Double gold for India at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest!

Historic, dominating

India achieved a historic double victory at the 2024 Chess Olympiad in Budapest, winning gold in both the open and women's sections. This was the second time a country won gold in both sections since Soviet times (China also achieved this feat in 2018). The Soviet Union had a dominant run of double golds between 1980 and 1986, a streak that was interrupted by the Hungarian women's team, led by the Polgar sisters, who claimed gold in 1988 and 1990 ahead of the still existing Soviet Union.

Two years ago, in Chennai, India had a chance to achieve double gold on home soil but ended up with double bronze, which, though commendable, left a bittersweet feeling. Back then, it was India 2, a youthful team featuring 16-year-old Dommaraju Gukesh and 18-year-old Nihal Sarin, that clinched bronze in the open section. Despite the disappointment, it was a strong statement about the emerging talent in Indian chess.

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This time, both Indian teams delivered emphatic 3½-½ wins in the final round. The open team only needed a draw to secure gold, while the women's team could have ended tied for first with Kazakhstan if the latter had won their match against the United States. However, Kazakhstan's draw meant India's outright victory in both sections, eliminating the need for tiebreak calculations to decide the champions.

The open team triumphed over Slovenia with wins from Dommaraju Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, while the women's team defeated Azerbaijan thanks to victories from Harika Dronavalli, Divya Deshmukh and Vantika Agrawal. Both teams opted to go all out in the final round, securing gold with a flourish rather than relying on safer, more calculated strategies.

Dommaraju Gukesh will face Ding Liren in the match for the World Chess Championship in November this year | Photo: FIDE / Maria Emelianova

Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu ended the event with a commanding win over Anton Demchenko | Photo: FIDE / Maria Emelianova

India's performance in the open section was particularly dominant, finishing 4 points ahead of their closest rivals. They set a new record in match points under the current Olympiad format (before 2008, the events lasted 13 rounds and individual points decided the winners), with 21/22 points. Their victory included 10 match wins and a single draw against Uzbekistan in round 9. The previous highest match point score since 2008 was 20/22, achieved by the United States in 2016.

Individually, Gukesh and Arjun set new benchmarks, each winning gold medals on their respective boards. Gukesh, in particular, impressed with a 9/10 score and a 3056 tournament performance rating (TPR), improving on his already stellar performance in 2022. Arjun, meanwhile, scored 2968 TPR, which would have been the highest overall in the previous edition. Gukesh's performance earned him 30.1 rating points, moving him to world number 5 in the live ratings, while Arjun gained 19.2 points, overtaking Fabiano Caruana to become the third-ranked player, just 2.8 points shy of the 2800 mark.

The Indian women's team, although not as dominant as their male counterparts, maintained control through the first seven rounds. After a setback against Poland and a draw with the US, they bounced back with wins against China and Azerbaijan to secure gold. Divya and Vantika stood out, each winning individual gold on their respective boards. Divya's 9.5/11 score and 2608 TPR were particularly noteworthy, propelling her past the 2500 rating mark and into the 11^th position in the women's world ranking - at 18 years of age!

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Vantika Agrawal | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

Divya Deshmukh beat Govhar Beydullayeva with the white pieces in Sunday's final round | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

India 3½ - ½ Slovenia (Open)

India 3½ - ½ Azerbaijan (Women)

United States and Uzbekistan grab silver and bronze in the open

Five teams tied for second place with 17 match points in the open section, with the United States and Uzbekistan securing silver and bronze, respectively, based on tiebreaks. China, Serbia, and Armenia narrowly missed out on the podium, with China finishing just 7½ Sonneborn-Berger points behind the US.

For Serbia and Armenia, both seeded outside the top 15, this was a commendable outcome. Serbia pulled off an impressive 3½-½ victory over Ukraine in the final round, with Velimir Ivic's win over Volodymyr Onyschuk contributing to his individual bronze medal on board 5. Serbia's strong finish against the higher-seeded Ukrainian squad capped off a successful campaign, highlighting their resilience and team cohesion.

Armenia, meanwhile, scored a crucial 3-1 victory over Iran, with Haik Martirosyan and Karen Grigoryan securing wins. The Armenian team, featuring three players from the silver-medal-winning squad of 2022, proved their consistency despite no longer having Levon Aronian in their lineup. Their performance also helped them secure third place in the Gaprindashvili Cup, a combined ranking based on results from both the open and women's sections, underscoring the strength of their national chess programme.

Armenia's Haik Martirosyan | Photo: FIDE / Mark Livshitz

The decisive matches for the remaining podium places saw the United States defeat China 2½-1½ and Uzbekistan overcome France with the same score. In both matches, a single decisive result made the difference: Wesley So's victory over Wei Yi clinched the win for the US, while Shamsiddin Vokhidov's win against Maxime Lagarde ensured Uzbekistan's victory. These key wins were enough to secure silver and bronze for their respective teams.

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Individually, the Uzbek team had standout performers in Nodirbek Abdusattorov, who took silver on board 1, and Shamsiddin Vokhidov, who won gold on board 4. Vokhidov's final-round victory allowed him to narrowly outscore Levon Aronian in the race for the top spot on his board. Aronian, who won silver on board 4, was the only member of Team USA to earn an individual medal.

Wesley So ended the tournament on a high, as he defeated the in-form Wei Yi to give his team match victory over China | Photo: FIDE / Maria Emelianova

Uzbekistan's Shamsiddin Vokhidov (left) and Javokhir Sindarov sharing a laugh with team captain Vladimir Kramnik before the start of the round | Photo: FIDE / Maria Emelianova

United States 2½ - 1½ China (Open)

Uzbekistan 2½ - 1½ France (Open)

Kazakhstan and United States reach the podium in the women's

Heading into the final round of the women's section, Kazakhstan were tied with India for first place. While India secured a convincing victory over Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan could only manage a 2-2 draw against the United States, earning them clear second place. Despite coming so close to the top spot, it was still an impressive showing for the 10^th-seeded team, who lost only one match throughout the event—against the eventual champions India in round 5.

None of the Kazakh team members won individual medals, although Bibisara Assaubayeva on board 1 and Alua Nurman on board 4 narrowly missed out on bronze. Both achieved the fourth-highest TPRs in their board categories. Nurman, only 17 years old, gained 31.6 rating points in Budapest, climbing to the 10^th spot in the ratings among under-20 women players.

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Four teams finished just 1 match point behind Kazakhstan, with the United States edging out Spain, Armenia, and Georgia on tiebreaks to secure the bronze medal. The US team's youngest players, Carissa Yip and Alice Lee, performed exceptionally well. Yip, a two-time US women’s champion at 21, scored 10/11, achieving a remarkable 2634 TPR and individual gold on board 2. 14-year-old Lee, with 8/10 and a 2471 TPR, won individual silver on board 4. Their outstanding performances signal a promising future for women's chess in the US.

United States representatives Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova, Carissa Yip and Alice Lee in good spirits | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

Kazakhstan's Bibisara Assaubayeva and Xeniya Balabayeva | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

United States 2 - 2 Kazakhstan (Women)

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Final standings - Open

...188 teams

All available games - Round 11 (Open)

Final standings - Women

...169 teams

All available games - Round 11 (Women)