Chess Olympiad 2024: India secures first-ever gold medal in women’s section, beats Azerbaijan in final round
India trumped Azerbaijan in the final round of the 2024 Chess Olympiad to claim a first-ever gold medal in the women’s section on Sunday at the SYMA Sports and Conference Centre in Budapest, Hungary.
In the final round. Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal, and Harika Dronavalli chalked up wins for India, while R. Vaishali settled for a draw.
India’s cause was helped by the United States of America , which held title-chasing Kazakhstan to a 2-2 draw.
Kazakhstan had to settle with a silver after finishing second behind India, while the USA clinched bronze.
India was clinical throughout the tournament. The team, led by the experienced Abhijit Kunte, won nine out of 11 rounds while dropping only one round against Poland.
AS IT HAPPENED – CHESS-OLYMPIAD 2024 FINAL ROUND HIGHLIGHTS
India was unbeaten for the first seven rounds before it lost 1.5-2.5 to Poland. It followed with a 2-2 draw against the USA in the ninth round.
In a double delight for the Indian fans, the men’s team also claimed their first-ever gold medal at the 45th Olympiad.
India also retained the Gaprindashvili Trophy, awarded to the team with the best overall performance across the open and women’s sections.
Before this triumph, India’s best performance at the Olympiad in the women’s section came in 2022, when the Indian team won bronze in Mahabalipuram.