Chess Olympiad 2024 Round 11 Highlights: Gukesh and Co, Harika and Co make it a historic day as India win Open and Women’s gold medals

Harika, Divya and Co didn't need tiebreakers after all as they won by a clear 1-point margin in the end.

Open event gold: India 

Women's event gold: India 

Gold on Board 1 (Open): D Gukesh 

Gold on Board 3 (Open): Arjun Erigaisi

Gold on Board 3 (Women): Divya Deshmukh

Gold on Board 4 (Women): Vantika Agarwal 

What was happening in Budapest the day India won double gold at Chess Olympiad 

•?  ?River Danube had breached flooding levels, with the water reaching the Hungarian Parliament 

•?  ?A joint Hungarian-American animated film, Hugo the Hippo, returned to big screen, after 50 years of its making. Co-produced by a division of perfume giant Faberge, it was influenced by Beatles ' Yellow Submarine, and revolved around hippos as targets of extermination with Little Hugo Hippo being only survivor. 

•?  ?Budapest neighbourhoods had successfully voted to ban short-term rental companies like AirBnB

•?  ?The country was celebrating Hungary's success in the Nomad Games, especially rare success in a sport called mas-wrestling, where players sit opposite each other, and try to snatch a wooden stick away from opponent

•?  ?In the middle of the floods threatening to bulge Danube, Ricky Martin performed at a concert in Budapest on Saturday night, at Heroe's Square, and was talking of the town spotted with twin son Tino alingside

UPDATE FROM FIDE: Gukesh delivered a jaw-dropping 9/10 score with a 3056 performance rating—the only player in this tournament to break the 3000+ mark! His incredible form earned him the gold on board 1, along with the team gold medal.

"This was a roller-coaster ride for me. I have never played so badly in a team championship. Always played solid. Never lost three games in a team event. This guilt was troubling me. At the last Olympiad, I couldn't play in the last game because I couldn't even sit. I was pregnant and I was told I could deliver anytime. Somewhere I was having that guilt that we wouldn't do our best..." Harika told FIDE after winning her last game. "I came into the Olympiads as a 13-year-old, 20 years back, with a dream to win an Olympiad medal, and finally, it might happen today!"

(And as we know now, the gold DID happen)

Crediit: FIDE / Michal Walusza

The Fab Five who brought chess glory for India at the Olympiad all have unique personalities on and off the chess board. With help from RB Ramesh, we look at what makes each of the five stand out.

By Amit Kamath

The Indian Open team captain Srinath Narayanan spoke The Indian Express moments after the Indian team had won its gold.  

“I could see there was a lot of personal motivation for each player. I could feel that for all five players, the idea of playing for India and winning gold was something that motivated them. This gold means a lot because we had never won gold at an offline Olympiad. You can have a lot of trophies but the Olympiad gold is special. It establishes your dominance as a team and as a country. There’s no question (that India is now a chess superpower)."

“Gukesh’s win against China’s Wei Yi was a moment that really stood out for me (from the gold-medal winning Indian team campaign). It was so close to a draw, but he kind of snatched it (as a win)".

Gukesh spoke to Chess dot com after winning his match on Sunday. 

“This tournament (meant a lot) for me, especially since what happened last time when we were so close as a team to win gold. This time I thought no matter what, I’m going to do whatever it takes to win the team gold. I did not think about individual gold much. I just wanted to win the gold for the team."

“Yesterday in the team meeting we were already in the celebration mode. I must admit after yesterday’s game (against Caruana), I didn’t even want to play. I mean I wanted to play, but I was just hoping there would be no game. We were all very happy, but we forced ourselves to focus and get the job done and then celebrate."

Gukesh played a phenomenal tournament, scoring 9 points in 10 games and earning the individual gold medal on the top board. 

Arjun Erigaisi was also a hero of the team, scoring 10 points in 11 games and winning individual gold on board three. Both Gukesh and Arjun significantly improved their FIDE ratings and are close to breaking the 2800 barrier. In fact, Arjun Erigaisi is only a couple of points short of this feat.

