India made history on Sunday by winning their first-ever gold medal at the Olympiad in Chess. In Budapest, D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi once again led the way, displaying their amazing form. In the 11th and last round encounter in Budapest, R Praggnanadhaa also became victorious, having won their matches against Slovenia.
Soon after, there was double happiness when the Indian women’s team defeated Azerbaijan 3.5-0.5 to win gold for the nation. On the top board, Dharika demonstrated her exceptional technical skills and contributed to the team’s victory. Meanwhile, on the third board, Divya Deshmukh once again outperformed her rival to secure her solo gold medal. R Vaishali drew her game, then Although the gold was still up in the air, the women’s team gold was also assured following the draw in the USA vs. Kazakhstan event.
The men’s team’s incredible victory over the USA in the last round of Saturday virtually guaranteed them a gold medal. Gukesh, a competitor for the World Championship, and Arjun once again excelled in crucial games to aid India in winning its first open championship.
When playing as black against Vladimir Fedoseev in the technical portion of the match versus Slovenia, Gukesh was at the top of his game.
The 18-year-old Grandmaster’s outstanding strategic showing was spot on, even though it was a steady triumph. Against Jan Subelj, Arjun also prevailed with black on the third board despite a surprise Scandinavian defense. first game. And as if that weren’t enough, with one game left, India defeated Slovenia 3-0, led by Praggnanadhaa, who turned around what appeared to be a likely tie against Anton Demchenko. India confirmed a gold medal that had been expected for some time, considering their incredible start to the competition, as Vidit played out a tie.
In the end, the Indian men scored an incredible 21 points out of a potential 22. They defeated all of their opponents, only giving up a lone 2-2 tie to Uzbekistan. Before the last round of matches on Sunday, both Indian teams had topped the Olympiad rankings. India beat the United States in the open section.
The Indian women’s team beat China and put themselves in a great position to win the gold medal after suffering a setback in the latter rounds with a loss versus Poland. India had a great end in the match against Azerbaijan, sparked by a superb victory by Harika, following a difficult start. With a stellar performance of 9.5 out of 11, Divya emerged as the women’s team’s star of the competition. Gukesh, who excelled on the top board in particular, scored an incredible 9 out of 10, while Arjun was unstoppable with a 10 out of 11.
Another significant event in what has been one of the best years for Indian chess was India’s gold medal wins in both divisions at the Budapest Olympiad. If Gukesh defeats world champion Ding Liren in December, he will have the chance to become the youngest-ever world champion at the age of 18. This might make the year even better.