On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed India’s young chess players after they made history by winning the gold medals for the first time in both men’s and women’s sections at the 45th Chess Olympiad. The historic win came on Sunday, as the men’s team beat Slovenia while the women’s team outplayed Azerbaijan in the final round of the competition.
The team received crucial victories from D. Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, and R. Praggnanandhaa alone in the 11th and final round of the men’s competition monumental contribution. The women’s team did not hold back as they defeated Azerbaijan to win gold.
In a video shared on social media, Prime Minister Modi interacted with the chess champions: R. Vaishali, D. Harika, Tania Sachdev, Vidit Gujrathi, Arjun Erigaisi, and Praggnanandhaa. D. Gukesh shone throughout the tournament, winning 10 out of 11 games in the Open category and playing an important role in India’s overall victory.
During the interaction, the Prime Minister was gifted a chessboard, and a lightning game between Praggnanandhaa and Erigaisi left Modi dumbfounded. The Sports Ministry released a video on Sunday of the Indian chess contingent leaving their hotel to meet the Prime Minister.
The Indian men’s team topped the tournament with an impressive score of 21 out of 22 points, conceding just one draw 2-2 against Uzbekistan and beating up the rest.
