India makes history with double gold at World Chess Olympiad

India made history by winning both the open and women's gold medals at the 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad.

In the open category, Grandmasters Gukesh Dommaraju, Arjun Erigaisi, and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu led India to a commanding 3.5-0.5 victory over Slovenia.

This triumph put them four points ahead of the competition, with the United States securing silver and Uzbekistan taking bronze.

Meanwhile, the Indian women's team clinched their first-ever gold at the Olympiad, defeating Azerbaijan 3.5-0.5. Kazakhstan's tie with the U.S. team ensured India's spot at the top of the podium.

This win marked a significant moment for India, especially after narrowly missing out on gold while playing on home soil in 2022.

The US men took silver after GM Wesley So's crucial win against China, while Uzbekistan’s GM Shamsiddin Vokhidov led his team to bronze by defeating France.

All the leading teams except India faced two losses, making final rankings dependent on the last round. Serbia's 3.5-0.5 victory over Ukraine and Armenia's 2.5-1.5 win against Iran brought both teams into contention for second place, though they missed out on medals due to tiebreaks.

Despite early setbacks, Germany, seeded seventh, finished on top among teams tied for seventh, bolstered by GM Frederik Svane's impressive 8/9 performance, which earned him an individual gold medal.