18-year-old Divya Deshmukh, a new addition to the team, was unstoppable throughout the event. She played all games, scored 9.5 points, and secured the crucial victory in the final match. Individual gold on board three is a well-deserved award for her.

For blog: A great day for India's next gen stars

Gukesh played a phenomenal tournament, scoring 9 points in 10 games and earning the individual gold medal on the top board. 

Arjun Erigaisi was also a hero of the team, scoring 10 points in 11 games and winning individual gold on board three. Both Gukesh and Arjun significantly improved their FIDE ratings and are close to breaking the 2800 barrier. In fact, Arjun Erigaisi is only a couple of points short of this feat.

18-year-old Divya Deshmukh, a new addition to the team, was unstoppable throughout the event. She played all games, scored 9.5 points, and secured the crucial victory in the final match. Individual gold on board three is a well-deserved award for her.

(VIA FIDE)

"I came into Olympiads as a 13-year-old, 20 years back, with a dream to win an Olympiad medal, and finally, it might happen today!": Harika Dronavalli told FIDE after winning her game in the final round (and from what seemed to be a near certain draw for a good while. 

SPOILER ALERt: And it did finally happen! What a story. (Especially after the heartbreak in Chennai). 

Last night:

And today:

The Indian chess team claimed a sensational gold medal in the open section of the Olympiad in a collective flexing of muscle. 

Here's Amit Kamath, who has been covering the rise of Indian chess diligently in recent times, talking about the team that has made the world of chess sit up and take notice once more. 

Gukesh, Arjun, Pragg, Vidit, Hari: India's unstoppable forces and immovable objects at Chess Olympiad - decoding strengths of gold-medal winning team

GM Peter Svidler on FIDE: I think Chennai 2022 began this conversation but Budapest 2024 has absolutely cemented it. The new generation is completely overtaking the chess world. The two players for India scored crazy amount of points (Gukesh and Arjun), Nordibek on Board 1 for Uzbekistan, who won in Chennai and did well here too. We are going to be seeing more and more of this changing of guard. In fact, the guard has been changed. 

To celebrate India's double gold in Chess, a Bollywood quiz for smartest chess watchers: Which Bollywood blockbuster has this line after a Chess win? You are not only genius. Your are Indi-genius

Answer: DDLJ. Satish Shah tells Amrish Puri

Gukesh speaks to FIDE:

(On India winning gold): "I feel great, especially with quality of my games and how we played as a team. Despite many closes in the past, this time we managed to win quite dominantly. I am just super happy. I knew even if we lose this final match we'd have won on tiebreaks, because board points were just crazy for us. But Ok, we wanted to win this match of course. We didn't play one of the strongest teams so we were expecting a win, and we were all pretty relaxed."

(On his consistency on Board 1): "I guess it's just sticking with the discipline and keeping focus. Once you get into a rhythm, things happen automatically. Once I got the first four wins, I thought I set myself up for a very good tournament."

(On the World Championships): "In this tournament I wasn't thinking about the World Championships match. Olympiad is one of the most important tournaments there is. I was just thinking about that, but it's nice to see I am getting into shape and feeling myself in good form. Still some time left for that match, will do some more work and hopefully I will be ready." 

(On the daily work that goes into all this): "It depends, at home I try not to work too much because I don't have many other hobbies (smiles). If I sit with chess then I might as well spend the whole day on it. At this point there is also a risk of burning out, there is also the importance of saving energy. I'd say 6-8 hours on a daily basis, if I don't have any other commitments. When I was younger, it used to be more. But during tournaments, I like to keep it light when preparing, most of the energy is spent on the game itself." 

(Staying mentally fresh despite pressure of Board 1): "It's about following good practices over a long period of time. I have been practising yoga and meditation for quite some already. Surely it helps. I used to handle these things badly before, but with maturity and experience I got a bit better."

