Indian Women’s Chess Team Makes History with Maiden Chess Olympiad Title

India Makes History with Maiden Chess Olympiad Titles

New Delhi, Sep 23 (PTI) – It was a long-awaited dream come true for veteran D Harika as India scripted history in the Chess Olympiad by clinching their maiden titles in both the men’s and women’s categories. The women’s team, led by Harika, secured the gold medal after defeating Azerbaijan in the final round of matches in Budapest.

Harika, who has been playing for 20 years, expressed her emotions after finally achieving the gold medal. “I am extremely happy and proud of the girls, youngsters came up in the team and they did extremely well,” she said. Despite not being satisfied with her own performance, Harika was glad that the team managed to come back strongly after setbacks.

The 18-year-old Divya Deshmukh played a crucial role in securing the gold medal for the Indian women’s team. With a stellar performance throughout the event, Divya ended with 9.5 points out of 11 games and also won the individual gold medal for her outstanding performance on the third board.

“I am overwhelmed with emotions here, I am really happy. I had a good performance here,” Divya said. She credited her high energy levels to the do-or-die situation of playing for her country.

The team captain, Grandmaster Abhijeet Kunte, praised the team’s performance in the crucial last two rounds. “Divya and Vantika played extremely well. Vaishali had some setbacks towards the end. Harika was solid and Tania gave us a good start,” he said.

With players like Vantika Agrawal and Tania Sachdev also contributing significantly to the team’s success, India’s victory in the Chess Olympiad marks a historic moment for the country. The women’s team’s resilience and determination to fight back after setbacks have earned them a well-deserved place in the annals of Indian chess history.