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India’s Chess Teams Win Silver and Bronze, Miss Gold
India sent two teams to a major chess competition in Samarkand.
The open team won a silver medal, and the women’s team won bronze.
Uzbekistan won the open competition, while China won the women’s competition.
India had won gold in both sections at the previous Olympiad in Budapest in 2024.
Because of that earlier success, the new medals felt disappointing to some team members.
Both Indian teams lost only one match during the 11-round event.
Coaches said the players missed some winning chances and were not always at their best.
The women’s team was also tired physically and emotionally near the end.
India still earned several individual medals and the award for the best overall side.
India’s open team won silver and its women’s team won bronze at the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand.
Uzbekistan won the open section, while China won the women’s section.
Both Indian teams lost once in 11 rounds: the men to Uzbekistan and the women to Poland.
India also received the Nona Gaprindashvili Cup, while six of its 10 players won individual medals.
Indian coaches and players cited missed chances, difficult matches, and physical and emotional fatigue as factors behind the results.
- Who
- India’s open and women’s chess teams, along with coaches and players including Vidit Gujrathi, D Gukesh, Savitha Shri, and others.
- What
- India won silver in the open section and bronze in the women’s section but did not defend its two gold medals from Budapest 2024.
- Where
- Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
- When
- During the 11-round Chess Olympiad held after the 2024 Budapest Olympiad.
- Why
- Missed winning chances, inconsistent form, decisive losses, and fatigue prevented India from winning either section.
Pride in Strong Medals
Disappointment at Missed Gold
How to assess India’s results
Pride in Strong Medals
The silver and bronze were valuable achievements in a difficult Olympiad, and India also won the overall team cup and several individual medals.
Disappointment at Missed Gold
The teams and staff felt that winning both sections was within reach, so the results were disappointing compared with India’s unbeaten double-gold performance in Budapest.
How much to analyze the mistakes
Pride in Strong Medals
Vaibhav Suri cautioned against examining every missed chance too closely because such errors are part of Olympiad chess.
Disappointment at Missed Gold
The coaching staff identified missed wins and uneven form from players including R Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Nihal Sarin, and D Gukesh as important setbacks.
Meaning of public criticism
Pride in Strong Medals
Swayams Mishra said criticism showed that fans had high expectations of India’s developing chess teams.
Disappointment at Missed Gold
The coaches described the amount of criticism directed at players and staff on social media as unusually intense.
Key facts
- Open-section result
- India won silver; Uzbekistan won gold.
- Women’s-section result
- India won bronze; China won gold.
- Indian losses
- The open team lost to Uzbekistan, while the women’s team lost to Poland.
- Overall award
- India received the Nona Gaprindashvili Cup for the best side overall.
- Individual medals
- Six of India’s 10 players won individual medals, including Savitha Shri’s gold.
- Open-team records
- R Praggnanandhaa had three wins and no losses; D Gukesh had seven wins before losing in the final round.
- Women’s-team records
- Savitha Shri won eight games and drew two; Vantika Agrawal recorded five wins and one loss.
Quotes
Vidit Gujrathi
Indian chess grandmaster and member of the Indian contingent
“We had a good chance of beating China (in the penultimate round) and things would have been very different. Kazakhstan was losing in that round but won with a miracle. That changed everything, in terms of the pairing in the final round as well.”
indianexpress.com
“We’re proud of the silver, but are not celebrating like last time.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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