India makes history with historic double gold at FIDE Chess Olympiad 2024

This betters their previous best finish at the Chess Olympiad in 2022.

India secured its first-ever gold medals in both the open and women’s sections in Chess Olympiad at the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary on Sunday. The tournament which ran from September 10-22, saw 350 teams from 188 countries competing across 11 rounds of intense chess action.

In the open section, India confirmed victory with wins from Gukesh D and Arjun Erigaisi before Praggnanandhaa made it 3-0 against Slovenia to confirm the gold. Meanwhile, the Indian women’s team defeated Azerbaijan 3.5-0.5, and their gold was confirmed after the USA vs Kazakhstan tie ended in a draw.

India are crowned double Chess Olympiad Champions!! ♟🏆🏆Both Indian men's and women's teams win GOLD 🥇 at the 49th Chess Olympiad.#ChessOlympiad #Chess pic.twitter.com/L6BgREhL7R

— Khel Now (@KhelNow) September 22, 2024

The Indian men’s team — which included D Gukesh, Vidit Gujrathi, Arjun Erigaisi, R Praggnanandhaa, and Pentala Harikrishna — dominated the field, finishing with a score of 21 points out of a possible 22. Their near-flawless run included 10 wins and just one draw, conceded to defending champion Uzbekistan in round 9.

The final round on 22 September (Sunday) saw India winning their last game against Slovenia by 3-0 with Gukesh, Erigaisi, and Praggnanandhaa, all winning their respective games. USA bagged the second position while defending champion Uzbekistan finished third.

The Highlights for India at Olympiad in Open section was Arjun Erigaisi and D Gukesh. Arjun Erigaisi, who recently climbed to World No. #3 in the FIDE rankings, maintained an unbeaten record and finished with 10 points in 11 rounds. D Gukesh, who is set to challenge for the World Championship title next year, finished with nine wins in 10 rounds on board one.

Also Read: Top five finishes by India in open section at Chess Olympiad

The Women’s team consisting of Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali Rameshbabu, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal, Tania Sachdev and Abhijit Kunte (Captain) also chalked up gold.

India got lucky thanks to the United States, who tied with Kazakhstan — who were also in contention for the first place. The USA vs Kazakhstan game ended in a draw with both teams scoring two points each.

Kazakhstan ended up getting second place and the silver medal. They finished right behind India. The United States bagged the third place and took home the bronze medal.

The Indian women’s team defeated Azerbaijan 3.5-0.5 in the final round. This victory marks India’s first-ever gold medal in the women’s section of the Chess Olympiad. Standout performances included D Harika’s technical mastery on the top board, Divya Deshmukh securing an individual gold medal on the third board, and a crucial win by Vantika Agrawal to seal the team victory.

This double gold improves significantly on India’s previous best Olympiad results – bronze medals in the open section in 2014 and 2022, and a bronze in the women’s section in 2022. The 2022 Olympiad, held in Chennai, India, saw the host nation field two teams in each section due to Russia’s absence, resulting in bronze medals for both “India A” teams.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram