Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated Indian chess players for their success at the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad.
In a post on X, the Prime Minister said, “Congratulations to our Chess players! Their passion and determination are exemplary. May these successes motivate several more youngsters to play chess and excel.”
The Indian men’s team secured the silver medal in the Open section after playing out a 2-2 draw against Hungary in the final round in Samarkand on Sunday. India finished with 18 points and was tied with Germany, but secured silver on the basis of a better tie-break score. Germany, which defeated the Netherlands 2.5-1.5, settled for bronze.
Uzbekistan won the gold medal in the Open section after defeating Ukraine 2.5-1.5 in the final round. The hosts finished with 20 points from a possible 22, recording 10 wins and suffering just one defeat, against Germany.
For India, R Praggnanandhaa drew with Richard Rapport, while Arjun Erigaisi defeated Peter Leko. Nihal Sarin drew with Benjamin Gledura, while D Gukesh lost to Gleb Dudin.
Praggnanandhaa also secured an individual bronze medal for his performance, while Gukesh narrowly missed out on an individual gold following his final-round loss.
In the women’s section, India claimed the bronze medal after drawing 2-2 with Georgia in the final round. India finished with 18 points, while China won the gold with 20 points after defeating Vietnam 3-1. Kazakhstan secured the silver medal with 18 points.
Koneru Humpy defeated Nana Dzagnidze, while Divya Deshmukh lost to Bella Khotenashvili. Vantika Agrawal drew with Lela Javakhishvili, and B Savitha Shri held Meri Arabidze to a draw.
Savitha Shri emerged as India’s standout performer in the women’s competition, scoring nine points from 10 games. Her strong performance also earned her the individual gold medal.
Humpy and Vantika Agrawal won individual bronze medals, while Divya Deshmukh secured an individual silver medal.
The Indian women’s team had to fight hard in the final round after Humpy’s early victory was followed by Divya’s loss. With Vantika drawing her game, the result depended on Savitha Shri, who held her nerve in a difficult position and secured the draw needed for India to claim the team bronze.
In other key final-round results, China defeated Vietnam 3-1 in the women’s section, while Poland drew 2-2 with Kazakhstan. In the Open section, Germany defeated the Netherlands 2.5-1.5, while Uzbekistan overcame Ukraine 2.5-1.5 to finish at the top.
(With PTI inputs)
