Hangzhou: The Indian men’s and women’s chess teams won silver medals at the Asian Games in Hangzhou on October 7, 2023. This is the first time that India has won a medal in chess at the Asian Games.
The men’s team finished second behind China, while the women’s team finished second behind Uzbekistan. The men’s team consisted of Grandmasters (GMs) D. Gukesh, R. Praggnanandhaa, and Adhiban Baskaran, and International Master (IM) Nihal Sarin. The women’s team consisted of GMs Harika Dronavalli and Koneru Humpy, and IMs Vaishali Rameshbabu and Vantika Agrawal.
The Indian teams performed well throughout the tournament. The men’s team finished the round-robin stage with an undefeated record, while the women’s team finished second behind Uzbekistan. In the semifinals, the men’s team defeated Iran, while the women’s team defeated Kazakhstan.
In the finals, the men’s team lost to China by a score of 2.5-1.5, while the women’s team lost to Uzbekistan by a score of 3-1. However, the silver medals won by the Indian teams are a significant achievement, and they show that India is now a force to be reckoned with in chess.
Besides, Indian team also won a Gold Medal in Badminton Men’s Doubles. A congratulatory message by prime minister Narendra Modi on Twitter read, “The electrifying duo of Satwik Sairaj and Shetty Chirag have won a Gold Medal in Badminton Men’s Doubles. Congrats to them. their game lights up the court and makes India proud always!”.
The success of the Indian chess teams at the Asian Games is a proud moment for India. It shows that India is now a force to be reckoned with in chess, and it is likely to inspire more young people to take up the game.