Vantika Agrawal and Indian Chess Champions Meet PM Modi
India’s Chess Olympiad gold medallist Vantika Agrawal met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday. This meeting was special for Vantika as PM Modi had previously motivated her by felicitating her when she won the Asian under-nine Championship Gold as a young girl.
Vantika shared her feelings about being felicitated by the Prime Minister and how it inspired her to win more medals for India. She was also surprised that PM Modi remembered her birthday, which is on September 28th. Vantika gifted PM Modi a picture of her being felicitated by him as a child.
During the interaction, PM Modi spoke about a massive chess event he hosted in Gujarat as Chief Minister, where 20,000 players participated. He shared how this event was initially met with wonder and questions but was something he was determined to do.
Harika Dronavalli, a member of the gold medal-winning women’s team, mentioned the grand celebration they had after their victory and how their opponents congratulated them. Teen chess prodigy Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa discussed the role of artificial intelligence in evolving chess and how players are learning from it. Vidit Gujarathi also talked about using AI tools during preparations and the growing popularity of chess in India.
Tania Sachdev, part of the women’s gold-winning team, recalled how their loss to the USA in the previous Olympiad motivated them to win this time. D Gukesh, winner of the FIDE Candidates tournament, emphasized the team effort and motivation behind their victory.
Former chess player and grandmaster Abhijit Kunte, who accompanied the women’s team as a coach, highlighted the change in how Indian players are now sought after for autographs, attributing this to PM Modi’s vision.
The Indian women’s team won gold by defeating Azerbaijan 3.5-0.5, with Harika, Divya, and Vantika winning their matches and Vaishali drawing hers. In the men’s competition, the Indian team, comprising D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi, and Pentala Harikrishna, defeated Slovenia to clinch the gold medal. Victories from Gukesh and Arjun secured the lead, with Praggnanandhaa and Vidit contributing to a 3.5-0.5 win for India.
In the women’s competition, Kazakhstan claimed the silver medal, and the USA took bronze. In the men’s competition, the USA secured second place, with Uzbekistan winning bronze.
Doubts Revealed
Vantika Agrawal -: Vantika Agrawal is a young and talented chess player from India who has won a gold medal in the Chess Olympiad.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi -: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the leader of India. He helps make important decisions for the country and meets with people who have achieved great things.
felicitating -: Felicitating means to congratulate or praise someone for their achievements. PM Modi congratulated Vantika when she was a child.
Chess Olympiad -: The Chess Olympiad is a big international chess competition where teams from different countries compete against each other.
Harika Dronavalli -: Harika Dronavalli is another famous chess player from India who has won many awards and medals in chess.
Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa -: Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa is a young chess prodigy from India who has achieved great success in chess at a very young age.
D Gukesh -: D Gukesh is also a young and talented chess player from India who has won many chess tournaments.
AI in chess -: AI stands for Artificial Intelligence. In chess, AI helps players practice and improve their game by playing against computer programs.
Azerbaijan -: Azerbaijan is a country in Europe. The Indian women’s chess team defeated the team from Azerbaijan to win the gold medal.
Slovenia -: Slovenia is a country in Europe. The Indian men’s chess team defeated the team from Slovenia to win their match.
