Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a unique gift from chess prodigy Vantika Agarwal during a meeting with the double gold winners of the Chess Olympiad 2024. During their encounter, PM Modi reminisced about organizing the ‘Swarnim Chess Mahotsav’ as part of his Khel Mahakumbh initiative in 2010 when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. He also recalled the ‘Swami Vivekananda Mahila Chess Mahotsav’ held in Gandhinagar in 2012, which attracted 3,500 women chess players, including Vantika. As a gesture, Vantika presented PM Modi with a photo from that event.
The photo depicted PM Modi honoring Vantika, and he expressed his delight at receiving such a “special” gift.
A wonderful interaction with the Indian chess contingent that won the 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad. Do watch! https://t.co/1fALfjTOe7
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 26, 2024
During the meeting, the Prime Minister observed a bullet chess match between Indian Chess Olympiad winners R Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi at his residence on Wednesday.
In the recently concluded Chess Olympiad, both the Indian men’s and women’s teams achieved historic success by winning gold medals in their respective categories, making them part of a select group of nations that have accomplished a double gold in the same competition.
Following their impressive achievement, PM Modi hosted the Indian chess teams at his home on Wednesday to celebrate their triumph at the International Chess Federation (FIDE) Chess Olympiad.
The Prime Minister shared a video on his official social media, featuring Praggnanandhaa and Arjun engaging in bullet chess, captioning it: “Bullet Chess by two Grandmasters. Incredible! India’s chess future is very bright.”
In the men’s competition, the USA finished in second place, with Uzbekistan taking home the bronze. In the women’s event, Kazakhstan secured silver while the USA claimed bronze.
In the tournament’s final round, the Indian men’s team—comprising D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi, and Pentala Harikrishna—defeated Slovenia to win the gold medal. Gukesh and Arjun’s victories gave India a 2-0 lead, solidifying their gold win. Praggnanandhaa later secured his game, and Vidit drew his match, resulting in a dominant 3.5-0.5 victory for India.
Meanwhile, the Indian women’s team—featuring Harika Dronavalli, R Vaishali, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agarwal, and Tania Sachdev—also clinched gold by defeating Azerbaijan 3.5-0.5. Harika, Divya, and Vantika won their respective matches in the final round, while Vaishali drew her game against Ulviyya Fataliyeva.