Chess Olympiad 2024: Indian teams make history, bag gold in both categories
Two years ago, India’s second team and women team have won the bronze when the Olympiad was held at Mamallapuram, near Chennai.
D. Gukesh during the final round of the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary, on September 22, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP
India recorded one of the greatest moments in its sporting history in Budapest on Sunday, winning the gold medals both in the Open and women’s sections of the 45th Chess Olympiad.
The Indian men had been so dominant in the competition that they were almost assured of the gold with a round to spare.
In the 11th and final round match, India scored an easy victory against Slovenia. D. Gukesh, R. Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi won their games, while Vidit Gujrathi drew. India won 3.5-0.5 against Slovenia, taking its tally to 21 points, out of the possible 22.
Gukesh's smile says it all 🙂
With this win India secures its first-ever gold in a #ChessOlympiad! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/Ha1hUeSFPA— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) September 22, 2024
🇮🇳🥇 𝗛𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗖 𝗠𝗔𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗡 𝗚𝗢𝗟𝗗 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗔! A fantastic performance against Slovenia in the final round sees India confirm a historic first gold medal in the Open category at the Chess Olympiad.
🙌 Throughout the tournament, the men’s team established their… pic.twitter.com/2X4vxwXRWh— Sportwalk Media (@sportwalkmedia) September 22, 2024
P. Harikrishna is the other member of the men’s team and he competed as the reserve board player.
The United States, the top seed whom India defeated in the penultimate round, finished as the runner-up, with 17 points.
In the last round of the women’s event too, India scored a 3.5-0.5 victory over Azerbaijan. There were wins for D. Harika, Divya Deshmukh and Vantika Agrawal and the only player to draw was R. Vaishali.
Divya Deshmukh during the final round of the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary, on September 22, 2024.
| Photo Credit:
AP
Tania Sachdev played on the reserve board for the top-seeded Indian women. They finished with 19 points, one more than the second-placed Kazakhstan.
Two years ago, India had won the bronze in both the Open and the women’s when the Olympiad was held at Mamallapuram, near Chennai. In the Open section, it was India’s second team that had won the medal. As the host, India had fielded three teams each in either section.
Published – September 22, 2024 06:55 pm IST
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