2024 FIDE Chess Olympiad: Double gold for India

Budapest: India created history at the 2024 FIDE Chess Olympiad in Hungary, securing two gold medals in a dominant performance.

The men’s team, featuring D. Gukesh, R. Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi and Pentala Harikrishna clinched gold in the open section, while the women’s team, consisting of Harika Dronavalli, R. Vaishali, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agarwal, and Tania Sachdev also claimed gold in women’s section.

The men’s team confirmed their triumph with victories from Gukesh and Erigaisi, establishing an early 2-0 lead over Slovenia. With the team requiring only a draw to secure the title ahead of China, Praggnanandhaa delivered a win to seal the gold, while Vidit later secured a draw, wrapping up a 3.5-0.5 win.

Meanwhile, the Indian women’s team displayed a calculated approach in their final match against Azerbaijan, winning 3.5-0.5. With the result of Kazakhstan’s match against the USA determining their fate, India awaited confirmation of their victory, which was eventually secured after it became clear that Kazakhstan could not overtake them, even on tie-breakers.

This marked India’s first outright gold medal in the Olympiad, following a shared gold with Russia in the 2020 online edition. The women’s team improved upon their 2022 performance, where they won bronze at the Chennai Olympiad. Standout performances from Gukesh and Erigaisi earned them individual gold medals on boards 1 and 3, respectively, with Erigaisi winning nine of his 11 games.

In the women’s section, Divya Deshmukh and Vantika Agarwal claimed individual gold medals on boards 3 and 4, adding to India’s tally of four individual golds across both categories.

India’s double triumph underscores the nation’s rising prowess in international chess, with five Indian players recently competing in the prestigious Candidates Tournament, further highlighting India’s growing influence in the global chess community.