Thursday Throwback: Rajinikanth catches Chess Olympiad fever, shows off his game face

Tamil superstar Rajinikanth has caught the chess mania.

As the 44th edition of the Chess Olympiad kicked off in Tamil Nadu's Chennai on Thursday, the veteran actor shared his love for the indoor game with his 6.2 million followers on Twitter. "An indoor game I love the most," his caption read.

With the hashtag #ChessOlympiad2022, the 71-year-old wished all the participants good luck. He also shared an undated photograph of himself in a pensive mood playing chess.


His post was retweeted more than 5,200 times and was liked by over 41.6K people.


Thrilled to see the megastar's chess moves, the International Chess Federation invited Rajini to visit them. "We would be honoured," the post read.

On Saturday, Rajini met young Indian Grand Master Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa and his family.

The young chess player took to Twitter to share pictures with the acting legend. Calling it a 'day to remember’, the 16-year-old said he was inspired by ‘Uncle’ Rajini's humility.


Tamil actor Vishal, known for films like 'Enemy', 'Veeramae Vaagai Soodum' and 'Action', also wished the Chess Olympiad 2022 participants on Thursday.

He also shared a picture of himself with a chessboard.

This is the first time participants from over 188 countries will be participating in the sporting event hosted by India. The upcoming edition has attracted 162 players from around the world in the women's section.

The Chess Olympiad will be held near Mamallapuram, about 50 km from Chennai, from July 28 to August 10.