India achieved a historic milestone on Sunday by winning its first-ever double team gold at the Chess Olympiad, becoming only the third country to do so in 45 editions.
The second-seeded men’s team secured their victory ahead of time, while the top-seeded women’s team had to battle for their gold, ultimately finishing with 19 points against Azerbaijan.
The Indian teams also earned four individual board gold medals, with standout performances from D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, Divya Deshmukh, and Vantika Agrawal.
India’s previous best at the Olympiad was two team bronze medals in 2022.
Notably, in the open section, India lost only one of their 44 games, a feat previously matched by China in 2014.