Picture : ANI/ X
“If you had to roll the dice, these are pretty good teams to roll them with.” Viswanathan Anand had a strong hunch that India would go on to be more than within “smelling” distance of gold at the Chess Olympiad this time.
And much to the delight of the revered Grandmaster, who played a key role in shaping some of the brightest youngsters in Indian chess right now, the country swept both the men’s and women’s gold at the 45th Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary.
World Championship challenger D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi, and P Harikrishna decimated competition to clinch the gold in the open section, finishing ahead of top seeds USA and Uzbekistan.
Then Harika Dronavalli, R Vaishali, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal, and Tania Sachdev claimed the top honours in the women’s event ahead of Kazakhstan and USA to complete an Indian sweep.
It was a first for the country and it was fitting that Anand, its original superstar of the game, had a role.
Both the teams had fetched bronze medals in the previous Olympiad, which was held on home turf in Chennai. Anand knew they “were smelling the gold” at that time but let it slip in the closing stages.
However, the 54-year-old five-time world champion, in an interview to PTI before the Olympiad, put his faith in both the teams’ ability to go the distance in Budapest and it was icing on the cake that he was there to witness history being made by them in the Hungarian capital.
“…you know, if I had to roll the dice, these are good teams to roll them with,” he had said.
Wishes then Flooded on X
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Historic win for India as our chess contingent wins the 45th #FIDE Chess Olympiad! India has won the Gold in both open and women’s category at Chess Olympiad! Congratulations to our incredible Men’s and Women’s Chess Teams. This remarkable achievement marks a new chapter in… pic.twitter.com/FUYHfK2Jtu
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 22, 2024
Rahul Gandhi, Leader Of Opposition, Lok Sabha
Double Gold for India at the Chess Olympiad! 🏆
Incredibly proud of our champions – Divya Deshmukh, R Vaishali, D Harika, Tania Sachdev, Vantika Agrawal, their Captain Abhijit Kunte and their teams. Heartfelt congratulations to each of you.
Your brilliance, teamwork, and… pic.twitter.com/KVGUmtfomA
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 22, 2024
Thrilled to see Team India clinch its first-ever Gold Medal in the Open Section at the Chess Olympiad 🏆
Huge congratulations to Gukesh Dommaraju, Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, Pentala Harikrishna, Srinath Narayanan, and their teams. Your remarkable… pic.twitter.com/5ITApz9bkD
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 22, 2024
Kiren Rijiju, Parliamentary Affairs Minister
Double Checkmate in History!
Bharat shines with two historic Golds at the 2024 FIDE Chess Olympiad!Congratulations to our Men’s Team: @srinathchess (Captain), @DGukesh, @rpraggnachess, @ArjunErigaisi, @viditchess & @HariChess, as well as our Women’s Team: @DivyaDeshmukh05,… pic.twitter.com/DtU7t7zhgn
— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) September 22, 2024
Sachin Tendulkar, Batting Legend
Two Golds 🥇🥇, One Nation! 🇮🇳
Congratulations to both our men’s and women’s teams for securing the first spot at the #ChessOlympiad2024. pic.twitter.com/peSoN5RN4O
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) September 23, 2024
