Their proudest moment in Chess Olympiad history

by Niklesh Kumar Jain
8/29/2014 – China won Gold, India Bronze – who can doubt that these are the super-powers of chess in the coming decades? India, which started as 19th seed, won their first ever medal, which led to national celebrations. Niklesh Jain caught up with the players back home and did short interviews with each of them. You will enjoy his big pictorial report – appropriately in English and in Hindi.
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Our proudest moment in Chess Olympiad history

By Niklesh Kumar Jain

It was the very first time ever. The Indian chess team did something which has never been done before. They won Bronze for first time in Chess Olympiad history. India lost only two out of a total of 44 games played. It is not an easy task to win a medal when competing along with 177 countries from around the globe.

Last year World Champion Magnus Carlsen said: "I think in fifteen or twenty years you will see India and China as the greatest chess powers in the world. He was wrong! Already this year China won Gold and India Bronze. Good news for Asia and Asian chess. Here the individual results of the Indian squad:

Bo.
 Name Rtg 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Pts.
Gms
 Rp w +/–
1
 Negi P. 2645 ½ 1 0   1 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1
6.5
10
 2730 6.5 12.6
2
 Sethuraman 2590 1 ½ 1 ½ 1   1 ½ ½ ½ 1
7.5
10
 2757 7.5 22.5
3
 Sasikiran K. 2669   1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1
7.5
10
 2753 7.5 10.8
4
 Adhiban B. 2619 1 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½
7.0
11
 2611 7 0.1
5
 Lalith Babu 2565 1     0   1          
2.0
3
 2484 2 -2.0

I talked to Indian team members after their return from this historic win. I asked each of them the same questions:

  1. What were you thinking before the tournament about yourself and the team?
  2. What is the value of this win for you and for chess in India?
  3. What should India or the AICF do for our top players in terms of training and improvement?

कहते है जो बात पहली बार होती है उसके पहले वो कभी नहीं हुई होती है । भारतीय शतरंज टीम ने भी कुछ ऐसा ही कारनामा कर दिखाया जब उन्होने पिछले दिनो  विश्व शतरंज ओलम्पियाड में भारत के लिए पहली बार कांस्य पदक जीता । भारत जो की इस खेल की जन्मभूमि है पहली बार विश्व शतरंज ओलम्पियाड में टीम की तरह कोई पदक जीत पाया। दुनिया के 177 देशो की प्रतिभागिता के बीच में यह कोई मामूली बात तो नहीं कही जा सकती और है भी नहीं निश्चित तौर पर भारतीय शतरंज में यह एक नया सवेरा है और आने वाले समय मे खेल की प्रगति के लिए एक शानदार पड़ाव साबित होगा । मैंने इस टीम के कुछ सितारो से बात की और उनसे समझा इस जीत का मतलब आइये मिलते है उन सितारो से ।मैंने उनसे कुल तीन सवाल पूछे पहला वो कैसा महसूस कर रहे थे प्रतियोगिता के पहले ,दूसरा इस जीत के भारत के लिए क्या मायने है  और तीसरा भारत को इस स्तर पर खिलाड़ियों के लिए और क्या मदद करनी चाहिए ।

GM Krishnan Sasikiran, 2669, India Board three, performance: 2753: All his results:

