Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday, hosted the Indian men’s and women’s chess teams at his residence to commemorate their historic double gold medal win at the 45th Chess Olympiad. Recently, in the Chess Olympiad, India’s men’s and women’s teams made history by securing gold medals for the first time in their respective categories, joining the elite ranks of countries to have achieved double gold in the same edition of the competition.
PM Modi enjoys bullet chess – Praggnanandhaa vs Erigaisi
The Prime Minister, a known chess enthusiast, engaged in a friendly game of bullet chess with two members of the winning team, R Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi. Sharing a video of their match on social media, PM Modi expressed his admiration for their skills and optimism for the future of Indian chess.
In a video shared on X, PM Modi was seen enjoying Praggnanandhaa and Arjun playing bullet chess, captioning it: “Bullet Chess by two Grandmasters. Incredible! India’s chess future is very bright.”
India makes history at the Chess Olympiad
India’s victory at the Chess Olympiad marked a significant milestone in the country’s chess history. The men’s team, comprising D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi, and Pentala Harikrishna, defeated Slovenia in the final round to secure the gold medal. Victories from Gukesh and Arjun gave India a 2-0 lead, securing the gold. Praggnanandhaa later won his game, and Vidit drew him, resulting in a 3.5-0.5 win for India.
The women’s team, featuring Harika Dronavalli, R Vaishali, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agarwal, and Tania Sachdev, also clinched gold after defeating Azerbaijan 3.5-0.5.
PM Modi’s meeting with the chess champions served as a testament to India’s growing prowess in the sport and his commitment to promoting chess at the national level.
