Mon Sep 23 07:12:15 UTC 2024: ## India Dominates Chess Olympiad, Wins Historic Gold Medals
**Budapest, Hungary -** India has made history by claiming its first-ever gold medals in both the open and women’s sections of the Chess Olympiad. The dominant performance saw the Indian team secure a clean sweep of both team and individual honors.
The Indian men’s team won ten out of eleven rounds in the open section, only drawing against defending champion Uzbekistan. The women’s team was equally impressive, winning nine out of eleven rounds.
Individual brilliance highlighted the tournament, with D. Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, and Divya Deshmukh all securing individual gold medals.
Gukesh, a World Championship challenger, had a phenomenal tournament, scoring 9 points in 10 games and earning the individual gold medal on the top board. His performance rating reached 3056, the only player in the tournament to break the 3000+ mark.
Erigaisi, another Indian grandmaster, also excelled, scoring 10 points in 11 games to secure individual gold on board three.
Newcomer Divya Deshmukh, playing on board three for the women’s team, was unstoppable throughout the tournament. She scored 9.5 points and secured a crucial victory in the final match to claim the Individual gold.
Vantika Agrawal rounded out the gold medal haul, claiming individual gold on board four.
India also retained the Gaprindashvili Trophy, awarded to the team with the best overall performance across the open and women’s sections. The impressive victories highlight the strength of Indian chess on the world stage.
First Piper 