History of India's performance at Chess Olympiad over the years

India made its Chess Olympiad debut in 1956.

India achieved its maiden gold medal at the Chess Olympiad, with the nation’s men and women’s teams clinching historic first-ever titles respectively. The country’s chess journey finally reached its zenith in Budapest, Hungary, on September 22 when the nation achieved titles in both the Open and women category, making India only the second nation to win gold in both sections in a single edition of the tournament.

India’s ascent in chess began to look rather noticeable at the 2014 Olympiad in Tromso, Norway. Seeded 19th and without their two top players, India still brought home a bronze medal, losing the tie-breaker for silver to Hungary. China took home the gold in the Open section for the first time. This 2014 breakthrough was India’s first medal since participating in the Olympiad for the first time in 1956.

History of Chess Olympiad

The Chess Olympiad, a global team competition, began unofficially in 1924 during the Paris Olympics. The first official event was held in London in 1927. Initially occurring at irregular intervals, it became a biennial tournament after 1950.

The Olympiad adopted the Swiss system in 1950 to handle increasing participation. A separate women’s tournament was introduced in 1957, and since 1976, both men’s and women’s events have run concurrently . FIDE, the international chess governing body, was formed on the last day of the 1924 unofficial Olympiad.

The event’s creation stemmed from an unsuccessful attempt to include chess in the Olympic Games due to difficulties distinguishing between amateur and professional players.

India’s performance in Chess Olympiad

On a larger scale, India’s Chess Olympiad history dates back to 1956 when the country participated for the very first time in the 12th Olympiad in Moscow. Players like Ramchandra Sapre and Bhalchandra Parashram Mhaiskar formed the roster in open section, as they ended up 27th.

India made great strides in the chess world in the 1980s and 1990s. Players like Viswanathan Anand contributed toward improved performances and a higher profile for India in world chess.

Also Read: Chess Olympiad: Top six finishes by India in Open category

The early years of the 2000s saw Indian chess experience a huge upsurge with Anand’s ascension to the world championship in the year 2000 drawing unprecedented attention.

It was in 2014 that India won its first Olympic medal, bronzes in the open section at the Tromsø Olympiad. The Chennai Olympiad in 2022 also marked a history as Indian chess hosted the event and won bronze medals in both sections of the open and women.

A decade since its first-ever medal, India made the jump and clinched a historic gold in both the open and women section in the 2024 edition in Budapest, Hungary.

India’s best performance in Chess Olympiad

2024: Gold (Open and Women Category)

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.

Also Read: India makes history with historic double gold at FIDE Chess Olympiad 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 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.

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