Mumbai, September 24: Former world chess champion Garry Kasparov showered praise on the Indian team for historic double gold in both the men's and women's events at the 2024 Chess Olympiad. In a historic triumph, India's men's and women's teams clinched gold medals for the first time in the 45th Chess Olympiad on Sunday. Led by the stellar performances of D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi, the men's team secured the gold medal after a thrilling final round victory over Slovenia. R Praggnanandha and R Vaishali Pose With the Chess Olympiad 2024 Trophy Alongside Their Mother After Indian Men's and Women's Team Create History By Winning Titles (Watch Video).

The women's team comprising Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali Rameshbabu, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal, Tania Sachdev, and Abhijit Kunte, also secured the gold medal, beating Azerbaijan 3.5-0.5 to clinch the title.

Garry Kasparov lauds India Chess Team

The men's team of Gukesh D, Praggnanandhaa R, Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi, and Harikrishna Pentala, with Srinath Narayanan as the captain, led throughout the tournament, winning 10 matches and drawing just one. Before the last round, they were 2 points ahead of China.

In the final round, India only needed a draw to clinch the gold medals or for China not to win their match. However, India continued to press for a win and defeated Slovenia 3.5-0.5.

The women’s team had a very strong start, leading the event after 7 rounds, having won all their matches. They stumbled in round 8, losing to Poland and then drawing with Team USA, but made a strong finish. Going into the final round, India was tied for first with Kazakhstan, and the race for the medals was down to the wire. D Gukesh Reacts After Winning Gold Medal in Chess Olympiad 2024 Open Section, Says 'I Was Prepared to Do Whatever It Takes'.

The team of Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali R, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal, and Tania Sachdev, with Abhijit Kunte as the captain, demonstrated excellent composure and delivered, winning the final match against Azerbaijan 3.5-0.5. At the same time, Kazakhstan only drew with the USA 2-2, making India the sole winners of the event.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 24, 2024 02:01 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).