Rd. SNo Ti. Name Rtg FED Rp Pts. Res.
Bo.
2 249 IM Gerzhoy Leonid 2473 CAN 2251 2.0 w 1
3
3 140 GM Vocaturo Daniele 2587 ITA 2562 6.0 s ½
3
4 37 GM Bruzon Lazaro 2664 CUB 2762 8.0 w ½
2
5 297 GM Drasko Milan 2437 MNE 2405 4.0 w 1
3
6 167 GM Svetushkin Dmitry 2547 MDA 2809 8.0 s ½
2
7 263 GM Zhu Chen 2461 QAT 2460 4.5 s 1
3
8 49 GM Movsesian Sergei 2672 ARM 2605 6.0 w ½
3
9 176 GM Felgaer Ruben 2564 ARG 2647 7.0 s ½
3
10 40 GM Nisipeanu L.-D. 2689 GER 2543 5.5 s 1
3
11 218 GM Dzhumaev Marat 2510 UZB 2626 6.5 w 1
3
  1. We started the tournament as the 19th seed, and I thought a top ten finish would be nice. We surpassed all expectations, and the rest is history.
  2. It has been a dream for me to win an Olympiad medal, ever since I first played for India in Elista in 1998. After nine Olympiads and 100 games for India (proud to hold that record!) I am happy my dream has at last come true. It only remains for me to see whether we will take a team gold medal someday. I shall certainly work towards it, either as a player or a coach. I hope this result inspires many more youngsters to take up chess.
  3. Category events (16 +) would be good for the youngsters who have crossed 2600 and are angling for 2700.

कृष्णन शशिकिरण – अगर इन्हे भारतीय टीम का सबसे अनुभवी खिलाड़ी कहा जाए तो यह गलत नहीं होगा । बाकी खिलाड़ी भले ही बदलते रहे पर शशि हमेशा से ओलम्पियाड में भारत का चेहरा रहे है । देशप्रेम उनके लिए उनकी रेटिंग से ज्यादा मायने रखता है ऐसा उन्होने हर बार साबित किया ।भारत के लिए कुल 9 ओलंपिक में कुल 100 गेम्स खेलने का रिकॉर्ड सिर्फ उन्ही के नाम है ।

GM S.P. Sethuraman, 2590, India board two, performance: 2757

भारत के युवा ग्रांडमास्टर सेतुरमन ने अपने प्रदर्शन से ना सिर्फ टीम का संतुलन अपने नाम को चरितार्थ करते हुये बनाया बल्कि कोच और कप्तान रमेश की रणनीति को सही साबित कर दिया

Rd. SNo Ti. Name Rtg FED Rp Pts. Res.
Bo.
1 598   Omrani Hasan 2085 SYR 2141 4.0 w 1
2
2 123 GM Hansen Eric 2593 CAN 2587 5.0 s ½
2
3 172 GM David Alberto 2565 ITA 2319 1.5 w 1
2
4 10 GM Dominguez Leinier 2760 CUB 2707 6.5 s ½
1
5 223 GM Blagojevic Dragisa 2505 MNE 2322 3.0 s 1
2
7 222 GM Al-Sayed Mohammed 2505 QAT 2525 3.5 w 1
2
8 41 GM Sargissian Gabriel 2686 ARM 2712 7.5 s ½
2
9 127 GM Mareco Sandro 2574 ARG 2639 7.0 w ½
2
10 90 GM Meier Georg 2646 GER 2734 6.5 w ½
2
11 105 GM Filippov Anton 2615 UZB 2572 5.5 s 1
2
  1. Although we were not strong on paper, rating wise, we were quite a young team, so I thought we had good chance to finish within top ten. But the medal was unexpected.
  2. For me I feel blessed to be part of the team that helped India win a medal for the first time in Chess Olympiad history. It will be a great inspiration for Indian chess players, especially youngsters.
  3. Thanks to the AICF. They are sending various teams to international tournaments as exposure trips. Along with it regular training that is helpful.

इस खिलाड़ी की जितनी तारीफ की जाए वो कम है टीम के बोर्ड पाँच के खिलाड़ी  रोहित ललित बाबू से मै पहली बार दिल्ली में मिला था तब वो ग्रांड मास्टर नहीं थे पर तब से लेकर अब तक उनके व्यवहार  में शालीनता लगातार बढ़ती ही गई । कोच रमेश ने भी उनकी टीम भावना की जमकर तारीफ की और मैच के दौरान अगले मैच की तैयारी में उनके सहयोग की सराहना भी की

GM M.R. Lalith Babu, 2565 India Board five, Rp: 2484, above with Armenian
GM Levon Aronian, left, world's number two player. Babu's overall results:

