mascot, 'Thambi' diving into the sea for battle of brains.

One of the divers was dressed up like 'Thambi', the knight-mascot of the Olympiad as the others, at least four of them, traded moves deep inside the water. Incidentally, 'Thambi' wore a 'veshti' (dhoti) with a chequered border. The divers also held a banner about the Olympiad and the Indian tricolour.

The ongoing Olympiad has seen the city lap it up in style and there have been numerous initiatives to promote it including painting the iconic Napier Bridge like a chessboard. 'Thambi' has been ubiquitous as he can be spotted at various places in the city and on the route leading to the Olympiad venue in Poonjeri off Mamallapuram, a well-known tourist spot.

The Chess Olympiad being held in India for the first time has seen a record number of teams participate both in the Open and women's sections and some 2,000 players in action.