India tops both categories of Chess Olympiad; Rahul Gandhi says, 'Time has come to win a gold medal'

New Delhi, Sep 22 (IANS) India is on top in both categories at the FIDE Chess Olympiad 2024. They are close to winning gold medals in the open category and women's category at the prestigious tournament in Budapest. Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday wished Team India.

India defeated USA in the penultimate round of the Open section to seal a win in the Chess Olympiad on Saturday while the women's team also returned to winning ways, beating China 2.5-1.5.

Rahul Gandhi wrote on Twitter: “Wishing success to the Indian team as they enter the final rounds of both the Open and Women's sections of the Chess Olympiad!”

“You are on the verge of making history today. Your relentless dedication and exceptional skill have led you to this moment. Now is the time for you to win the gold medal and show the world what India is made of.”

Domaraju Gukesh defeated Fabiano Caruana, and Arjun Erigaisi defeated Leinier Dominguez, giving the Indian team a crucial win over the top seeds of the tournament in the Open category.

Meanwhile, in the women's category, Divya Deshmukh won as India defeated China. Harika Dronavalli drew her match against Zhu Jiner, while Vantika Agrawal and R. Vaishali also drew their matches against Miaoyi Lu and Guo Que respectively.

India and Kazakhstan are leading the Women's Chess Olympiad with one round remaining. The medal race in the women's category has become very close as the USA and Poland are only one point behind the top teams.

–IANS

AMJ/RR