General India Script History By Winning Rare Double Gold At Chess Olympiad 2024

[Krishna with Flute]

Source : https://www.google.com/amp/s/sports.ndtv.com/chess/india-script-history-by-completing-rare-double-gold-at-chess-olympiad-2024-6624564/amp/1

India achieved a massive feat after winning a rare double gold at the Chess Olympiad 2024​

• Press Trust of India
• Updated: September 22, 2024 07:55 PM IST

Read Time: 2 min

File photo of D Gukesh

rare double gold at the Chess Olympiad 2024.​

• Press Trust of India​
• Updated: September 22, 2024 07:55 PM IST​

Read Time: 2 min​

India on Sunday scripted history as its men's and women's teams clinched their maiden gold medals in the 45th Chess Olympiad after beating their respective opponents in the final round. The men's team defeated Slovenia after D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanadhaa won their respective matches in the 11th and final round match. The women's team beat Azerbaijan 3.5-0.5 to clinch the title. Indian men had earlier won two bronze -- in 2014 and 2022 -- in the tournament. Indian women had won a bronze in the 2022 edition in Chennai. World Championship challenger Gukesh and Arjun Erigaise yet again delivered in key games to help India secure its first title in the open category.



[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]India on Sunday scripted history as its men's and women's teams clinched their maiden gold medals in the 45th Chess Olympiad after beating their respective opponents in the final round. The men's team defeated Slovenia after D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanadhaa won their respective matches in the 11th and final round match. The women's team beat Azerbaijan 3.5-0.5 to clinch the title. Indian men had earlier won two bronze -- in 2014 and 2022 -- in the tournament. Indian women had won a bronze in the 2022 edition in Chennai. World Championship challenger Gukesh and Arjun Erigaise yet again delivered in key games to help India secure its first title in the open category.

[/COLOR]

Up against Slovenia, Gukesh was at his very best in the technical phase of the game as black against Vladimir Fedoseev. Though it was a laboured victory, the 18-year-old Grandmaster was spot on with his tremendous strategic display.





Erigaise also won with black on the third board against Jan Subeli out of a surprising Centre Counter defense game.









If this was not enough, Praggnanadhaa struck form and scored a crushing victory over Anton Demchenko, as India secured 3-0 triumph over Slovenia with one game still remaining.



The Indian men ended up with a remarkable 21 points out of a possible 22. They conceded just a lone 2-2 draw to Uzbekistan while beating the rest of the opponents.Up against Slovenia, Gukesh was at his very best in the technical phase of the game as black against Vladimir Fedoseev. Though it was a laboured victory, the 18-year-old Grandmaster was spot on with his tremendous strategic display.

[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]

Erigaise also won with black on the third board against Jan Subeli out of a surprising Centre Counter defense game.



If this was not enough, Praggnanadhaa struck form and scored a crushing victory over Anton Demchenko, as India secured 3-0 triumph over Slovenia with one game still remaining.

The Indian men ended up with a remarkable 21 points out of a possible 22. They conceded just a lone 2-2 draw to Uzbekistan while beating the rest of the opponents.[/COLOR]

opponents.



[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The Indian women then gave a rare double gold for the country as they scored 3.5-0.5 victory against Azerbaijan.The Indian women then gave a rare double gold for the country as they scored 3.5-0.5 victory against Azerbaijan.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/sports.ndtv.com/chess/india-script-history-by-completing-rare-double-gold-at-chess-olympiad-2024-6624564/amp/1[/COLOR]

File photo of D Gukesh

 

[Krishna with Flute]

 

[Krishna with Flute]

R Praggnanandhaa stuns Magnus Carlsen in Freestyle Chess tournament​

Story by India Today Sports Desk
• 2h•
2 min read

R Praggnanandhaa stuns Magnus Carlsen in Freestyle Chess tournament
Teenage Indian Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa delivered a resounding statement at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Las Vegas, defeating World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in a dominant Round 4 clash on Wednesday. In what many are calling a career-defining performance, the 19-year-old dismantled the Norwegian great in just 39 moves, reinforcing his rising stature on the global chess stage and continuing a troubling trend for Carlsen against India's new generation of stars.



Playing with the white pieces, Praggnanandhaa controlled the game from start to finish, registering a remarkable accuracy of 93.9%, compared to Carlsen's unusually low 84.9%. The match, played in a 10-minute + 10-second increment format, saw Praggnanandhaa outmaneuver Carlsen with confidence and composure rarely seen against the five-time world champion. The victory not only gave him the sole lead in Group White at the time, but also added another chapter to his growing legacy-having now defeated Carlsen across all three major time formats: Classical, Rapid, and Blitz.

India Today
I want to become a world champion, says Praggnanandhaa after winning World Cup silver


"I like Freestyle more than Classical right now," Praggnanandhaa said in a post-game interview, his relaxed tone underscoring the maturity and fearlessness with which he approached the matchup. The Las Vegas leg of the Grand Slam is especially symbolic, as it's a tournament co-founded by Carlsen himself, built around the innovative Freestyle (Chess960) format. That made the Indian's win even more impactful, as he outplayed the tournament's creator on his own turf.

Carlsen's Downward Spiral in Vegas​

Carlsen's campaign in Las Vegas started solidly with back-to-back wins over Vincent Keymer and Levon Aronian, but the wheels came off midway through the group stage. After drawing against Javokhir Sindarov in Round 3, the loss to Praggnanandhaa in Round 4 marked a turning point. He then suffered another defeat in Round 5, this time to American GM Wesley So, followed by a draw against Nodirbek Abdusattorov in Round 6.

Despite ending the group stage with a win over Kazakhstan's Bibisara Assaubayeva, Carlsen's tally of four points wasn't enough to avoid a playoff against Aronian for the final knockout spot from Group White. In an unexpected twist, Carlsen lost both games in the playoff, finishing fifth and crashing out before the quarterfinals-an uncharacteristically early exit for the player widely regarded as the greatest of all time.

India's Mixed Fortunes​

Praggnanandhaa ultimately finished on top of Group White with 4.5 points, tied with Sindarov and Abdusattorov, but ahead on tiebreaks. His wins over Carlsen, Keymer, and Assaubayeva, combined with draws against So and Sindarov, proved enough to seal his progression to the championship bracket. Meanwhile, fellow Indian GM Arjun Erigaisi also advanced from Group Black, placing third behind Hikaru Nakamura and Hans Niemann. However, Vidit Gujrathi exited the tournament early, finishing last in the same group.

MSN