How India won Chess Olympiad golds in Budapest

Budapest, a city once synonymous with idyllic vacations, is fast becoming a landmark for triumphs and a place of many firsts for Indian sports. After Neeraj Chopra soared to World Athletics Championship gold here in javelin throw in 2023, the Indian chess teams have now scripted their own fairytale in the Hungarian capital. 

Magyarország, the “Land of Magyars,” offered a fitting stage to erase the ghosts of Mahabalipuram, where India fell short of the top prize two years ago. This time, there was no stumbling — just pure dominance as India sealed its legacy with double gold.

From a total of 7,752 games played by 1,870 players across 11 rounds over 13 days, India’s triumph is no small feat. After decades of Soviet dominance in the chess world, followed by Eastern Europe’s rise post-1960, the nerve centre of chess seems to have shifted. India and the Central Asian nations now look poised to challenge the traditional powerhouses, and Chess Olympiad 2024 was a great example of just that. Five Asian countries — India, Uzbekistan, China, Armenia, and Azerbaijan — secured spots in the top eight of the Open section. 

A similar pattern emerged in the women’s section, with the same teams (excluding Azerbaijan) claiming top-seven finishes, signalling that this is no coincidence but rather the rise of new chess powers.

Leading this transformative wave is the young Indian contingent, whose consistent performances have captivated the world.

Coming in as the second seed behind the United States out of 193 countries in the Open section, India’s campaign at the Chess Olympiad was unblemished. The quintet of D. Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, R. Praggnanandhaa, Vidit Gujrathi and Pentala Harikrishna dominated the proceedings, winning 10 of its 11 rounds while sharing the spoils only once — against defending champion Uzbekistan in the third-last round.

Praggnanandhaa led the charge on the top board, while Gukesh sat out the first round. India cruised past Morocco and Iceland with identical 4-0 victories, sweeping all eight games in the opening two rounds.

In round three, India faced Hungary’s B team. Vidit, playing with the black pieces, was held to a draw by Gabor Papp, ending India’s perfect win streak. In the same round, Peter Prohászka faced the wrath of Arjun on the third board. Playing with the white pieces in a Queen’s Gambit Declined game, Arjun forced his opponent into mistakes before sacrificing his queen for a brilliant checkmate, which Prohászka graciously allowed to unfold on the board. Arjun sealed the game in just 36 moves, validating his team captain Srinath Narayanan’s decision to play him on Board 3. 

“The great thing was that all the players were happy to do what was best for the team. So there was no pushback from anyone wanting to play on a fixed board. Chess-wise, it was straightforward: Gukesh and Pragg have been facing elite opponents with ratings around 2700, while Arjun had been playing slightly lower-rated opponents in recent months. It made sense to keep them in their respective roles,” said Srinath.

Serbia, undefeated at the time, posed little to no resistance in the fourth round. Gukesh, Arjun, and Vidit recorded comfortable wins, powering India to a commanding victory. The trend continued against Azerbaijan, where Praggnanandhaa and Vidit held their opponents to draws with dark pieces, while Gukesh and Arjun again delivered wins. 

India then claimed a win over Hungary’s A team to maintain its perfect record of 6/6, firmly establishing itself as the team to beat, but it was a job half done; the much stronger teams were waiting to prowl in the following rounds. Among them, in round six, was the 2018 gold medal winner China. After skipping the 2022 Olympiad, China was ready to take its top spot from Uzbekistan, but it had to overcome a surging Indian challenge first. 

India’s plan was simple: hold China to a draw and advance without taking a heavy blow. Coach Srinath crafted a bold yet risky game plan to execute this — he substituted Vidit with the experienced Harikrishna on board four, tasking him with neutralising the in-form Wang Yue. 

Meanwhile, China made a surprising move by benching reigning World Champion Ding Liren, denying fans the much-anticipated clash with Gukesh. The two will meet each other in the FIDE World Chess Championship final later this year. Instead, Gukesh was pitted against an even tougher opponent, Wei Yi, who was having an extraordinary year.

Praggnanandhaa, Arjun, and Harikrishna obliged, playing solid, defensive games to secure draws, bringing the score to 1.5-1.5 with only the top board still in play.

Srinath knew Gukesh was a tough nut to crack, but now it was Wei’s turn to experience it. He managed to hold the game on an equal footing for five hours, with Gukesh pressing hard with his pair of knights against his lone rook. 

It was a high-stakes wager — one wrong move could have cost Gukesh the match. But this time, he was prepared. Having learnt from past mistakes, Gukesh maintained his composure, inducing errors from Wei who faltered, and India clinched a massive victory over its arch-rival. 

