Gukesh Dommaraju Leads India to Historic Double Gold at Chess Olympiad 2024
New Delhi [India], September 26: After winning the Chess Olympiad 2024, Gukesh Dommaraju, a member of India’s victorious men’s squad, said that it was one of the best performances of his career. In the recently-concluded Chess Olympiad, India’s men’s and women’s teams made history, securing gold medals for the first time in their respective categories and joining the elite company of countries to have pulled off a double of gold medals in the same edition of the competition.
Earlier on Thursday, Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Mansukh Mandaviya, along with Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports, Raksha Khadse, felicitated the Indian chess team in New Delhi. Speaking about the win, Gukesh said that he is ‘super happy’ for winning the gold medal at the Chess Olympiad. The 18-year-old also shared his pleasant experience of meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expressing gratitude for the opportunity.
In the final round of the tournament, India’s men’s team of D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi, and Pentala Harikrishna beat Slovenia to clinch the gold medal. Wins from D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi gave India a 2-0 lead, and Praggnanandhaa’s win along with Vidit’s draw sealed the 3.5-0.5 victory over Slovenia.
Meanwhile, the Indian women’s chess team of Harika Dronavalli, R Vaishali, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agarwal, and Tania Sachdev also won gold after beating Azerbaijan 3.5-0.5. Harika Dronavalli, Divya Deshmukh, and Vantika Agrawal won their respective matches in the final round, while R Vaishali drew her match against Ulviyya Fataliyeva.
USA secured the second spot in the men’s competition and a bronze in the women’s competition. Uzbekistan won the bronze in the men’s competition, while Kazakhstan got silver in the women’s competition.
Doubts Revealed
Gukesh Dommaraju -: Gukesh Dommaraju is a young and talented chess player from India. He is known for his excellent skills in chess and has won many competitions.
Chess Olympiad -: The Chess Olympiad is a big international chess tournament where teams from different countries compete against each other. It’s like the Olympics but for chess.
Union Ministers -: Union Ministers are important people in the Indian government who help make decisions and run the country. Mansukh Mandaviya and Raksha Khadse are two such ministers.
New Delhi -: New Delhi is the capital city of India. It’s where many important government buildings and offices are located.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi -: Narendra Modi is the Prime Minister of India. He is the head of the government and makes important decisions for the country.
Slovenia -: Slovenia is a small country in Europe. The Indian men’s chess team played against the team from Slovenia and won.
Azerbaijan -: Azerbaijan is a country located at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. The Indian women’s chess team played against the team from Azerbaijan and won.