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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted the country’s gold medallists at the FIDE Chess Olympiad in Budapest. He hosted a special interaction with chess stars including Divya Deshkhmukh, Tania Sachdev, D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa. During the interaction, PM Modi enjoyed a game between Erigaisi and Praggnanandhaa. Notably, the Indian men’s and women’s team secured gold medals at the Budapest Chess Olympiad.
During their interaction, PM Modi became a spectator during a round of Bullet Chess clash between Grandmasters R Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi. The players were invited to the PM’s official residence and he enjoyed the thriller between the Indian superstars. On his official account, PM Modi expressed his delight after meeting the chess icons and wrote, “Bullet Chess by two Grandmasters. Incredible! India's chess future is very bright.”
We are now a chess superpower: GM Vidit Gujrathi
Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi, who played a crucial role in India’s win at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest, said that India has definitely become a chess superpower after the historic run in Budapest. The Indian GM told TOI, “India has definitely become a chess superpower after the historic show at the Olympiad. In this tournament, I saw some of the competitors talking about us and they were in disbelief about our performance. Several countries were telling us 'We are thinking of the second spot, you (India) are assured of the gold'. I used to tell them ‘There was never a doubt.”
The 29-year-old added, "When we won against the USA it was pretty much clear that the gold was ours. Also, the game against China was crucial which we won. I think that victory really changed the momentum.” Notably, Gujarati played on Board Four and scored 7.5 points from his 10 games to finish fourth in standings. Gujrathi registered five wins in India’s unbeaten campaign at the elite tournament.
