Indus Valley Times

NEW DELHI, SEPT 22 : Team India are the champs in the open section of the 2024 Chess Olympiad on Sunday. The team claimed its first gold medal in the last round after second-placed China dropped points on two boards against the USA, while India’s Arjun Erigaisi and D Gukesh secured wins for the team.

Gukesh concluded the Olympiad for both the nation and himself with a victory over Russian Vladimir Fedoseev, helping India secure the historic gold medal. Arjun Erigaisi also claimed a win against Serbian Jan Subelj on the tournament’s final day.

The Indian team had an almost perfect run, starting with eight wins before being held to a draw by Uzbekistan, the defending champions. Nonetheless, India bounced back, defeating the USA in the penultimate round to clinch the title.

The team for the open category consisted of Gukesh, Erigaisi, Praggnanandhaa R, Vidit Gujrathi, Pentala Harikrishna, and Srinath Narayanan. This marks India’s first Olympiad gold when the event is held in person, as the last gold was shared during the pandemic when the event took place online.

With this run in the 2024 Olympiad, India showcased its best performance to date. Their previous best performances were in 2022 on home soil (Chennai) and 2014 (Tromsø, Norway) when they clinched bronze.

Heading into the final round, India topped the board with 19 points, while China and Slovenia were in second and third place, respectively.

In the women’s section, India and Kazakhstan share the top spot, with the USA and Poland closely behind.

-The New Indian Express