Rd. SNo Ti. Name Rtg FED Rp Pts. Res.
Bo.
1 433 FM Al-Tarbosh Ward 2272 SYR 2250 6.0 w 1
4
4 128 GM Ortiz Isan Reynaldo 2603 CUB 2766 6.0 w 0
4
6 506   Cerbulenco Liviu 2203 MDA 2246 2.5 s 1
4
  1. I felt very happy as a member and a part of the Indian Chess Olympiad team. I felt my team was well balanced, with experienced and younger generation players, who will do better in the future.
  2. It is a biggest achievement in my entire chess career, because this medal is a first ever achievement in Indian chess history. It definitely boosts the confidence and will of upcoming players in India.
  3. By getting bronze our team was selected to participate in the World Team Chess Championship. It is very urgent for the AICF to arrange a training session with a foreign GMs.

GM Adhiban Baskaran, 2619, board four for India, Performance 2611. In the above photo
the Indian team and officials are celebrating his 22nd birthday during the Olympiad.

Adhiban (left) just before the start of the final round against Uzbekistan (India won by 3.5-0.5)

अधिबन से मेरी पहली मुलाक़ात एक आर्बिटर के तौर पर हुई जब भारत और इज़राइल के बीच एक दोस्ताना मैच खेला गया था फिर जब मै मध्य प्रदेश राज्य टीम के कप्तान रहते  हुए गोवा और हैदराबाद में पेट्रोलियम बोर्ड से खेल रहे युवा ग्रांडमास्टर अधिबन से मिला तो तब तक वो एक नए ग्रांडमास्टर से एक मजबूत और बेहतर खिलाड़ी बन चुके थे उन्होने मुझसे बातचीत करते हुए कहा था की शतरंज में खुद पर पूरा भरोसा और कभी हार ना मानने की आदत ही आपको आगे ले जाती है

Rd. SNo Ti. Name Rtg FED Rp Pts. Res. Bo.
1 456   Akhras Khaled 2246 SYR 2247 5.5 s 1 3
2 200 GM Sambuev Bator 2528 CAN 2556 6.0 s 1 4
3 153 GM Brunello Sabino 2560 ITA 2484 5.0 w ½ 4
4 63 GM Quesada Perez Yuniesky 2649 CUB 2593 5.5 s ½ 3
5 235 GM Kosic Dragan 2486 MNE 2599 8.5 s ½ 4
6 270 IM Hamitevici Vladimir 2467 MDA 2348 4.5 w 1 3
7 357 IM Nezad Husein Aziz 2365 QAT 2610 8.0 w ½ 4
8 62 GM Akopian Vladimir 2655 ARM 2652 7.5 s ½ 4
9 166 GM Flores Diego 2562 ARG 2657 6.0 w ½ 4
10 103 GM Baramidze David 2612 GER 2466 4.5 w ½ 4
11 254 IM Vakhidov Jahongir 2471 UZB 2618 5.5 s ½ 4
  1. I had just won the Biel open and also my teammates were in good shape. We were a young team so our potential was unknown! I really had high hopes for my team.
  2. It is history! For the first time we won an medal in World Chess Olympiad! There are just no words to express the happiness of our entire indian team and the whole of India! I think it will boost of the popularity of chess. I really hope that one day our sport will be more popular than cricket.
  3. I think they are doing a great job bringing the World Championship and World Junior Championship to India. It will be really great if they could bring even more tournaments like this to our country.

The Indian team at lunch in Tromsø: Sethuraman, Sasikiran, Adhiban, Negi, Babu, Ramesh

GM Parimarjan Negi, 2645 Board one for India, Performance 2730. Above we see him
with his father J.B. Singh (2nd from right) and Delhi Chess Officials at Delhi Airport.