(On the celebrations): "Yesterday Srinath (captain) was saying we had some obligations, so I don't know what they are. But hopefully tonight when all the duties are done, we will get together, hangout and laugh a bit..." 

Shivani Naik

To celebrate India's double gold in Chess, a Bollywood quiz for smartest chess watchers:

Which Bollywood blockbuster has this line after a Chess win? You are not only genius. Your are Indi-genius

Pragg on the way Gukesh and Arjun played: "I mean, it just took all the pressure off me. Seeing those two guys, sitting in between them, I was almost sure they will win. So that I can just play normally, because I know we will most likely win." 

via FIDE 

The star of the tournament for the women's team was Divya, who finished the tournament with a superb performance of 9.5 out of 11. On the men's side, Gukesh -- on the top board, especially -- registered a phenomenal 9 out of 10, while Arjun was on fire with 10 out of 11. 

India winning a gold medal in the two sections at the Budapest Olympiad was another milestone in what has been one of the greatest years for Indian chess. 

The year could get even better in December with Gukesh having the opportunity to become the youngest-ever world champion at the age of 18, if he can beat world champion Ding Liren. 

It's OFFICIAL: With KAZ vs USA ending in draw, it is a DOUBLE GOLD for India. The women's team are also champions. 

We are still waiting for the KAZ vs USA result in the women's section. The tiebreaker calculations are complex, so we will have to wait and see but on board it is 1-0 for USA at the moment and a strong chance for a win on the top board for KAZ. If the two remaining boards are draws, then India will win gold. It is a nervous wait. 

VANTIKA WINS: That is another superb late fightback. India beat Azerbaijan 3.5-0.5. But we still need to wait for KAZ vs USA which has been on a rollercoaster! USA is leading 1-0 there, but KAZ are in a decent position to win Board 1. Two boards are equal. If that ends in a draw, India will win GOLD.   

HARIKA WINS: What a time for the senior pro to step up! She has had a difficult tournament but pulls off a big win in the final round.

By the way, we now know Pragg has also WON on Board 2 from what seemed like a certain draw. 

Pragg to Chessbase India on live stream: "I knew Boards 1 and 3 were going to win..." he jokes, saying he was not under pressure because of how well Gukesh and Arjun were playing. Says he could have played better but at the end of the day, the important thing was to win as a team.

ANOTHER GREAT MOMENT FOR INDIAN CHESS: India win a historic Open gold. Gukesh & Arjun, superstars. 

We have seen three Indian players qualify for the cut-throat Candidates tournament for the first time ever; a 17-year-old Gukesh becoming the youngest-ever player to win the Candidates; Praggnanandhaa taking down world no 1 Magnus Carlsen for the first time in the classical format at the Norway Chess tournament; and Arjun Erigaisi propelling himself into the world’s top 5 ranking spots.

OFFICIAL, GUKESH WINS: What a tournament for Gukesh! With 8 wins and 2 draws, the Indian World Championships contender finishes a stunning run in Budapest. 

Here's how his win against Fedoseev panned out. 

Vantika with a superb turnaround! She was in a losing position but has turned it around on Board 4 to be in a good position. Harika is also making a late push for gold.

IT IS OFFICIAL! INDIA ARE CHAMPIONS OF THE OPEN EVENT! 

ARJUN PUTS INDIA 1-0 UP: After opting for a Scandinavian Defence against Jan Subelj, it seemed Arjun was playing catch up but the maverick makes it work. He tells Chessbase India that only Srinath and Vidit knew his opening plans and he was going to go with it anyway! What a guy. 

Divya is in a winning position now on Board 3! Vantika is in a difficult position however. If Harika can somehow convert a certain draw in to a win somehow, it will be massive for Indian women's team. 

Harika's board was quite equal until a while back but Harika has a small advantage as we tick past 30 moves.

