India on the Verge of Chess Olympiad History! Gukesh Shines as India Nears Gold

D Gukesh is making waves on the chessboard, y’all! The 18-year-old Grandmaster took down Fabiano Caruana, one of the world’s top chess players, pushing India closer to securing their first-ever gold medal in the Open Section of the Chess Olympiad!

Epic Showdown in Budapest

In a nerve-wracking match on September 21, Gukesh flexed his chess mastery, securing a crucial win for Team India . He outmaneuvered Caruana using the Catalan opening, snatching a pawn and setting up India’s road to victory. The squad is now two points ahead of other top contenders like China, USA, and Uzbekistan in the standings. They’re THIS close to clinching that gold!

HISTORY CREATED !!!

INDIA clinches First-ever Open Gold at Chess Olympiad 2024

Big Congratulations to our Chess Wizards:
– D Gukesh
– Arjun Erigaisi
– Vidit Gujrathi
– Praggnanandhaa
– Pentala Harikrishna #ChessOlympiad2024 pic.twitter.com/w6bFBXOzkv

— Kriti Singh (@kritiitweets) September 22, 2024

Team India Dominates the Board

India’s Arjun Erigaisi and Vidit Gujrathi also came through with key wins. Arjun beat Leinier Dominguez Perez while Vidit held his own against Levon Aronian. Unfortunately, Praggnanandhaa took an L against Wesley So, but India still came out on top as a team!

Here’s the scorecard from the intense India vs USA clash:

• D Gukesh Fabiano Caruana – WIN
• Arjun Erigaisi Leinier Dominguez Perez – WIN
• Vidit Gujrathi Levon Aronian – DRAW
• R Praggnanandhaa Wesley So – LOSS

India is now sitting pretty at the top with 17 points, two ahead of their closest competition!

Arjun Erigaisi beats Jan Subelj

This was the crucial first result of the match, giving India the lead. Gukesh D and Praggnanandhaa R followed up with victories, making history as India secured their first-ever #ChessOlympiad gold medal!

Final moments of Arjun… pic.twitter.com/JTGFuulY5V

— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) September 22, 2024

India wins the 45th FIDE #ChessOlympiad!

Congratulations to Gukesh D, Praggnanandhaa R, Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi, Pentala Harikrishna and Srinath Narayanan (Captain)!

Gukesh D beats Vladimir Fedoseev, and Arjun Erigaisi prevails against Jan Subelj; India… pic.twitter.com/jOGrjwsyJc

— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) September 22, 2024

The Chess Olympiad Dream Team

This win wasn’t just about one match—it’s the result of Team India’s entire squad firing on all cylinders! With a star-studded lineup of players like:“““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““`

• D Gukesh (who’s also gunning for the World Championship later this year )
• Arjun Erigaisi
• R Praggnanandhaa
• Vidit Gujrathi
• Hari Krishna

They’ve been dominating all tournament long! And if that wasn’t enough, Arjun Erigaisi is on track to join chess legends by crossing the 2800 Elo rating mark (joining Viswanathan Anand in that elite club ). If he keeps slaying the board, he’ll become the 16th player EVER to hit that milestone!

What’s Next?

With one more round to go, India is on the brink of Olympiad gold. If they clinch this, it’ll be a historic first for the nation in the Open Section of the Chess Olympiad! The team’s been in beast mode all tournament long, and now, they’re ready to bring home the gold.

Chess fans, it’s time to celebrate because India is taking the world by storm with this legendary run!

Stay tuned, because history is about to be made!