India’s two team and four individual gold medals are hailed as the beginning of the country’s reign as the ‘best chess nation in the world’.India’s chess masters have created history by winning team gold medals in both men’s and women’s competitions at the 45th International Chess Federation (FIDE) Chess Olympiad in Budapest.
In addition to winning the team championships, India also walked away with four individual gold medals as the tournament wrapped up in the Hungarian capital on Sunday.
Wins for Gukesh Dommaraju (more commonly known as Gukesh D), Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi sealed gold in the men’s event, known as the Open event, while Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali Rameshbabu, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal, and Tania Sachdev won their respective games to secure gold in the women’s competition.
Gukesh, Erigaisi, Deshmukh and Agrawal bagged individual gold medals on their respective boards.
🇮🇳 India triumphs at 45th Chess Olympiad, winning both Open and Women’s competitions 🏆
India has come a long way since Vishy Anand paved the way for the new generation of chess players. Young talents have emerged and grown to become some of the top players in the world. Gukesh… pic.twitter.com/KvOVjAFx3I
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) September 23, 2024
The feat was termed an “unbelievable” achievement by India’s chess great Viswanathan Anand.
“It feels like a magical time for India,” the former five-time world champion said on the International FIDE YouTube channel in the lead-up to the final day.
Anand, who also won the Chess …