New Delhi: Gone are the days of Vishwanathan Anand being the sole flagbearer of Indian chess as the country’s gen-next looks set to take over the mantle. Ten years after India won their maiden bronze medal at the Chess Olympiad in Norway’s Tromso, the Indian men’s and women’s teams scripted history in Budapest on Sunday with a gold medal each in their respective events.
Grand Masters D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanadhaa won their respective matches as India continued their stellar run in the competition to beat Slovenia and secure their maiden gold medal in the open section at the Olympiad. The women’s team made it a double delight for India with a 3.5-0.5 victory against Azerbaijan while Kazakhstan dropped points against the USA with a 2-2 draw.
The legendary Anand, who has been single-handedly responsible for putting Indian chess on the world map, was unfortunately not part of the Indian men’s team that bagged the country’s maiden bronze medal at the Chess Olympiad in Norway in 2014. But the five-time world champions would have had the feeling of a proud teacher after witnessing some of his wards script history for India in Budapest.
Anand, who mentored Gukesh as a prodigy would have had tears in his eyes, witnessing the 18-year-old make some giant strides at the grand stage with one win after another at the Chess Olympiad. Gukesh was arguably the best player in the Indian men’s team as he stunned some veterans, including world no.3 Fabiano Caruana en route to securing an individual gold.
India making waves in world chess
It has been a phenomenal year for Indian chess as the Indian players have made waves in elite tournaments across the globe. From Gukesh becoming the youngest to win the Candidates tournament to Praggnanandhaa getting the better of the legendary world no.1 Magnus Carlsen at the Norway Chess, it has been a year of new highs for the country.
Earlier, three Indian Grand Masters made it to the Candidates tournament for the first time in history, underlining India’s remarkable rise in the sport. Arjun Erigaisi rising to the no.3 spot in the world rankings after India’s gold medal triumph at the Chess Olympiad on Sunday further asserted the dominance of Indian players.
Chennai to Budapest: India’s journey to gold
Hosts India exceeded expectations at the Chess Olympiad in Chennai two years back but failed to clinch the elusive gold medal in what was a disappointing finish in the end. But the Olympiad in Chennai two years ago was a stepping stone for the Indian men’s team, who ensured the learnings from the tournament didn’t go to waste.
India as hosts were allowed to field two teams at the last Olympiad which meant the formidable five – Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, Erigaisi, Pentala Harikrishna and Vidit Gujrathi were divided into two sides at the 2022 Chess OIympiad. Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa won bronze playing for India A while Erigaisi, Harikrishna and Gujrathi finished 4th while representing India B.
Uniting the five excellent minds meant India fielded their strongest men’s team in the competition in years and it all paid off as they bulldozed their way to the final round, dropping only one point. The Indian men’s team secured a remarkable 21 points out of a possible 22 on their way to winning the gold medal. Their only draw in the tournament came against Uzbekistan as they steamrolled their remaining opponents to crave a historic run at the tournament.
The women’s team had a topsy-turvy run compared to the men’s team but managed to hold their nerves to make it double delight for the country. The double gold medal triumph can be the start of something special as India now have a talent pool of several young Grand Masters across men’s and women’s categories, who can continue their domination in the years to come and win more laurels in major events across the globe.
India scripted history at the Budapest Chess Olympiad with two gold medals in the competition for the first time. After the men’s team’s dominant victory, the women’s team too secured gold in their event to power India to a memorable double. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
