Demeanour is an important element in sport. It’s not decisive but indicative. If you happened to catch a glimpse of the Chess Olympiad through reels or videos clippings, you’ll get an idea how the Indian team is feeling. World No 2 Fabiano Caruana cornered, D Gukesh got off his chair and started circling the area behind him. Eyes firmly on the board, he was surveying what he was about to conquer.
Gukesh’s victory and India’s 2.5-1.5 win over top-seeds USA makes them firm favourites for the gold medal in the open section. With one round to play against Slovenia, they are two points ahead of their nearest rivals. The women’s team bounced back from a defeat and a draw by beating China in the 10th round. They are leading the field on tie-break score at the moment and face Azerbaijan in the final round. Both teams have a great shot at the top position.
“I think the men’s team has already won. There is a small possibility of things happening otherwise, but given that even a draw will get them there, I think they have done it. The women’s team also has a very good chance. Divya Deshmukh, the main scorer so far, plays with white in the last round. Things are looking good,” Grandmaster K Sasikiran told RevSportz.
If both teams win gold, it will be a historic moment for Indian chess. Until now, the country’s best is bronze in the open section in 2014 and 2022 and bronze in the women’s segment in 2022. “In 2022 also we had a very good chance of gold. It didn’t happen because certain things didn’t work in our favour towards the end. But our players are more experienced now. I expect them to handle this,” said Sasikiran, who played the Chess Olympiad 11 times.
The 43-year-old from Chennai was a part of the team that clinched India’s first-ever Chess Olympiad medal in 2014. He thinks Viswanathan Anand’s influence has been a major factor behind the rapid rise of the next generation. “A lot of credit goes to Anand. These players benefited from interacting with him. Plus, they have been trained by the likes of Vladimir Kramnik and Boris Gelfand, who conducted camps in Chennai. These factors have made a big difference and we see the results now.”
Praising the team effort and coordination, Sasikiran said that fielding Arjun Erigaisi on the third board in the open section has turned out be a masterstroke. Being the highest-rated Indian in the world, he could have been used on the top board. “This reminds me of 2014, when being the top-rated India player, I played the third board. Gukesh and Pragg (R Praggnanandhaa) are more experienced against top players. Arjun hasn’t played too many big tournaments of late. But he can dismantle weaker opponents. That’s what happened. This has been a significant strategic move.”
With gold medal a distinct possibility, Sasikiran said this is not unexpected. “To do well in team events, you need three players who have to do well. That’s what has happened in India’s case. Not just their ratings, they are all in good shape as well. Gukesh and Arjun have scored the wins, Vidit (Gujrathi) has done his job. Beating top-seeds USA in a close match (in Round 10) was creditable. They have dominated the competition and given the way this lot had been faring, I’d say it’s logical that they are where they are today.”
World Cup finalist, World Championship challenger, Indians have been there but not done it yet after Anand, who won the World Championship five times. In Budapest at the Olympiad, they have a great chance to break that barrier. On the podium they have been, not at the top of the podium. A magical moment awaits Indian chess in the country of the Magic Magyars.