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          India win historic double gold in FIDE Chess Olympiad 2024

          Top (L-R): Pentala Harikrishna, Arjun Erigaisi, D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, Vidit Gujrathi; Bottom (L-R): Divya Deshmukh, Tania Sachdev, Harika Dronavalli, R Vaishali, Vantika Agrawal ESPN / Getty / AP / Twitter
          • Sunaadh Sagar
          Sep 22, 2024, 01:00 PM

          India won two gold medals at the 2024 FIDE Chess Olympiad in Hungary, a historic performance that saw D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi and Pentala Harikrishna triumphing in the open section, while the women's team of Harika Dronavalli, R Vaishali, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agarwal and Tania Sachdev also won gold.

          India confirmed their victory in the open section, with wins from D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi giving them a 2-0 lead over Slovenia. It meant India could not lose, and with the team needing only a draw against their opponents to have an unassailable lead over China in the standings, they confirmed their gold medal. Eventually, Praggnandhaa also won his game to mean India defeated Slovenia, and Vidit completed formaiities later with a draw.

          With the Indian women's team's result depending on the outcome of the tie between Kazakhstan and the USA, there was a tactical approach, with all four opting for a cautious outlook, keeping the game even before risking an attack. India eventually defeated Azerbaijan 3.5-0.5, but waited on tenterhooks for Kazakhstan's results. Eventually, India could not be overtaken even on tie-breakers, and that confirmed the victory.

          This is India's first-ever gold medal at the Olympiad (barring one shared with Russia during an online Olympiad - held during the COVID-19 pandemic) - underlining the strength in depth of India's chess scene - especially after a Candidates that saw five Indians involved. The women's team also improved on their bronze medal from the Chennai Olympiad in 2022, which was their first. D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi also won individual gold medals in boards 1 and 3, with some stellar results over the week. Divya Deshmukh and Vantika Agarwal also won boards 3 and 4, making it four individual gold medals for India in total.

          Erigaisi led the way with a win over Jan Subelj in 43 moves to begin with, which was soon followed by Gukesh to confirm the win. The pair, who've moved into the Top 5 in the world rankings, were pivotal to India's results - especially Erigaisi, who won 9 of his 11 games (and drew twice), not resting for a single round. "I wish I had converted that", he said of his two draws to Chessbase India - proving the level of excellence Indian chess is operating at right now. Gukesh, who noted that him and Arjun were 'in the form of our lives' also was unbeaten, with 8 wins and two draws.

          Here's how the games played out in the round 11 matches:

          OPEN:

          D Gukesh beats Vladimir Fedoseev:

          Gukesh opened with an Indian Game and had the early advantage, and stayed in control right from the start, never really relinquishing his lead with plenty of engine-approved moves. Completely in control Gukesh moved to a +3.33 advantage around 30 moves in, and cornered his opponent over the next ten moves to seal the win.

          R Praggnanandhaa beats Anton Demchenko:

          Pragg played a Queen's gambit to start with - which was accepted - and while he was patient with his moves, taking 14 minutes in his 14th move, it proved beneficial. Despite facing time pressure, Pragg had an early advantage. However, it amounted to nothing as Demchenko found his way back into an equal game. With his two teammates winning, the pressure was not on Pragg - but even a conservative game saw him open up a +1 advantage 39 moves in. Keeping the pressure up, Pragg eventually forced his opponent into a corner and won after 53 moves.

          Arjun Erigaisi beats Jan Subelj:

          Erigaisi, in keeping with his out-of-the-box tactics that have proved successful this tournament, opted for the Scandinavian defence against Subelj to start with. Deemed 'risky', 'especially in the final round' by Judit Polgar, Erigaisi nevertheless pressed home the advantage with his experimental opening. His opponent was left befuddled and yielded to the time pressure, losing the game in 50 moves.

          Vidit Gujrathi draws Matej Sebenik:

          Vidit opted for the Sicilian defence as his opener, but as the game progressed, made multiple blunders, only to be let of the hook by his opponent. The pair continued to play an even game, before Matej opened a slight advantage around 25 moves in. The pair continued well after India's gold was confirmed and eventually agreed to a draw after 60 moves.

          WOMENS:

          Harika Dronavalli beats Gunay Mammadzada:

          Harika's game proved even for quite a while, but around 30 moves in, she pressed on the attack and within two moves, the engine had the Indian with a +1.5 advantage. The Indian continued to corner her opponent, who was around 14 minutes behind and looked all set to yield to the time pressure. Eventually, Harika confirmed her win 51 moves in, as her opponent resigned, having no way out.

          R Vaishali draws Ulviyya Fataliyeva:

          The game saw a Catalan opening, and Vaishali tried an aggressive blitz from the start that saw a queen exchange early. The Indian was under time pressure as the game progressed, but kept the board at an even keel. With two of her teammates winning, Vaishali also opened up a slight advantage but could afford a draw and accepted that result 47 moves in.

          Divya Deshmukh beats Govhar Beydullayeva:

          Divya, who played all eleven games and was perhaps the MVP of the women's team throughout the tournament, started off in an equal game but then produced a late surge to open up a +3 advantage according to the engine around 30 moves in. Nine moves later, her opponent had nowhere left to go, and resigned.

          Vantika Agrawal beats Khanim Balajayeva:

          The Moscow variation of the Sicilian defence as the opening proved to be difficult for Vantika, who also fell afoul of the clock, that saw her struggle against the time pressure - around 25 minutes behind her opponent around 26 moves in. However, in a wild swing in the 34th move, Vantika had a huge advantage as her opponent blundered by moving her queen to h4, and the Indian looked to have taken advantage. Despite Khanim hanging on, she had to eventually yield 54 moves in and Vantika confirmed her victory.