On what will certainly be looked at as a red-letter Sunday (September 22, 2024) for Indian sport in times to come, the country's chess teams scripted history in Budapest by claiming top honours in the open as well as women's section at the 45th Chess Olympiad. (More Chess News)
India had never struck gold at the Olympiad before, and the twin titles are unprecedented. The redoubtable performances by both teams once again signal India's rising dominance in world chess, and mark the victors as players who could rule the sport in the years to come.
Here is an introduction to the 10 champions — five in each team — who made the country proud in Hungary.
D Gukesh
The 18-year-old Dommaraju Gukesh made waves in April 2024 by winning the FIDE Candidates tournament. The Chennai boy is the youngest-ever Candidates winner and will be the youngest challenger for the championship in history, when he takes on China's Ding Liren between November 20-December 15 in Singapore.
Gukesh possesses a world ranking of 7 and rating of 2764 currently.
Arjun Erigaisi
The 21-year-old Arjun Erigaisi is currently India's top-ranked chess player, placed third in the world with a rating of 2778. Born in Warangal, he earned the title of grandmaster at the age of 14 years, 11 months, 13 days, and won the Indian National Championship in 2022.
It was Arjun's win over Slovenia's Jan Subelj in the 11th and final round that gave India the crucial lead and set them on course for a historic Chess Olympiad gold.
R Praggnanandhaa
Another Chennai chess prodigy, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa first shot to limelight by becoming the youngest international master in history, at the age of 10 years, 10 months, and 19 days. His rise was meteoric, and within two years, Praggnanandhaa became a grandmaster.
The then 18-year-old Praggnanandhaa became the world's youngest player to reach the Chess World Cup final in 2023. Now 19, he is ranked 12th in the world and has a rating of 2750.
Vidit Gujrathi
India's 30th grandmaster, Vidit Gujrathi hails from Nashik, Maharashtra and is one of only five Indians to have crossed the Elo rating threshold of 2700. The 29-year-old Vidit competed at the FIDE Candidates tournament this year by winning the FIDE Grand Swiss 2023.
Vidit is currently ranked 24th in the world and has a rating of 2720.
Pentala Harikrishna
The fifth and seniormost member of the victorious Indian team, the 38-year-old Pentala Harikrishna played in only three games at the 2024 Olympiad, winning two and drawing the third.
The seasoned player hails from Guntur, Andhra Pradesh and achieved a peak world ranking of 10 in November 2016, and a career-best Elo rating of 2770 in December 2016.
Harika Dronavalli
The 33-year-old Harika Dronavalli is a three-time bronze medallist in the Women’s World Chess Championship. Harika, who hails from Guntur just like Harikrishna, became a grandmaster in 2009, making her the second woman in India to earn the title after the legendary Koneru Humpy.
She is currently ranked 11th in the women's section and has a rating of 2502.
Divya Deshmukh
Perhaps the country's most exciting young female chess player right now, Divya Deshmukh is all of 18. The Nagpur girl is India's 2022 women's chess champion and the 2023 Asian women's chess champion. In 2024, she won the women's under-20 world championship to boot.
She is ranked 15th as of now and possesses a rating of 2483.
Vaishali Rameshbabu
The world came to know of Vaishali Rameshbabu's exploits when she became India's 84th grandmaster in December 2023. That was because Vaishali and her brother Praggnanandhaa became the world's first and only grandmaster sibling pair. They were also the first brother and sister to together qualify for the Candidates tournament.
The 23-year-old Vaishali is placed 12th in the rankings with a FIDE rating of 2498.
Vantika Agrawal
Though not as illustrious or highly ranked as her teammates, Vantika Agrawal time and again saved the day for India with her clinical performances at the Olympiad. The 21-year-old, a Delhi resident, is a B.Com graduate from the hallowed Shri Ram College of Commerce.
She is ranked 75th in the women's section and has a rating of 2370.
Tania Sachdev
One of the foremost proponents of furthering chess awareness and interest in India, Tania Sachdev continues to shine as an active player while also being a commentator-presenter in the sport. The 38-year-old Delhi native is an Arjuna awardee and two-time Indian women's chess champion.
Senior pro Tania is pegged at the 58th spot in the women's section of the world rankings with a rating of 2386 as of now.
