India made history at the 45th Chess Olympiad 2024, securing its first-ever team gold medal in the open category. The men’s team delivered a remarkable performance in the final round, defeating Slovenia 3-0 to seal the victory. The wins by D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, and R Praggnanandhaa guaranteed India the title with a match to spare, marking a momentous occasion in Indian chess.
22nd September, 2024 is a red letter day for Indian Chess – this is one of the biggest moments in Indian Chess History. Team India wins Double Gold medals in the Chess Olympiad 2024! The Indian Open and Women’s Team both secured Team Gold medals, with many more Individual Board… pic.twitter.com/Q6KrvIjKus
— ChessBase India (@ChessbaseIndia) September 22, 2024
Arjun Erigaisi was the first to triumph, securing a critical win against Jan Subelj on Board 3. Following this, D Gukesh, playing with the black pieces, outwitted Vladimir Fedoseev to extend India’s lead to 2-0. The third win came from Praggnanandhaa, who delivered a crushing defeat to Anton Demchenko, bringing the final score to 3-0. With these victories, India captured the gold regardless of the outcome of the remaining games, a historic achievement for the team.
India’s men’s team set a new record by scoring 21 out of a possible 22 points, breaking the previous record of 20/22 set by the USA and Ukraine in the 42nd Olympiad 2016. The team’s only draw came in the match against Uzbekistan, but they dominated all other opponents.
Individually, Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi earned gold medals for their board performances on Boards 1 and 3, respectively. For Gukesh, this marks his second consecutive gold on Board 1, cementing his reputation as a world-class player. Erigaisi, who had won silver at a previous Olympiad, improved his performance to secure gold this time.
The Indian women’s team also had a stellar tournament, defeating Azerbaijan 3.5-0.5 in their final round to secure the silver medal. D Harika led the charge with a commanding performance on the top board, while Divya Deshmukh won gold for her outstanding play on Board 3. With a win from Vantika Agrawal and a draw by R Vaishali, the team completed its final match in style. The women’s team’s success adds to their growing legacy, having won bronze at the 2022 Olympiad in Chennai.
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