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Written by WGM Anna Burtasova
Photos: Michal Walusza, Mark Livshitz, Maria Emelianova and Stev Bonhage
The closing ceremony of the 45th Chess Olympiad was held at the BOK Sports and Conference Centre, the event's main venue. The stage was set, transforming the tournament's playing hall into a celebratory space.
Before the ceremony began, players, officials, and guests took their seats while the final press conference was held in the Olympiad's press centre. Members of the victorious Indian teams participated, including Srinath Narayanan, Captain of the Indian Open Team; Gukesh D, Board One of the Indian Open Team; Arjun Erigaisi, Board Three of the Indian Open Team; Abhijit Kunte, Captain of the Women's Team; Harika Dronavalli, Board One of the Indian Women's Team; and Divya Deshmukh, Board Three of the Indian Women's Team.
The atmosphere was light-hearted, with players shedding the seriousness and pressure of the tournament and all smiling.
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Gukesh D: "It was a very nice experience for me personally and for the team. I am super happy with how I played and how we performed together as a team. Right now, I feel a bit tired since the adrenaline is out, but I am super happy with how things went. This was a dream".
Divya Deshmukh: "It started off quite well, but in the middle, we had a few setbacks. I am really proud of how we handled it. We fought back with resilience, and finally, we are here with the gold medal. I am overwhelmed with emotions".
Harika Dronavalli: "For me, it is much more emotional than for the others. I've been playing for 20 years to see a gold medal, and I am glad that finally, I see India on top of the podium. I am happy and proud of the girls. The youngsters came up on the team, and they did extremely well".
At the conclusion of the press conference, the participants moved to the award ceremony hall together with the journalists.
Welcome speeches were delivered by Zoltán Polyánszky, President of the Hungarian Chess Federation, and Arkady Dvorkovich, President of FIDE.
Arkady Dvorkovich said: "Over the past two weeks, we've witnessed history being made here in Budapest. From all corners of the globe, top players, living legends, and future champions have competed for the most prestigious team title in our sport – the title of Chess Olympiad Champions. Among the nearly 200 nations that participated, one country stood a step ahead of the rest. I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to India for their remarkable achievement of winning Olympic gold in both the Open and Women's competitions!"
The FIDE President thanked the teams and their captains, the Hungarian Chess Federation, the local organizing team, the FIDE team, the arbiters, fair play officers, the appeals commission, the broadcast teams, and every single person who worked behind the scenes to ensure that both the Olympiad and the General Assembly ran smoothly.
And with that, the Chief Arbiter Ivan Syrovy and Deputy Chief Arbiter Sabrina de San Vicente entered the stage, and the award ceremony started.
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This Olympiad became the biggest in history, with 188 teams in the Open and 169 teams in the women's section. Not all of them contested for the highest places, but to mark their achievements, special prizes in rating categories were awarded. Tshepiso Lopang, President of the African Chess Confederation, and Jose Antonio Carrillo, President of the Confederation of Chess for Americas, were invited to the stage to award the prize-winning teams in categories E, D, and C. Zurab Azmaiparashvili, President of the European Chess Union, awarded the teams in categories B and A.
Open, Group A: China, Serbia, Armenia
Women, Group A: Spain, Armenia, Georgia
Open, Group B: Turkmenistan, Latvia, Kazakhstan
Women, Group B: Philippines, Montenegro, Latvia
Open, Group C: Ecuador, Zimbabwe, Tajikistan
Women, Group C: Turkmenistan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka
Open, Group D: Sri Lanka, Liechtenstein, Pakistan
Women, Group D: Hong Kong (China), Thailand, Mozambique
Open, Group E: Myanmar, Qatar, Eswatini
Women, Group E: Cameroon, Cayman Islands, Netherlands Antilles
A dance performance combining Hungarian folk dance heritage and youthful energy marked the transition to the next part of the closing ceremony. The Chess Olympiad is a vibrant mosaic of styles, colours, and designs, and it has become a tradition to choose the best chess uniforms worn by the teams. The special jury had a tough job selecting the winners, and here are the awardees:
Women's section, best classic team uniform: Cayman Islands
Open section, best classic team uniform: Eswaini
Women's section, best sport team uniform: Barbados
Open section, best sport team uniform: St. Lucia
Women's section, best original team uniform: Ethiopia
Open section, best original team uniform: Vanuatu
The awards were given by Dana Reizniece-Ozola, Deputy Chair of the FIDE Management Board, and Zumrud Rustamova, spouse of the FIDE President.
