Each the Indian chess groups discover themselves on the cusp of history-making gold medals within the open part and the ladies’s sections on the Chess Olympiad in Budapest, essentially the most prestigious crew occasion within the sport for nationwide groups.
Heading into Sunday’s remaining spherical of matches, each Indian groups are on high of the Olympiad standings on the time of going to press. Within the open part India defeated the USA, the highest seeds heading into the match however who’ve been shaky heading into the house stretch. Gukesh took down World No 3 Fabiano Caruana whereas Arjun Erigaisi defeated Leinier Dominguez Perez after one other lengthy marathon recreation to offset Praggnanandhaa’s loss to Wesley So. Vidit Gujrathi performed out a draw in opposition to Levon Aronian.
The Indian ladies’s crew, who was in second place in Chess Olympiad standings coming into the tenth spherical, defeated a depleted model of China, which was lacking all their high gamers like Tan Zhongyi, Hou Yifan, Ju Wenjun and Lei Tingjie, who’ve been ladies’s world champions or contenders for the ladies’s world champion’s crown. Whereas all the Indian gamers drew, it was Divya Deshmukh’s victory that handed India a win. India share the highest spot with Kazakhstan.
INTERACTIVE: How Gukesh defeated Fabiano Caruana at Chess Olympiad
The Indian crew within the open part is at the moment on 19 factors with China on 17 and USA and Uzbekistan on 15. A win over USA all however assured Indian a gold medal with a spherical to spare within the open part. The ladies’s crew, in the meantime, have been tentatively high of the standings with 17 factors whereas Kazakhstan, who have been league leaders forward of the tenth spherical, have been nonetheless in motion.
India profitable a gold medal within the two sections on the Budapest Olympiad could be one other milestone in what has been one of many best years for Indian chess. We have now seen three Indian gamers qualify for the cut-throat Candidates match for the primary time ever; a 17-year-old Gukesh changing into the youngest-ever participant to win the Candidates; Praggnanandhaa taking down world no 1 Magnus Carlsen for the primary time within the classical format on the Norway Chess match; and Arjun Erigaisi propelling himself into the world’s high 5 rating spots.
INTERACTIVE: How Praggnanandhaa misplaced to Wesley So at Chess Olympiad
The yr might get even higher in December with Gukesh having the chance to turn into the youngest-ever world champion on the age of 18, if he can beat world champion Ding Liren.
After Gukesh had gained the Candidates match earlier this yr, the legendary Garry Kasparov had remarked: “The Indian earthquake in Toronto is the fruits of the shifting tectonic plates within the chess world because the 17-year-old Gukesh D will face the Chinese language champion Ding Liren for the best title. The ‘kids’ of Vishy Anand are on the unfastened.”
The tremors of this ‘Indian earthquake’ are being felt at each successive elite chess match on the earth, from the FIDE World Cup, the place Pragg made it to the ultimate to the FIDE Grand Swiss match, gained by Vidit Gujrathi and Vaishali, and the Candidates, the place there have been two Indian gamers within the Ladies’s Candidates in addition to three Indians within the open Candidates.
INTERACTIVE: How Arjun Erigaisi defeated Leinier Dominguez Perez at Chess Olympiad
On the Chess Olympiad in Chennai two years in the past, the present open crew of 5 gamers was cut up into two as India have been allowed to discipline a couple of crew as hosts. At that Olympiad two years in the past, Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa performed on the India B crew and gained bronze whereas Pentala Harikrishna, Vidit Gujrathi and Arjun Erigaisi performed within the India A crew which ended fourth. However in Budapest, these 5 gamers have come collectively to kind a formidable outfit.
Arjun Erigaisi has been the destroyer-in-chief for the Indian crew on the Olympiad in Budapest. India have gained an enormous edge on the Olympiad by having a world no 4 taking part in in opposition to the third-best gamers from different groups. Arjun has up to now gained seven out of his 9 video games. (PHOTO: Mark Livshitz/FIDE)
“That is actually the strongest crew India has ever despatched to an Olympiad. They’ve a fairly respectable likelihood of profitable the gold, and a good likelihood of profitable a medal. Everybody has actually turn into stronger within the final yr,” Srinath Narayanan, the captain of the Indian crew, advised The Indian Specific earlier than the Olympiad started.
INTERACTIVE: How Vidit Santosh Gujrathi drew with Levon Aronian at Chess Olympiad
Heading into Saturday’s tenth spherical on the Olympiad, the Indian crew was unbeaten in 36 matches (4 matches in every of the 9 rounds) within the open part. Pragg’s defeat to So is the one recreation India has misplaced in 40 video games within the open part. Whereas the general tie in opposition to defending champions Uzbekistan led to a draw, in different matchups, the Indians have efficiently bulldozed their well past opponents.
The Indian crew’s power may be gauged by the truth that world no 4 Arjun Erigaisi is barely taking part in on the third board — on the Olympiad, most international locations select to rearrange their board order (which participant will play on which board quantity) by power, which means high gamers characteristic on the primary or the second board. Thus far in Budapest, each Gukesh (six wins and two attracts in eight video games) and Arjun (seven wins and two attracts in 9 video games) have performed like unstoppable forces whereas Pragg has performed like an immovable object (drawing six out of his eight video games). Vidit and Harikrishna, the oldest veterans within the crew, have performed measured chess. What’s much more exceptional is that they haven’t wanted the semi-retired Viswanathan Anand, at the moment ranked eleventh on the earth, or the fourth member of India’s prodigy quartet, Nihal Sarin, to characteristic within the crew thus highlighting the depth in Indian chess.
Beforehand, India has gained bronze medals in 2014 and 2022. The Indians additionally shared gold on the 2020 On-line Chess Olympiad, which is a very completely different format.
“India are taking part in insanely properly. It’s nice to see. Gukesh and Arjun are actually on hearth. Pragg is taking part in actually strong chess. Vidit and Harikrishna are taking part in very well. This Indian crew is stronger than ever this yr! The crew spirit is great, they’re all very motivated. Clearly, if Viswanathan Anand was there within the crew it could have been much more insane,” Nihal tells The Indian Specific with a smile.
Nihal, who gained a gold on the second board at Chennai two years in the past, admits that being the top-ranked participant in India is without doubt one of the most troublesome issues in world chess at current. He admits to feeling a slight pang at not being part of the Indian crew, however concedes: “I’ve to play higher.”
Speaking in regards to the mindset of the opposite Indian prodigies, Nihal says: “They’re most significantly superb chess gamers. They’re hardworking, very assured, optimistic as properly. In the event that they’re taking part in in opposition to Magnus Carlsen, whereas some folks might panic, they’ll see it as an opportunity to be taught. You all the time get stronger by taking part in stronger gamers. If you happen to push your self that manner, your degree may even improve.”