'Being the defending champions certainly gives us confidence, but every Olympiad is a new event and starts from scratch.'
India is sending a strong contingent, including world champion D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, and R Vaishali, to the FIDE Chess Olympiad in Samarkand from September 16 to 27.
Mumbai-based FIDE trainer and arbiter Praful Jhaveri has been appointed as the coach and team captain for the St Kitts and Nevis Chess Federation for the upcoming 46th Chess Olympiad in Uzbekistan. His appointment followed a recommendation from IM Abhilash Kelkar.
India became only the third country to win both the men's and women's gold medals at the same Chess Olympiad.
'The Indian Open team was extremely well prepared and motivated to win the gold medal.' 'With two players in the world top 10 club, and four players with over 2,700 ELO points (GMs Arjun Erigaisi, D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, all below 20) and Vidit Gujrathi and P Harikrishna, it was a solid team.'
'It is surprising that Pakistan has suddenly taken the decision of not participating in the FIDE Chess Olympiad, particularly after the team has already reached India'.
India will field three teams each in the Open and women's sections respectively.
India were handed hosting rights in April when FIDE decided to shift the event outside the original host country, Russia.
Indian chess prodigy D Gukesh sealed a remarkable Chess Olympiad campaign with a decisive victory over GM Vladimir Fedoseev on Sunday in Hungary.
An "embarrassed" All India Chess Federation (AICF) has filed a police complaint after a Chess Olympiad trophy its team won in the last edition of the tournament at home went missing from its office, forcing the sports body to arrange for a replica of the prized possession and tender an apology.
Hungary will officially host the 45th edition of the Olympiad for the first time, having hosted the second unofficial Chess Olympiad in 1926.
Indian chess Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa, who turned 21, has already amassed a remarkable list of achievements, including becoming a Grandmaster at 12, reaching a career-high world ranking of No. 4, and recently winning the Grand Chess Tour St Louis Rapid and Blitz title.
Modi also congratulated individual members of the Indian contingent who won board medals. "These are outstanding players who have shown remarkable grit and tenacity. Best wishes for their future endeavours," he said.
The closing ceremony of the 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad turned out to be a social evening
World No 1 Magnus Carlsen narrowly avoided forfeiting his third-round game against Roberto Garcia Pantoja at the Chess Olympiad due to a late arrival.
It has bolstered the home team's medal chances at the 14-day event, which is expected to see massive participation from more than 150 countries.
The Indian men's team got off to another 3-0 start, led by Dommaraju Gukesh's triumph over H Stefansson of Iceland, in the second round.
The All India Chess Federation (AICF) on Saturday said it will be bidding to host the 44th Chess Olympiad later this year after the prestigious event was moved out of Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
The All India Chess Federation announced a whopping Rs 3.2 crore in rewards for the historic 45th Olympiad-winning Indian teams during a felicitation ceremony in New Delhi on Wednesday.
D GukeshGrandmaster R Vaishali and Vantika Agrawal put up impressive performances as Indian women defeated Georgia while World Championship challenger D Gukesh led the men to victory over China in the seventh round as both teams continued their unbeaten streak in 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest.
India men dropped their first point, but carried enough steam to beat Hungary to maintain a clean slate in the ongoing 45th Chess Olympiad.
India and Russia were on Sunday declared joint winners of the 2020 Online Chess Olympiad after the final was marred by internet disconnection and server malfunction. This was the first time FIDE, the international chess federation, was holding the Olympiad in an online format, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Indian women's chess team etched their names in history by securing their maiden Chess Olympiad title, defeating Azerbaijan in a decisive 3.5-0.5 victory in Budapest.
The Indian teams made winning starts in the Open and women's sections of the 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai on Friday.
Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi scored his fourth victory on the trot and gave India an early lead in the match against Serbia in the fourth round of the ongoing 45th Chess Olympiad.
Former women's World champion Susan Polgar feels that the rising strength of Indian players makes them favourites to grab three out of the six medals at stake.
World number four Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi registered his sixth victory in as many games as the Indian team was poised to score its sixth straight win in the ongoing 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary on Monday.
From supporting young talents financially to earning global recognition, Indian chess is making its presence felt like never before.
'India should hold several high-level chess tournaments that would attract the world's top players so that the country will have a say in the game.'
Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi discusses D Gukesh's mental strength challenge for his World Championship defence against Javokhir Sindarov, highlighting Gukesh's recent inconsistent form. Vidit also assesses India's strong prospects for the upcoming Chess Olympiad, praising the form of players like Praggnanandhaa, Erigaisi, and Sarin, while cautioning against overconfidence. He also reflects on his Arjuna Award and the need for better organisation in chess formats.
Indian Grandmaster Nihal Sarin believes team chemistry will be vital for Fyers American Gambits' success in the upcoming Global Chess League. The tournament, featuring elite players and a unique team format, will also serve as preparation for the Chess Olympiad. Sarin highlights the challenge and excitement of integrating diverse playing styles into a cohesive unit.
IDE, for the very first time has instituted the torch relay, which is part of the Olympic tradition but was never done in the Chess Olympiad.
The announcement was made by Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin on his Twitter page
World champion D Gukesh is 'crumbling under the weight of expectations' and needs to 'shut out the noise' to regain his form ahead of his title defence, said American Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura. Nakamura also revealed that the 2028 Chess Olympiad could potentially be his last tournament featuring 'true classical' chess.
Following Arjun's win, World Championship challenger D Gukesh put it across Parham Maghsoodloo with black pieces, swindling the Iranian towards the end of the first time-control.
The Indian men's and women's teams registered identical 3-1 victories over Czech Republic and Slovenia respectively, in the 10th and penultimate round of the 32nd Chess Olympiad in Dresden, Germany, on Monday. The women's team, with 14 points, improved to joint-seventh while the men's team moved to joint-ninth place.
Former Asian queen Tania Sachdev continued with her dream run as Indian eves roared back to medal contention with an easy 2.5-1.5 triumph over Vietnam in the eighth round of the Women's chess Olympiad in Istanbul.
Six-time world champion Viswanathan Anand will be a part of the Indian team for the Chess Olympiad to be held in Georgia later this year after he accepted the request from the All India Chess Federation.
Indian Grandmaster Nihal Sarin discusses fellow world champion D Gukesh's recent performance slump, attributing it to a lack of confidence rather than a decline in skill. Sarin expresses hope that the upcoming Chess Olympiad will help Gukesh regain his form. He also shares his views on the increasing role of AI in chess, the evolution towards faster formats, and potential improvements in the chess ecosystem.
The Indian medal hopes in the 32nd chess Olympiad suffered a severe jolt after the men could only manage a 2-2 draw with Slovenia while the women lost 1.5-2.5 to Serbia in the eighth round in Dresden, Germany. The Indian men slipped to joint 14th spot in the standings on 11 points out of a possible 16 and now face an uphill task to keep their medal hopes alive.
