Budapest: India’s men’s and women’s teams won gold medals for the first time in the 45th Chess Olympiad on Sunday. The Indian men’s team won gold in Budapest after a thrilling final-round victory over Slovenia, led by brilliant performances by D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi.
In the final match versus Slovenia, Arjun Erigaisi defeated Jan Subelj, and Gukesh defeated Vladimir Fedoseev. India needed just one more point to win the title, and Gukesh delivered. This triumph capped a successful campaign for the Indian squad, who had previously won bronze medals in 2014 and 2022.
“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.
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The Indian squad performed admirably throughout the campaign, winning eight straight matches until being beaten to a tie by the defending winners, Uzbekistan. However, they rebounded brilliantly, defeating the top-seeded United States in the penultimate round. They overcame Slovenia in the final, while second-placed China lost points on two boards to the United States.
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.
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–IANS
Photo Credit: FIDE/X
