Chess Olympiad | Will in-form Indian squad strike gold in Budapest?

India will be looking to change the colour of the medal (both in Open and Women’s categories) when the 45th Chess Olympiad gets underway in Budapest on September 10. India bagged the bronze medal in both Open and Women’s categories at the 2022 Chess Olympiad in Chennai. In fact, India successfully hosted the biennial event for the first time two years ago.

The USA, which won the Olympiad in 2016, will start as top seeds in the Open category. With the likes of Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So, Levon Aronian, Leinier Dominguez and Ray Robson, the USA will start as slight favourites. The USA hopes to make amends this time after missing out on a medal in the previous Olympiad.

The Indian team, comprising Arjun Erigaisi, Candidates winner Dommaraju Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa R, Vidit Gujrathi, and Pentala Harikrishna, has a realistic chance of winning a gold medal, given the depth of the team.

Incredible growth

Indian women made history, winning a bronze medal at the Chennai Olympiad. Despite top player Koneru Humpy opting out of the big event on this occasion, India has been given the top billing in the Women’s section, which shows the incredible growth of the game in the country. Women’s team consists of Dronavalli Harika, Vaishali R, Divya Deshmukh, Tania Sachdev and Vantika Agarwal. If the women's team performs to their full potential, India will be a strong contender for the title.

Arjun, Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa have all been in good form, heading into the Olympiad. Arjun has gained a lot in terms of rating, jumping to World No.4 (with a rating of 2778), besides becoming India No.1. His idea of competing in Open tournaments was a double-edged sword but it worked out well for the 21-year-old. His first title in 2024 came at the Menorca Open. He followed it up by triumphing in the closed round-robin event in Jermuk, Armenia. Arjun, who bagged an individual silver at the 2022 Olympiad, will be itching to bring his best, which will bolster the team.

Gukesh’s (9 out of 11 on the first board, individual gold) eight out of eight start was one of the talking points of the Chennai Olympiad. He has gone from strength to strength in the last two years, which finally culminated in his Candidates triumph this year. If he strikes form, India will be hard to stop. Praggnanandhaa has remained consistent without being spectacular. The 19-year-old can win crucial games, which will be the key to India’s success. Vidit and Harikrishna’s experience should stand the team in good stead.

Srinath at the helm

N Srinath will be the captain of the Indian team for the second consecutive Olympiad. Under the guidance of Srinath, India finished fourth at the previous Olympiad, besides bagging team silver at the 2023 Asian Games. Srinath will aim to bring the best out of the full team. If that happens, India can go all the way.

RB Ramesh, who twice captained India and India 2 to bronze medals (2014 and 2022), sounded optimistic, saying: “India’s chances are generally good in both the sections. With three youngsters doing well, I believe they will lead the charge from the front. USA and China will give a tough fight.”

Asked about Arjun Erigaisi becoming India No. 1 and world No.4? Ramesh had this to say: “Arjun has had phenomenal growth in the last few years, especially this year. Becoming India’s No.1 at such a young age is a big achievement. I wish him all the best to realise all his dreams in the future.”

China eyeing gold

China will be gunning for their third Olympiad gold after winning in Tromso (2014) and Batumi (2018). World champion Ding Liren has been woefully out of form in 2024. However, if Ding finds his form, China will be in contention for the top three spots. Wei Yi, who has been the in-form player, will be the key to China having a great tournament.

Uzbekistan, which was the unexpected winner of the previous Olympiad, will find it difficult to defend their title. One can expect Nodirbek Adbusattorov to do well on the top board. For Uzbeks to have another shot at the title, the rest of the team should fire in unison.

World No 1 Magnus Carlsen will be the star attraction in the Olympiad. It remains to be seen whether Carlsen can inspire Norway to a podium finish.

High hopes from women

In the women’s section, India hopes to change the colour of the medal. Harika, who has competed in many Olympiads, has been in good form in her last few tournaments, gaining rating points. Her presence on the top board lends strength to the team.

Vaishali and Divya, who both won the individual bronze in the 2022 Olympiad, will be crucial to the team's success. If Vaishali and Divya score heavily on their respective boards, the women’s team is likely to win a medal. If Tania Sachdev (individual bronze in 44th Olympiad) and Vantika Agarwal complement the team well on the lower boards, it will boost the team’s cause.

Queried about changing the colour of the medal, Vaishali, who was excited to compete in her second straight Olympiad, had this to say: “We have a strong team and have definitely good chances to change the colour of the medal. Last time we were close to winning gold, but missed it in the last few rounds. I am hoping to contribute my part well to win gold this time.”

Georgia and Poland are the other two teams which will be in the reckoning for the top placings. Despite surprisingly missing the services of Women’s World champion Ju Wenjun and Women’s Candidates winner Tan Zhongyi, China will be a force to reckon with, especially in team tournaments.

No Russian teams

Russian teams will not be part of the Olympiad for the second straight time because they have been banned from team events since 2022.

The 45th Chess Olympiad has attracted 195 countries in the Open section and 182 countries in the women's section.

Online Chess Olympiad

India jointly won the gold with Russia in the 2020 Online Chess Olympiad. Poland and USA bagged bronze. Russia triumphed in the 2021 Online Chess Olympiad. USA bagged silver. India and China were bronze medallists.

Indian teams: Open: Arjun Erigaisi, D Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa R, Vidit Gujrathi and P Harikrishna.

Women: Dronavalli Harika, Vaishali R, Divya Deshmukh, Tania Sachdev & Vantika Agarwal.