Chess Olympiad: India script history with two gold medals

Budapest: In a historic triumph, India’s men’s and women’s teams clinched gold medals for the first time in the 45th Chess Olympiad on Sunday. Led by the stellar performances of D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi, the Indian men’s team secured the gold medal after a thrilling final round victory over Slovenia in Budapest.

The decisive match against Slovenia saw Arjun Erigaisi emerging victorious over Jan Subelj, while Gukesh defeated Vladimir Fedoseev. India needed just one more point to clinch the title, which Gukesh delivered. This victory capped off an impressive tournament for the Indian team, which had previously won bronze medals in the 2014 and 2022 editions.

“It was crazy. He surprised me in the opening with his move order, and we reached an initially equal position. His problems started from Ne7.

“Arjun was completely winning, so I thought even a draw would be fine, but I kept finding all the good moves. I am glad, but the main thing was to perform as a team!,” said Gukesh D on the FIDE broadcast.

The Indian squad showcased exceptional form throughout the competition, winning eight consecutive matches before being held to a draw by the defending champions, Uzbekistan. However, they bounced back strongly, defeating the top-seeded USA in the penultimate round. They defeated Slovenia in their final encounter and Second-placed China dropped points on two boards against the USA.

India’s success in the men’s event was complemented by a similar achievement from the women’s team. The Indian women’s team comprising Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali Rameshbabu, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal, Tania Sachdev, and Abhijit Kunte, also secured the gold medal in their respective open section competition. They beat Azerbaijan 3.5-0.5 to clinch the title.

IANS