2006 में दिल्ली के बापू समाज सेवा केंद्र में मै पारसनाथ ग्रांडमास्टर टूर्नामेंट खेलने पहुंचा तो देखा की एक बड़े ही खूबसूरत से बच्चे का एक बड़ा सा पोस्टर लगा है और उस पे दिल्ली की शान और इंटरनेशनल मास्टर बनने का बधाई संदेश लिखा हुआ था आज वो बच्चा भारत की शान कहलाता है और भारत की टीम से पहले बोर्ड पर दुनिया भर के दिग्गजों को हराकर अपनी प्रतिभा का परिचय दे रहा है भारत की इस जीत में एक अहम किरदार पाटू के नाम से अपनों के बीच मशहूर ग्रांड मास्टर परिमार्जन ने निभाया । 

Parimarjan received a hero's welcome. He played a very important role in the Indian medal-winning performance, especially in the last round when he beat former FIDE World Champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov, a really a crucial victory. Parimarjan's overall results:

Rd. SNo Ti. Name Rtg FED Rp Pts. Res.
Bo.
1 442 IM Iyti Basher 2263 SYR 2386 6.5 s ½
1
2 85 GM Kovalyov Anton 2622 CAN 2670 7.0 w 1
1
3 4 GM Caruana Fabiano 2801 ITA 2776 6.5 s 0
1
5 208 GM Djukic Nikola 2521 MNE 2455 5.0 w 1
1
6 64 GM Bologan Viktor 2654 MDA 2577 5.5 w 1
1
7 174 GM Al-Modiahki Mohamad 2549 QAT 2545 6.0 s ½
1
8 2 GM Aronian Levon 2805 ARM 2789 6.5 w ½
1
9 124 GM Peralta Fernando 2574 ARG 2593 4.5 s ½
1
10 33 GM Naiditsch Arkadij 2709 GER 2751 5.5 s ½
1
11 35 GM Kasimdzhanov Rustam 2700 UZB 2743 6.0 w 1
1

A key person for the victory was R.B. Ramesh, coach and captain cool of the Indian team. GM Ramesh had great talent as a coach, and he proved with his performance. He is working to develop national chess talent, together with his wife, in his chess academy “Chess Gurukul“. One of his students, 13-years-old Aravindh Chithambaram, beats Shirov at the Riga Technical University Open last weekend. Aravindh completed his third GM norm and has a live rating of 2496.

Captain Ramesh being celebrated by his team: Negi, Adhiban, Sethuraman, Sasikiran and Babu

भारत की जीत के असली नायक रहे ग्रांड मास्टर आरबी रमेश जिनकी शानदार समझदारी भरी कप्तानी ने भारत को अचानक विश्व की तीन शीर्ष टीमों में से एक बना दिया । रमेश ने टीम को एक नया जोश और सहारा दिया टीम पूरी प्रतियोगिता के दौरान एक अलग ही आक्रामक और सुलझे हुए अंदाज में नजर आई उसमें बड़ी टीमों से जीतने की ललक नजर आई और उनकी तैयारी भी लगभग हर बार काम करती दिखी । यह रमेश का जादू ही है की उनके 13 वर्षीय शिष्य अरविंद ने कल ही दिग्गज शिरोव को पराजित कर अपना तीसरा जीएम नार्म हासिल कर अपने आने वाले सुनहरे कल की आहट दे दी है । भारत के इन सभी  सपूतो  पर पूरे देश को गर्व है ।

IA Gopakumar officiated his first Olympiad as an arbiter (above with Vladimir Kramnik)

पदमिनी राऊत भी भारत के लिए शानदार खबर लेकर आई उन्होने पौंचवे रिजर्व बोर्ड पर स्वर्ण पदक जीत कर भारत की मौजूदगी महिला वर्ग में भी जोरदार ढंग से दर्ज की ।

WGM Padmini Rout won Gold for India on the reserve board in women section. Her overall results:

