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          "We were meant for this": Tania, Gukesh react after historic double gold at Chess Olympiad

          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
          • PTI
          Sep 23, 2024, 02:56 AM

          World Championship challenger D Gukesh said he didn't think about his personal achievements and was prepared to do "whatever it takes" to steer India to the gold medal at the 2024 Chess Olympiad following near-misses in previous editions.

          Gukesh, 18, played a pivotal role in India's historic victory as the men's team defeated Slovenia 3.5-0.5 in the final round to claim their first Olympiad gold. The Indian women's team also secured gold, marking a historic double for the country.

          "I feel great, especially with the quality of my games and how we played as a team and despite many close misses in the past, we managed to dominantly win this time. I'm just super happy right now," Grandmaster Gukesh, who secured eight wins in 11 rounds, told International Chess Federation (FIDE) after the match.

          India's men's team was on the brink of winning the gold medal after defeating USA 2.5-1.5 on Saturday. Needing only a draw in the final round, the team went one better by defeating Slovenia to clinch the top spot. "Yesterday we were in the team meeting, we were already in the celebrations mood. I was super excited but I hoped there would be no game. We forced ourselves to focus and come here, do the job, and then celebrate," he said.

          He added, "I thought even if we lose the match, we still win on tie breaks. We wanted to win the match, of course. We were expecting a win. We were all pretty relaxed. But yeah, glad that me and Arjun got the job done."

          Indian men had earlier won two bronze medals -- in 2014 and 2022 (held in Chennai) -- at the Olympiad. Gukesh was in sublime form in Chennai, winning eight of his first nine games but a loss against Uzbekistan ended India's title hopes. He was relieved to get the job done this time around, "This tournament for me, especially since what happened last time, we were so close as the team to win goal. This time I thought no matter what I'm going to do, whatever it takes to win the team goal," Gukesh told Chess24.

          "I did not really think about the individual performance much. I just wanted the team to win this time." Gukesh's outstanding run included a fine victory over world No. 3 Fabiano Caruana in Saturday's crucial match against the USA.

          "I guess it's just sticking with the discipline and staying focused on the tournament. And once you get into the rhythm, everything happens automatically. Once I got the first four wins, I thought I'd set myself up for a very great tournament," said Gukesh, who will challenge China's Ding Liren for the world title later this year.

          Asked how the team will celebrate, Gukesh said: "Hopefully tonight, when all the duties are done, we'll get together and maybe just hang out, laugh a bit."

          - 'We were meant for this,' says Sachdev after India women win maiden chess Olympiad crown -

          Tania Sachdev said the Indian women's team was meant for the crown after clinching their maiden Olympiad gold on Sunday. The Indian team, comprising Sachdev, Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali Rameshbabu, Divya Deshmukh and Vantika Agrawal, accompanied by coach Abhijit Kunte beat Azerbaijan 3.5-0.5 in the final round to get the top honours.

          "I'm so overwhelmed right now. I'm so proud of my team, everything that we've done in the open (category and) in the women now when I look back, I think this is the moment that we were meant for this," Sachdev told chess.com.

          The Indian women had clinched bronze medal in the 2022 edition and Vaishali described that experience as a tough one for her side. "I still remember last year, we lost in the last round. Honestly, I could not sleep last night, thinking about those things, but I'm very happy that we played as a team," Grandmaster Vaishali said.

          FIDE International Master and GM Sachdev shared the sentiment and added, "I think last time it didn't happen like Vaishali said it was a very, very difficult. It was hard to celebrate the bronze last time and I'm just so happy right now."

          GM Harika said she finally managed to achieve her dream after 20 years. "I came into Olympiads as a 13-year-old, 20 years back, with a dream to win an Olympiad medal, and finally, it might happen today!" Harika said after winning her game in the final round.

          "It's been a rollercoaster ride for me during this tournament and I'm glad (that) in crucial games the girls picked up and finally we all came as a team and we won the last game, so that means a lot. We played all the strongest teams here and I think we deserve it," Harika added.

          While Divya Deshmukh said the team will head over for a lunch after their win, IM and GM Vantika Agrawal expressed her relief having got over the line. "I am just feeling so happy and relieved. Last two days, I was so stressed like what's going to happen but knowing that we have won this match with high score, (I'm) feeling really happy."