The Olympic Games might be over, but not the Olympic fever. Beginning from today, two Indian teams will fight it out in the Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary. The men’s team are the second seeds in the open section. The women’s team has received top billing. So expectations will be high and everybody will expect that they better the colour, after both teams won bronze in 2022.
That edition was held in Chennai. It turned out to be a landmark outing for Indian chess. The proficiency and enterprise shown by a bunch of youngsters marked a new beginning. Indian chess has grown manifold since. In the open section, D Gukesh has reached the World Championship final slated for November. R Praggnanandhaa finished runner-up at the World Cup last year. R Vaishali has become a Grandmaster and made rapid strides.
Looking at the Fide ratings, which is the world rankings actually, and Arjun Erigaisi is fourth. Gukesh is seventh. Praggnanandhaa is 12th. Including Viswanathan Anand at 11th, there are four Indians in the top 15. In the women’s section, Koneru Humpy remains in the top 10 at fourth. D Harika at 11th and Vaishali at 12th make three Indians in the top 15. Indian chess has never fared better. Humpy, though, has opted out of the Olympiad this time.
Going by these numbers, expectations will naturally be higher from the present teams. The absence of Russians due to a sanction related to the Ukraine conflict will also make the field slightly easier for the Indian challengers. But they are worthy of the favourites’ billing on their own might, not just because that the Russians are not around.
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That said, the competition will be stiff. USA, the top seeds in the open section, China, Ukraine and even Uzbekistan will be the biggest hurdles for the Indians. The USA is a strong side and so are the Chinese. Ukraine, especially in the women’s section, are formidable. It’s a taxing format, where each team will play 11 rounds and four games in every round. Individual brilliance will matter as well as the collective performance of all four players every day.
Despite having Anand at the top of the world, India hardly made a mark at the Chess Olympiad until 2014. That year, the team secured bronze in the open section. The reason was clear. The five-time world champion was the only world-class player the country had. And he often skipped the Olympiad. Now, that situation has changed drastically, as can be seen from the world rankings. The world looks at the Indians as a formidable force these days.
Most of the players of the current team were part of the bronze-winning side from 2022. All of them have become stronger players since. They have outshone the best in the world in some prestigious competitions. That way, there should be no stage fright. They have matched wits with the world’s best and on many occasions, outclassed them. There should be no lack of confidence.
The only worry is the tag of favourites. Indians were strong contenders in the last few editions of the Olympiad, but not the top seeds or second seeds. They did not have to perform under the pressure of expectations. This time, there has been a change on that front. They are expected to do well and get something better than bronze. How they handle that pressure will determine the destiny of this Indian campaign in Budapest.
Indian teams
Open section: Arjun Erigaisi, D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, Vidit Gujrathi, P Harikrishna.
Women’s section: D Harika, R Vaishali, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika