Watch: Underwater Chess In Chennai Takes Battle Of Minds To New Depths

Chess frenzy in Chennai, which is hosting the 44th chess olympiad, has reached new heights -- or rather depths.

In videos and shots that have gone viral, a team of six scuba drivers are seen playing chess underwater. The battle of minds at 60 feet under the sea surface also features the chess olympiad's mascot Thambi.

The team used specially designed heavy coins as chess pieces.

"Chess is our pride. We are celebrating that. Art director Saravanan created a replica of the mascot, Thambi, for us," said SB Aravind Tharunsri, scuba diving instructor.

"No plastic was used in the stunt and neither did we leave anything behind," he added.

Videos and shots of the spectacle have been widely shared on social media.

Authorities in Chennai have made every effort for the promotion of the international tournament. The iconic Napier Bridge in the city has been painted in black and white colours to resemble a chess board.

The district of Pudukkottai produced a dance performance that went viral on social media. The performance combined classical, folk and martial art elements in the choreography that showed various chess pieces coming to life and engaging in battle on the chess board.

Meanwhile, Indian teams continued their winning run in the Open section of the Olympiad with all three earning easy victories over their  opponents on Sunday.

India 'A', second-seeded in the competition, won against Greece courtesy if Grandmasters P Harikrishna and Arjun Erigaisi. India 'B' registered a 4-0 victory over Switzerland while the third team battered Iceland 3-1.

India 'A' Grandmaster Vidit S Gujrathi, playing on second word, had to settle for a draw against Greek grandmaster Nikolaos Theodorou while K Sasikiran was held by Evgenios Ioannidis.