The 2024 Chess Olympiad in Budapest will always be remembered in India’s chess history. This was a huge win! India claimed double gold for the first time, winning both the Open & Women’s sections. Such an amazing achievement shows India’s power in global chess. It also cheers on a new generation of chess stars who helped their teams shine.
A Strong Final Round
In the crucial final round, both Indian teams played brilliantly. With powerful 3½-½ wins, India earned the gold medals without needing tiebreaks or complicated math.
Young Grandmasters Dommaraju Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi were awesome in the Open section. They led their team with great performances throughout the tournament. On the women’s side, Divya Deshmukh and Vantika Agrawal stepped up at key moments, making sure India stood on top of the podium.
The wins came in style! The Open team beat Slovenia while the Women’s team dominated Azerbaijan. Gukesh, Arjun, Harika Dronavalli, Divya, and Vantika all played vital roles, each securing gold medals on their boards. This truly strengthens India’s chess legacy!
Record-Breaking Performance
India’s success marks only the second time since the days of the Soviet Union that a country has won both golds in a single Chess Olympiad. China did it in 2018 before this. It’s interesting to note: In the last Olympiad in Chennai, India missed getting double gold and ended up with two bronze medals instead. But everything changed in Budapest! The Indian teams dominated from the very start.
In the Open section, they set a new record for match points since 2008, finishing with an amazing score of 21/22 points. They won 10 matches and had just one draw against Uzbekistan in round 9. Gukesh performed incredibly—scoring 9/10 and achieving a fantastic tournament performance rating (TPR) of 3056! Arjun Erigaisi also did well with a TPR of 2968; they are now among the best players in the world.
On the women’s side, Divya Deshmukh shone brightly too! She scored an impressive 9.5/11 and achieved a TPR of 2608, pushing her past a rating of 2500 to join the top ranks of women’s chess. At just 18 years old, she is now ranked 11th worldwide!
Vantika Agrawal | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza
Open Section:
- Round 1: India 4-0 Jamaica
- Round 2: India 4-0 Venezuela
- Round 3: India 3½-½ Slovakia
- Round 4: India 3-1 Czechia
- Round 5: India 2½-1½ Poland
- Round 6: India 3-1 Germany
- Round 7: India 3½-½ France
- Round 8: India 3-1 Kazakhstan
- Round 9: India 2-2 Uzbekistan
- Round 10: India 3½-½ Azerbaijan
- Round 11: India 3½-½ Slovenia
Women’s Section:
- Round 1: India 4-0 Lebanon
- Round 2: India 3½-½ Norway
- Round 3: India 3-1 Mongolia
- Round 4: India 4-0 Latvia
- Round 5: India 2½-1½ Kazakhstan
- Round 6: India 1½ -2½ Poland
- Round 7:India 2 -2 United States
Global Chess Landscape & India’s Rise
The other key point about this Chess Olympiad is that it was record-breaking! There were 188 teams in the Open & 169 teams in the Women’s section; this made it the biggest Olympiad ever! Many countries displayed their skills & determination but it was India’s performances that stood out.
In the Open section, the United States bagged silver & Uzbekistan took bronze while Kazakhstan finished strong too snagging silver alongside the US in the Women’s section. Remarkably, Kazakhstan was seeded 10th yet managed to achieve second place showing how quickly chess talent is rising worldwide!
India’s climb to chess greatness took years. With Gukesh, Arjun, Divya & Vantika shining brightly now—a bright future lies ahead for Indian chess! This win is about more than medals—it shows a brand new era of Indian chess dominance globally!
Celebrations & Reflections
The Closing Ceremony at BOK Sports Center was truly special! It marked two weeks filled with intense competition turned into a festive environment for all involved! Indian players along with captains like Srinath Narayanan & Abhijit Kunte were celebrated for their great leadership.
Those victorious players shared their thoughts too—expressing happiness over their journey together as a team! Gukesh smiled saying, “It was a dream! I’m super happy with how we performed as one.” Divya Deshmukh added with her heart full—“We faced challenges but bounced back with determination; finally here we are holding gold!”
For Harika Dronavalli who has played for two decades this moment was huge emotionally! She mentioned, “I’ve dedicated my time hoping to see gold!” And now she finally sees India on that podium in first place.
Looking Forward: A Golden Era for Indian Chess
India securing double gold at this Chess Olympiad shows how talented these players are—it’s also proved how powerful India’s presence is becoming in chess worldwide now with examples like Gukesh & Arjun alongside steady performers like Divya & Vantika leading us to start fresh golden times ahead.
As we cheer for this historic milestone—it reminds us that these wonderful achievements are only just beginning on our journey through chess history!
Keep an eye out for Gukesh and his incredible journey—there’s no doubt he’s only getting started, and Kingdom of Chess is excited to watch this rising star inspire future generations.
