Indian Chess Teams Win Gold at Chess Olympiad
Sanjay Kapoor Celebrates New Era of Champions
Indian men’s and women’s chess teams have won gold medals at the recently concluded Chess Olympiad in Budapest. Sanjay Kapoor, the president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) India Zone, praised the teams, saying that a ‘new era of champions’ is arriving in the country.
India’s performance was spectacular, with both the men’s and women’s teams securing gold medals on Sunday. Sanjay Kapoor noted that Indian chess is now bearing the fruits of its hard work over the last four years, which included a Chess Olympiad bronze in 2022. He emphasized that after the era of chess legend Viswanathan Anand, a new era has finally arrived, and the future of chess in India is ‘golden.’
‘We planted a tree, and today we are reaping the fruits from it. In the last Olympiad, we got a bronze medal. This time we converted it into gold. It was our tireless hard work of the last 4 years we did for Chess. I congratulate every Indian for this and thank all the players for this and congratulate them a lot. These results tell us that after Viswanathan Anand, now the era of new champions is coming. You will find not one but many champions playing in this country, and the future of Chess is golden,’ said Sanjay Kapoor.
Men’s Team Victory
In the final round of the tournament, the Indian men’s team, consisting 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, confirming the gold medal. Praggnanandhaa also won his game, and Vidit ended his bout with a draw, leading to a 3.5-0.5 victory over Slovenia.
Women’s Team Victory
The Indian women’s chess team, featuring Harika Dronavalli, R Vaishali, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agarwal, and Tania Sachdev, also won gold after defeating 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.
Doubts Revealed
Chess Olympiad -: The Chess Olympiad is a big international chess competition where teams from different countries play against each other. It’s like the Olympics but for chess.
Sanjay Kapoor -: Sanjay Kapoor is the president of FIDE India Zone. FIDE is the organization that oversees international chess competitions.
FIDE -: FIDE stands for Fédération Internationale des Échecs, which is French for International Chess Federation. They organize and manage chess competitions worldwide.
D Gukesh -: D Gukesh is a young and talented chess player from India. He is known for his impressive skills and has won many chess tournaments.
Arjun Erigaisi -: Arjun Erigaisi is another skilled chess player from India. He has also won several chess competitions and is part of the Indian men’s chess team.
Harika Dronavalli -: Harika Dronavalli is a famous Indian chess player. She has won many medals and is part of the Indian women’s chess team.
Divya Deshmukh -: Divya Deshmukh is a young and talented chess player from India. She is part of the Indian women’s chess team and has won many chess games.
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.