India then comfortably dispatched Iran, but the unstoppable run met its first obstacle in the Vladimir Kramnik-coached Uzbekistan. The defending champion, impressive as ever, held India to a draw in a tightly-contested match. Arjun had chances against Shamsiddin Vokhidov but couldn’t convert, while the rest of the Indian boards were kept in check by the 2022 gold medallist.

Heading into the penultimate round, India held a commanding two-point lead over second-placed USA, setting up a highly anticipated showdown with its strongest rival. A victory would have all but secured India the gold, but Wesley So had other plans. Playing with the white pieces, So struck the first blow, defeating Praggnanandhaa in an Italian Game. Levon Aronian also piled on the pressure against Vidit, but India’s top two boards — Gukesh and Arjun — were smelling blood. In a repeat of 2022, Gukesh took down World No. 2 Fabiano Caruana, while Arjun outplayed Leinier Dominguez Perez. India secured a stunning victory over the USA, putting it on the brink of history.

Had the practicality taken charge ahead of the mathematical possibility, India would have secured the gold with a round to spare. But the final confirmation had to wait as India steamrolled Slovenia in the last round to officially claim its first-ever Chess Olympiad gold.

Double delight

While Gukesh and Arjun led the charge for the men’s team, winning eight and nine games respectively to claim individual gold medals, it was Divya Deshmukh and Vantika Agrawal on the bottom two boards of the women’s team who did the heavy lifting, ensuring India’s double delight in both sections.

The duo accounted for 14 of the team’s total 23 wins, earning individual gold medals on boards 3 and 4.

Unlike the Open section, the women’s category was fiercely contested. Top-seeded India got off to a smooth start, defeating Jamaica in the opening round before comfortably dispatching European powerhouses Czechia, Switzerland, and France in the following rounds.

Round five presented a tougher challenge in Kazakhstan. On the top board, Harika Dronavalli squandered a winning position with Black in a Petrov Defense against Bibisara Assaubayeva, dropping her second point in four games. But R. Vaishali and Vantika came to the rescue, securing crucial wins, while Divya’s draw ensured India remained unbeaten.

Vantika, Divya, and Vaishali each secured a victory in the next two rounds against strong Armenian and Georgian teams. India didn’t lose a single game on any board and looked poised to cruise to the top.

India’s juggernaut came to a halt against Poland, where Harika suffered her third loss and Vaishali also fell, creating a three-way tie at the top with Poland and Kazakhstan. The race for gold seemed to slip away after a 2-2 draw against the USA in the ninth round, which pushed India into second place behind Kazakhstan. Harika, who was rested for the USA clash as Tania Sachdev took the last board, was reinstated for the crucial match against China. Only a win would keep the team’s gold hopes alive — and it delivered. Just like the men, three boards ended in draws, while Divya secured a decisive victory, giving the women’s team a crucial boost.

India entered the final round tied with Kazakhstan, knowing that even a win might not guarantee gold. But as it had done throughout the tournament, India delivered when it mattered most, overwhelming Azerbaijan 3.5-1.5 to make a strong case for the title. The final nail in the coffin came from USA, which held Kazakhstan to a 2-2 draw, clearing the path for India to clinch its first-ever women’s chess Olympiad gold in style.

In a rare departure from its usually reserved nature, the team celebrated with unbridled joy. Gukesh and Tania’s playful re-enactment of Ric Flair’s iconic ‘trophy walk’ celebration perfectly captured the camaraderie and close-knit spirit of the squad.

This team bond, as Srinath emphasised, was key to its success. “There’s no exact formula that guarantees success every time, but good team bonding increases the probability of better results. Being in a positive space helps you play better.”

What makes this triumph even more remarkable is the youth of the Indian contingent — six out of 10 players are under 23, with an average age of less than 20 among the four individual gold medallists. 

Gukesh, in particular, solidified his status as one of India’s leading chess stars, with eight wins on the top board, being the only player to cross a 3000 rating performance mark. His back-to-back gold medals, echoing his performance from 2022, leave little doubt about his ability to reign at the top. Arjun’s rise to World No. 3 and Gukesh’s close pursuit at No. 5, both nearing the elite 2800-rating mark, have been equally heart-warming. With young stars like Divya and Vantika eyeing GM titles and a new generation waiting in the wings, the future of Indian chess is in safe hands. 

The 45th Chess Olympiad truly lived up to its tagline for India — “Where the story becomes history.”

The seeds sown by Viswanathan Anand have flourished, with his prodigies now emerging as world-beaters. With top prizes across the board and the retention of the Nona Gaprindashvili Cup, India has now firmly cemented its place among the global chess elite.

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