Arjun and Gukesh are completely winning now! Superb from the Indian stars of Budapest. 

Vantika is in a little bit of trouble of Board 4 it seems while Divya holds an edge on Board 3. Harika's game heading for an imminent draw. 

Meanwhile, KAZ vs USA is fascinatingly poised. USA in winning positions on the top two boards, while KAZ could take the other two potentially. A draw wouldn't be bad for India if they are unable to beat AZE. 

After a risky opening, Arjun now has the advantage on Board 3. Just Arjun things, you could say. 

“Arjun is just a complete mad man at the board. He wants to kill you in every single game. Has crazy preparation and plays extremely ambitiously and that’s what makes him very dangerous,” Carlsen had told The Indian Express in May this year.

Here's how his game is panning out. 

On the women's side of things, three of the four matches between India and Azerbaijan are in equal positions. But Divya has a slight edge. She has been India's biggest weapon in the women's event. USA, meanwhile, are in a strong position against KAZ. So India would ideally like a win here.

While Gukesh is completely winning. the other three boards are fairly even. Pragg's early advantage hasn't translated into anything significant so far. But Arjun has gained a foothold in his game, and is holding a steady draw. 

Reminder, an Indian win removes any mathematical probabilities etc. India will win gold. Gukesh's win plus three draws is more than enough. 

GUKESH ON THE CHARGE! Rb5 and d4 from Gukesh for his last couple of moves and he's now in a completely winning position. 

What a tournament he has had. India's gold imminent and he has been sensational on the top board. 

Amit Kamath: Some political drama in the final round of the Chess Olympiad. In the women's section, Israel wins 4-0 against the Iran team, as all four players have apparently refused to show up. The arbitrator Chris Bird stops the clocks after 15 minutes of the start of the final round and hands wins by default ot all four Israeli players.

Taking to his X account to congratulate India for their Chess Olympiad win, Hikaru Nakamura wrote, "It is truly unfathomable how this kid would come from a country with no chess culture and not only become World Champion, but inspire generations of Indian kids to push chess forward. The legend, Vishwanathan Anand."

Ask for trivia involving the history of Indian chess and it is entirely possible that the answer invariably points in the direction of Viswanathan Anand. He is, after all, the man who became the first grandmaster from India, was the first Indian to win the World Junior Chess Championship, became the first senior world champion from India, and is the first Indian to be World No 1.

But there was one feat that another Indian chess player achieved long before Anand had the chance to. At the 1980 Olympiad in Malta, when Anand would have been just 11 years of age, Mohamed Rafiq Khan bagged India its first-ever medal — a silver — on the third board at the Chess Olympiad. (READ Amit Kamath's stellar column on him)

Pragg has held a slender advantage for a while now and he is keeping it 16 moves in.

Gukesh finds with this 16th move Nbd2 and the engine likes it. He is starting to exert some solid gains in the top board against a guy who stunned Carlsen a couple of days back. 

Meanwhile, still not much of a movement in any of the four boards in the women's tie between IND & AZE. In the other big match, USA have an early edge on the top two boards against KAZ, so that's not bad news for Indian women. (A draw in that match would be the best case scenario though) 

White had an early advantage in Arjun's board, but the Indian has made it an equal situation with Rc8 and e6 for his 15th & 16th moves. Here's how his match has panned out so far.  

"Both our teams now have the second successive Olympiad where they are fighting for gold, so this is not a coincidence but at the same time it's I would say it exceeds my expectations. Of course it's a very very talented group of youngsters so I'm happy with I was able to do something with this Foundation we set up (WACA)"

Watch the full Vishy Anand interview with FIDE here:

Have you ever wondered what chess players think of when they allow their minds to wander during six- and seven-hour-long chess games? We asked players to find out. 

There have been rescue missions to save fictional drowning hippos. Songs being sung. Brains have gone on strike. And thoughts about punishing trainers with exercise have been entertained. 

Read more from Amit Kamath here.