The Indian women's team made history at the 44th Chess Olympiad in Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu, by taking home the nation's first-ever medal in the women's division, while the men won their second bronze medal of the renowned competition.
India After losing 1-3 to USA in the final round match, a team made up of Koneru Humpy, R Vaishali, Tania Sachdev, and Bhakti Kulkarni earned the bronze medal in the women's division.
Tania Sachdev and Bhakti Kulkarni lost their games, but Humpy and Vaishali were able to draw theirs.
The team has worked extremely hard over the past three to four months, and this is India's first medal in Olympic history, so this should be celebrated, said India A coach Abhijit Kunte.
In 1957, the first Olympic games for women were held. Women and open areas have been kept separate since 1976.
The young India B team, on the other hand, gave the nation its second bronze medal in the open division by thumping Germany 3-1. The team impressed everyone with their outstanding performances throughout the competition.
D Gukesh, the captain of India B, took the lead right away and scored a wonderful 9/11. Nihal Sarin contributed with a fantastic 7.5/10, Praggnanandhaa did well with 6.5/9, and Raunak Sadhwani also scored a crucial 5.5/8.
India has previously won the bronze medal in the open division of the Olympics in 2014.
Along with earning medals in the team competitions, as many as seven Indian athletes won medals for their individual efforts, including two gold, one silver, and four bronze. Sarin and Gukesh won the first and second boards, respectively, while Arjun Erigaisi won the third board and the silver medal. Individual bronze medals were won by R Praggnanandhaa (third board), R Vaishali (third board), Tania Sachdev (third board), and Divya Deshmukh (reserve board).
The renowned Gaprindashvili Cup was also won by India. It is presented to the country in recognition of its overall performance in the women's and open categories. Additionally, it was the first time that India has held the largest chess tournament in the world.
