India’s gold rush

India are fast becoming the clear numero uno nation of world chess, with a dominance reminiscent of the legendary USSR teams of the 1950s and 1960s. After the recent eighth round (of 11) at the 188-team Olympiad in Budapest, and a 3.5‑0.5 victory over second-placed Iran, India had won every Open match and totalled 16/16 without losing a single game.

If you’ve not heard of a ‘shock’ victory, here it is for you! India scripted history as its men’s and women’s teams clinched their maiden gold medals in the 45th Chess Olympiad after beating their respective opponents in the final round.

It was historic, since those were the first over-the-board Olympiad gold medals for the Indian teams, while China in 2018 is the only team other than India to achieve double gold since the break-up of the Soviet Union. Add in four individual gold medals, and it was about as close to perfection as it’s possible for a team to get.

The men’s team defeated Slovenia after D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa won their respective matches in the 11th and final round match. The women’s team beat Azerbaijan 3.5-0.5 to clinch the title. Indian men had earlier won two bronze — in 2014 and 2022 — in the tournament. Indian women had won a bronze in the 2022 edition in Chennai. World Championship challengers Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi yet again delivered in key games to help India secure its first title in the open category.

This was pretty much the situation when leaders were left with the remaining three rounds: India 16/16, Uzbekistan and Hungary 14, China, United States and Iran 13. England are among 14 teams on 12 points but are placed 17th due to fewer game points.

Hungary’s Peter Leko has been quoted as saying: “India’s way too strong. They are very young, very determined, brilliantly prepared, and also have fantastic chemistry, so it’s a very tough team for anyone to beat.”

Dommaraju Gukesh, the 18-year-old who will compete in the World Championship match in December, won an individual gold. As did three others: Arjun Erigaisi, Divya Deshmukh, and Vantika Agrawal.

Gukesh’s was an all-time great performance as he rampaged through the tournament beating three players with 2700+ ratings and drawing one other in that bracket. He’s one of only four ever to have crossed 3000 in tournament performance ratings at a major classical chess tournament.

Up against Slovenia, Gukesh was at his very best in the technical phase of the game as black against Vladimir Fedoseev. Though it was a laboured victory, the 18-year-old Grandmaster was spot on with his tremendous strategic display.

Erigaise also won with black on the third board against Jan Subeli out of a surprising Centre Counter defense game.

Well, this was not the end! Praggnanadhaa struck form and scored a crushing victory over Anton Demchenko, as India secured a 3-0 triumph over Slovenia with one game still remaining. The Indian men ended up with a remarkable 21 points out of a possible 22. They conceded just a lone 2-2 draw to Uzbekistan while beating the rest of the opponents. The Indian women then gave a rare double gold for the country as they scored a 3.5-0.5 victory against Azerbaijan.

D Harika was at her technical best striking on the top board for the team and Divya Deshmukh yet again outclassed her opponent to confirm her individual gold medal on the third board as well.

After R Vaishali drew her game, the Indian team confirmed the victory with Vantika Agrawal scoring another brilliant triumph.

If one person is behind the current success, it’s 15th World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand, who at times during his reign was criticised for not doing enough to promote chess. Little did the critics realise that he was about to inspire a wave of incredible chess talent. Last year, GM Hikaru Nakamura talked about the “disciples of Vishy” coming for world number-one GM Magnus Carlsen and after the victory in Budapest, he praised Anand again.

It’s notable, meanwhile, that for the first time in Chess Olympiad history, no European team made the podium of either the Open or Women’s Chess Olympiads. Asian chess powerhouses India, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan were joined by the United States. There are fine margins, and some possible explanations, but it also feels symbolic of a shift in chess geography.

For the first time since 2014 (when China scored 19 and four teams trailed by 17 points), 17 points was enough to earn silver, and that’s why the pre-tournament favourite, the United States, could have mixed emotions. Only GM Levon Aronian avoided losing rating (Caruana started with 4/4 but then didn’t win a game), the team lost to Ukraine and India, and drew with Romania, but victory over China due to GM Wesley So’s last-round win meant there was plenty to celebrate.

It was a similar story for the defending champions, Uzbekistan, who lost two matches compared to zero in 2022. They could boast of being the only team to hold India to a draw and having the second-best player on board one, Abdusattorov (a 2884 performance), though their real hero was GM Shamsiddin Vokhidov, who edged out Aronian for gold on board four and snatched the crucial win in the final round against France.

The Indian chess players have the world at their feet, and recognition and support most chess players could only dream of.

Divya (18) was in stunning form. At certain times she seemed to pull India up by the scruff of the neck, winning from impossible situations (once with 17 seconds on the clock, and three pawns down) and keeping the pressure up with bare aggression. She ended the tournament on an incredible score of 9.5/11 (eight wins, three draws) and a TPR of 2605 — to go up a whopping 17.5 points in the live ratings (the biggest gain in the women’s top 50 rankings this Olympiad).

The women’s campaign spoke of a rare ability to hold their nerve when it mattered most — winning big matches, closing out clutch moments — as they came from behind to seal the gold. Their ages give great belief to Indian fans: of the five men, three are below 22 years old. Of the five women, three are below 23. All of them also have that lovely combination of self-confidence and humble simplicity that had set Anand apart from most chess greats — the generations of kids inspired by him also aspire to be just like him.

Neither Gukesh’s nor Divya’s performance would have mattered, though, if the others hadn’t played so well. And that’s what makes the Olympiad so unique.

In a sport that most perceives as an individual one, an Olympiad gold may not seem particularly big, especially for the casual fan, but look at the names on the list of competitors and you can see what it means — just how big it is — in the chess world.

For example, the great Garry Kasparov won eight golds, and to underline just how difficult that is, the

legendary Bobby Fischer only managed two silvers and the GOAT Magnus Carlsen has won no Olympiad medals. This is a test of a nation’s collective strength in a way no other tournament does in the chess world. And India now have two golds in it.

Individually, Anand’s footsteps are being walked upon impressively. Before Budapest, only Anand had crossed 2790 in the FIDE ratings. Now there are two more... and they’re both in the world’s top five. As per live ratings, Arjun is world no.3 and Gukesh is no. 5, and the milestone 2800 rating can’t come soon enough.

For Gukesh, it may come by the end of this year when he goes toe-to-toe with world champion Ding Liren and aims to become the first Indian since Anand to be crowned king.

Views expressed are personal