Rd. SNo   Name Rtg FED Pts. Res. we w-we K rtg+/-
1 423 WFM Tsoi Nicole 1787 NZL 3.5 w 1 0.92 0.08 20 1.60
3 117 WIM Davletbayeva Madina 2289 KAZ 2.5 w 1 0.54 0.46 20 9.20
4 231   Velikic Adela 2145 SRB 3.5 s ½ 0.73 -0.23 20 -4.60
5 256   Hapala Elisabeth 2083 AUT 3.5 w 1 0.79 0.21 20 4.20
6 130 WIM Hernandez Estevez Yudania 2258 ESP 0.0 s 1 0.58 0.42 20 8.40
7 115 IM Lanchava Tea 2276 NED 4.5 w 1 0.56 0.44 20 8.80
8 368 WFM Fisabilillah Ummi 2029 INA 1.0 s 1 0.84 0.16 20 3.20
10 222 WFM Stoeri Laura 2123 SUI 6.5 w 1 0.75 0.25 20 5.00

Heroic welcome at Chennai airport: Ramesh, Sasikiran and Sethu

Interviews for Indian television

Bharat Singh Chauhan is welcomed on his arrival in Delhi.
The head of the Indian delegation posted the following on Facebook:

अखिल भारतीय शतरंज महासंघ के मुख्य कार्यकारी अधिकारी भारत सिंह चौहान के लिए भी ये दौरा शानदार रहा जंहा एक और उन्हे एशियन संघ का उपाध्यक्ष और राष्ट्रमंडल संघ का अध्यक्ष चुना गया साथ की भारत का कांस्य पदक जीतना उनके लिए एक शानदार उपलब्धि लेकर आया ।

FIDE Vice President and AICF secretary D.V. Sundar looks like happiest person on earth

भारत के डीवी सुंदर जो की एक बार फिर फीडे के उपाध्यक्ष चुने गए भारतीय टीम के प्रदर्शन से बेहद खुश नजर आए उन्होने लगभग सभी खिलाड़ियो को गले लगाकर बधाई दी ।

India’s proudest moment in Chess Olympiad history

उम्मीद है आपको ये लेख पसंद आया होगा । 
आपका निकलेश जैन

Links

The games were broadcast live on the official web site and on the chess server Playchess.com. If you are not a member you can download a free Playchess client there and get immediate access. You can also use ChessBase 12 or any of our Fritz compatible chess programs.

All you need to know about the Olympiad

  • Full information on the games, the venue, the atmosphere and what's happening on and off the chessboard – 68 pages in PDF, 45 MB in size.
  • All practical details you need to know before and after your arrival, including information about money, the climate, arriving at Oslo and Tromsø Airports, lost or delayed luggage, check-in at the hotels, the accreditation desk, information offices and the opening ceremony.

All ChessBase reports on the 2014 Olympiad in Tromsø

FIDE Instructor Niklesh Kumar Jain Jain is an international chess player who has participated in tournaments in almost in 20 different countries, winning the international tournament in Sri Lanka in 2010. He also worked for a television network as an anchor and news writer for two years and reported in Hindi during World Chess Championship 2013 and 2014.

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ulyssesganesh ulyssesganesh 8/30/2014 05:03
vishy anand is a genial champion..... he plays .... coaches..... promotes indian chess in a big way..... but of late, he shies away from olympiads ...... after all, in his early carrier, he scored his IM norms in the olympiads..... it is told that he doesn't like the format of olympiads....... but it must be remembered that his buddies/contemporaries like ivanchuk, kramnik, gelfand.... still play for their respective countries .... kasparov played in the olympiads.... king magnus plays for norway!....... it is time for vishy to return to indian team in the near future ..... the country needs his services..... come on, vishy!
snooper snooper 8/30/2014 04:54
Does it make sense to have a report in Hindi? I am sure most (all?) Indians who know Hindi and read chessbase on the web are English savvy.
pojose pojose 8/30/2014 03:45
Anand is not mentioned anywhere! Nor mentioned that he congratulated india team!
It is open for discussion what India could have achieved if he had joined our team (sidelining his fear of losing points from olypiad). I wonder why MC or Kramnik doesn;t have that problem!!!
Pentium Infinite Pentium Infinite 8/29/2014 02:04
Fusekani
ISIVOR ISIVOR 8/29/2014 01:14
Enhorabuena a los participanes de la India.
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