D. Gukesh during the final round of the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary, on September 22, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP
The Indian men’s team won the Chess Olympiad in Budapest on Sunday (September 22, 2024). They won the biggest tournament in chess even before the tournament was over.
India made it a double as the women’s team beat Azerbaijan 3.5-0.5 to clinch the title.
The Indians, seeded second, was assured of the gold after D. Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi, their standout players in the Hungarian capital, won their games in India’s final round match against Slovenia.
That meant India would at least draw the match regardless of the games of R. Praggnanandhaa and Vidit Gujrathi. P. Harikrishna completed the Indian team and he played as the reserve-board player.
India’s only rival for the gold, China, could not have caught up with India. This is undoubtedly the best moment ever for India at the Chess Olympiad.
Two years ago, India’s second team had won the bronze when the Olympiad was held at Mamallapuram, near Chennai.
Indian women had won a bronze in the 2022 edition in Chennai.
Published – September 22, 2024 06:55 pm IST
