NEW DELHI: Artificial Intelligence, an upcoming birthday, and the ambition to make India a sporting powerhouse were key topics discussed when Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted India’s gold-winning chess teams at his residence.
Both the men’s and women’s teams, who secured gold medals at the Chess Olympiad for the first time in history, gathered with the PM on Thursday evening. The interaction centred around their experiences, high-pressure moments during the event, and Modi’s own interest in sports.
The men’s team comprised D Gukesh, the youngest-ever world championship challenger, R Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujarathi, P Harikrishna, and their captain, Srinath Narayanan. The women's team included R Vaishali, Tania Sachdev, D Harika, Divya Deshmukh, and Vantika Agrawal, led by captain Abhijit Kunte.
PM Modi expressed curiosity about their stunning run, with the men’s team winning 21 out of 22 points and the women securing 19 from 22. He asked how their opponents reacted to their dominance.
“All our opponents expressed their happiness for us,” said Harika. Sachdev added, “We won so convincingly, it felt that nobody could touch us. We were determined to beat the USA, the team that denied us the top spot in the previous Olympiad’s final round.”
Gukesh, who is preparing for the much-anticipated world title clash against China’s Ding Liren in November-December, attributed their success to teamwork. “This experience was a great team effort. We were in excellent form, and all of us were super motivated. In the last Olympiad, there was one match I should have won to guarantee a gold for India, but I unfortunately lost. This time, we were motivated to win,” the usually reticent 18-year-old said.
The PM also asked about Artificial Intelligence’s role in shaping the future of chess, where players frequently test their skills against computers.
“With AI, chess has evolved, and computers have become much stronger, showing new ideas,” noted Praggnanandhaa. Gujarathi added, “AI is available to all; it has democratised chess.”
At one point, Sachdev turned the conversation towards Modi’s interest in sports, asking for his perspective. The Prime Minister responded by saying that sports are a significant indicator of a nation's growth.
“Economy is not the only indicator of growth and development. Development requires invincibility in every field. If you are talking about films, how many Oscars are your films winning? If you talk about science, then the number of Nobel Prize winners. In the same way, when our kids win the maximum number of gold medals, that’s how our country becomes great,” Modi said.
The meeting had a personal touch when Vantika Agrawal was surprised that Modi knew her birthday was coming up on Saturday. “He knew that, and I was very surprised. I was nine when he felicitated me in Gujarat during a junior competition, and that motivated me,” she said.
Gukesh added, “The way he remembered Vantika’s birthday showed how much he cares about the sport and its players.”