“The hunger to succeed is greater than the fear of loss,” said Grandmaster Surya Shekhar Ganguly. He was talking about the amazing run of the Indian team in the open section of the Chess Olympiad. They have won all eight rounds so far. With three more to play, they stand an excellent chance of winning the gold medal. India’s best in this section so far has been bronze in 2014 and 2022.
A part of Viswanathan Anand’s team of seconds in three victorious World Championship campaigns, Ganguly said attitude sets this generation of players apart. “They are ready to lose in order to gain,” Ganguly told RevSportz. “They are unafraid of reputations and they are prepared to take risks because they are not intimidated by anyone. That’s their hallmark.”
Led by youngsters like D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi, and aided by the more experienced Vidit Gujrathi and P Harikrishna, this Indian team has taken Budapest by storm. In the 32 games across eight rounds, they have won 22 and drawn 10. Even taking into account the absence of Russia due to sanctions related to the Ukraine crisis, this is a standout record.
“There are two broad reasons why these juniors have made such rapid progress,” said Ganguly, who represented India in seven Chess Olympiads. “Most of them have been groomed by seasoned Grandmasters from a young age. Coaches like RB Ramesh, Vishnu Prasanna and N Srinath have played a big role in their development. Previous generations didn’t have this kind of coaching in the formative years. Their basics are strong and they are open to experimenting.
Gukesh masterclass against China and Vantika’s crucial win against Georgia boost Indian hopes at Chess Olympiad. Both teams are on top with four rounds to go.@atreyom writes.@DGukesh @chessvaishali @ChessbaseIndia @FIDE_chess @vantikachess https://t.co/IId5Py7x0A
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) September 19, 2024
“Second is their down-to-earth nature. They are very grounded and success has not gone to their head. To a large extent, credit for this goes to Anand. There is hardly any promising youngster in India who has not interacted with him. He even invites some of them to his house to exchange ideas. These youngsters have seen how humble a five-time world champion can be and benefited immensely from his company.”
With Arjun, Gukesh, Pragg and Vidit all rated above 2700, India have an incredibly strong line-up. Few countries can field players of this calibre on all four boards. The senior-most of the lot, Harikrishna, has also chipped in when required and has a score of 2.5 in three games. This ability to fire in unison has been instrumental as India hunted down one team after another to raise hopes of gold.
“If you go by live Fide ratings, Arjun, Gukesh and Pragg are in the top 10 at the moment,” said Ganguly, a former Asian champion who is now Vidit’s personal trainer. “Vidit is also a very strong player. Even Harikrishna has delivered when asked to do the job. This makes India a fearsome side. Crucially, all of them are in good shape. Not losing a single game until now testifies that. We can’t say if we are assured of gold. There’s definitely a good chance, but it’s not over until it’s over.”
Although the women’ team has not done as exceptionally, they are also leading the standings despite a defeat against Poland in the eighth round. Equal on points with Poland and Kazakhstan, the Indians are ahead on tie-break score. They also have a strong chance of bettering the bronze claimed in 2022, which remains India’s only medal in the women’s section.
“I think the women’s team is missing the experience of Koneru Humpy,” said Ganguly. “It’s good to see new players like Divya Deshmukh and Vantika Agarwal shouldering responsibility. R Vaishali has made rapid strides. But I wouldn’t say the progress in the women’s section in general has been as remarkable as in the men’s.”
This is a fact, but that’s a different story, to be discussed later.