Warm welcome for Gukesh and Co
CHENNAI: D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, R Vaishali and captain N Srinath arrived in Chennai on Tuesday morning after their Chess Olympiad victory in different batches and were warmly received and felicitated by the SDAT officials and TN Chess Association office bearers.
Both the Indian men’s and women’s teams scripted history by winning their maiden gold medals at Budapest, Hungary. Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi made history by bagging the individual and team golds. Gukesh, who was instrumental in Indian men’s team dominance in the tournament with an unbeaten run, was the most sought after and was mobbed.
‘’I really wanted to win gold this time. It was one of the biggest goals this year. Finally, we did it as a team. With Harika having played so many Olympiads (she has played in 10), winning for the first time was special for her,” said the 18-year-old.
‘’The result is proof that we were doing many things right and we were in the right spirit. I am really glad about whatever happened in Budapest,” he said. Gukesh revealed that putting Arjun on board three and him on board one, despite the latter being the higher-rated player was the non-playing captain N Srinath’s strategy.
‘’Arjun has more experience playing against slightly lower-rated opponents in open tournaments and is more skilful in outplaying them in both colours. Pragg (Praggnanandhaa) and I have more experience playing against the top players. In that sense, both Pragg (board 2) and I were quite solid. We knew that on board three, if Arjun was in good form, he would crush the opponents,” said Gukesh.
Praggnanandhaa, Vaishali and Narayanan who reached Chennai before Gukesh were given a warm welcome. “I’m very happy that we have won the Olympiad for the first time. And we managed to win gold in both sections so it’s a very special feeling and a proud moment for us,” said Praggnanandhaa.
Vaishali too was elated like her brother and insisted that missing out on the gold in the last edition in Chennai was painful. “It’s a dream moment. Last time in the Chennai Olympiad we won bronze, we were so close to winning gold but we missed it in the last round and it was very painful. I’m glad that both teams have won gold. It’s a historical moment,’’ said Vaishali.
"I'm very happy that we have won the Olympiad for the first time; we had only won a bronze till now," Praggnanandhaa said. "We managed to win in both sections, so it's a very special feeling and a proud moment for us. We were playing good chess, and it showed that we were the best team. The Olympiad is the only tournament we play as a team for the country."
Vaishali, who laid the foundation for the women’s team’s triumph, reflected on the disappointment of missing out on gold in the previous edition, held in Chennai.
"It's a dream moment. Last time in the Chennai Olympiad, we won bronze. We were so close to winning gold and missed it in the last round. It was very painful. I'm glad that both teams have won gold this time. It's a historical moment," she said.
"We won six matches in a row and then lost to Poland, which was a painful defeat, but I'm happy that we came back. We drew against the US next, and we had to win the last two matches to secure gold. I'm very happy that we delivered in the crucial moment."
For men’s team captain Srinath Narayanan, the gold represents the culmination of years of hard work.
“It feels great that I was the captain of one of the strongest teams that won the Olympiad in such a dominant fashion. When something spectacular like this happens, it’s usually the result of years of effort, and that’s what happened here as well,” he said.
“We kept on trying and pushing. We had a number of successful results and came close to the podium several times. We came fourth in 2016, but this crop of young players — Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, Praggnanandhaa — are world beaters. They have shown it not just here, but in Candidates and other tournaments as well. They continued doing what they do best.”
Narayanan added that the next goal for India would be to produce a world champion, and everyone will be supporting Gukesh in his attempt later this year.
“We have the Olympiad gold, now we also want a world champion in India. So, we will all be cheering for Gukesh,” he concluded.