The ceremony continued with a captivating performance by Juga, a Chilean singer and songwriter renowned for her chess-inspired songs and videos. She sang Colorblind, an ode to chess, and later delighted the audience with one of her most popular pieces, Oh, Capablanca.
The Chess Olympiad is a team event, but the best individual performances are also highly valued and awarded with medals. Let's celebrate all the winners, the best players on their boards who were the driving forces of their teams!
Open – Board 1:
Gold: Gukesh D, India
Silver: Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Uzbekistan
Bronze: Magnus Carlsen, Norway
Women – Board 1:
Gold: Zhu Jiner, China
Silver: Sarasadat Khademalsharieh, Spain
Bronze: Nana Dzagnidze, Georgia
Open – Board 2:
Gold: Nguyen Thai Dai Van, Czech Republic
Silver: Toni Lazov, North Macedonia
Bronze: Ediz Gurel, Turkiye
Women – Board 2:
Gold: Carissa Yip, USA
Silver: Elisabeth Paehtz, Germany
Bronze: Song Yuxin, China
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Open – Board 3:
Gold: Arjun Erigaisi, India
Silver: Yu Yangyi, China
Bronze: Le Tuan Minh, Vietnam
Women – Board 3:
Gold: Divya Deshmukh, India
Silver: Sabrina Vega Gutierrez, Spain
Bronze: Elina Danielian, Armenia
Open – Board 4:
Gold: Shamsiddin Vokhidov, Uzbekistan
Silver: Levon Aronian, USA
Bronze: Alan Pichot, Spain
Women – Board 4:
Gold: Vantika Agrawal, India
Silver: Alice Lee, USA
Bronze: Anna M. Sargsyan, Armenia
Open – Reserve Board:
Gold: Frederik Svane, Germany
Silver: Benjamin Gledura, Hungary
Bronze: Velimir Ivic, Serbia
Women – Reserve Board:
Gold: Dana Kochavi, Israel
Silver: Nodira Nadirjanova, Uzbekistan
Bronze: Lu Miaoyi, China
Former world champions, grandmasters Zhu Chen and Xie Jun, awarded the winners on the reserve board and board four. Hungarian chess legends Sofia and Susan Polgar presented the awards for boards three and two. Zoltán Polyánszky, along with legendary grandmaster Lajos Portisch, honoured the winners on board one.
The grand finale of the prize-giving ceremony was the celebration of the overall winners. Five-time world chess champion Viswanathan Anand and the greatest female chess player of all time, Judit Polgar, had the honour of presenting the prizes to those whose names will now be etched in the history of chess as the champions of the 45th Chess Olympiad.
In the women's section, the bronze medal was awarded to team USA, while the silver medal went to team Kazakhstan. The gold medals and the Vera Menchik Cup - a trophy that remains with the winners for two years until the next Olympiad and bears the names of all past champions - were awarded to team India, accompanied by the playing of the Indian national anthem.
In the open section, the bronze medal went to Uzbekistan, and the silver medals were awarded to team USA. The winners of the 45th Chess Olympiad, Team India, received the gold medals and the Hamilton-Russell Cup, the original Olympiad trophy created in 1927 and named after its donor, British attorney and chess sponsor Frederick Gustavus Hamilton-Russell. The national anthem was rendered to honour the winning team.
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The Gaprindashvili Cup, a special trophy awarded for the best combined result in the Open and Women's sections, was also claimed by team India. It was presented by FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich and Nona Gaprindashvili, the legendary Georgian player, former women's world champion, and the first woman to become a grandmaster.
A dazzling music and dance performance set the mood for the final moments of the ceremony. The torch of the Chess Olympiad was passed to the President of the Uzbekistan Chess Federation, Alisher Sadulayev and Nodirbek Abdusattorov. The vibrant city of Tashkent, Uzbekistan's capital, will host the 46th Chess Olympiad in 2026.
After the public rose for the FIDE anthem, the FIDE President declared the 45th Chess Olympiad closed.
See more photos of the 45th Chess Olympiad closing ceremony on FIDE's Flickr.
