Both Indian chess teams stand on the brink of making history, poised to win gold medals in both the open and women’s sections at the prestigious Chess Olympiad in Budapest, the pinnacle team event for national chess teams.
Heading into the final round on Sunday, both teams lead the standings. In the open section, India triumphed over top-seeded USA, who faltered in the tournament’s final stages. Gukesh secured a crucial victory against World No. 3 Fabiano Caruana, while Arjun Erigaisi defeated Leinier Dominguez Perez after an intense battle, balancing Praggnanandhaa’s loss to Wesley So. Vidit Gujrathi drew against Levon Aronian.
Meanwhile, the Indian women’s team, entering the 10th round in second place, claimed victory against a weakened Chinese side, which was missing top players like Tan Zhongyi, Hou Yifan, Ju Wenjun, and Lei Tingjie, all former world champions or contenders. Divya Deshmukh’s crucial win sealed the match for India, with the team now sharing the top spot with Kazakhstan.
In the open section, India currently leads with 19 points, ahead of China (17) and the USA and Uzbekistan (15). The women’s team holds a tentative lead with 17 points, as Kazakhstan’s round was still ongoing. A win over the USA almost guarantees India gold with a round to spare.
Victory in both sections would mark another significant milestone in what has already been a remarkable year for Indian chess. Three Indian players qualified for the Candidates Tournament for the first time ever; 17-year-old Gukesh became the youngest player to win the Candidates; Praggnanandhaa defeated World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in classical chess at the Norway Chess tournament; and Arjun Erigaisi has entered the world’s top five rankings.
This year could get even better in December if Gukesh, at 18, becomes the youngest-ever world champion by defeating current champion Ding Liren.
After Gukesh’s victory at the Candidates earlier this year, chess legend Garry Kasparov remarked, “The Indian earthquake in Toronto is the culmination of shifting tectonic plates in the chess world, as the 17-year-old Gukesh D will face Chinese champion Ding Liren for the highest title. The ‘children’ of Vishy Anand are on the loose.”
The aftershocks of this “Indian earthquake” are reverberating across every major chess tournament, from Praggnanandhaa’s appearance in the FIDE World Cup final to Vidit Gujrathi and Vaishali’s victories in the FIDE Grand Swiss, and the Candidates tournament featuring both open and women’s Indian players.