Silver lining: on the Samarkand Chess Olympiad and India

When the Indian men finish as the runner-up and the women secure third place in one of the world’s biggest sporting events, it calls for celebration. But, when the fact is that those performances did not quite live up to the expectations, it says a lot about the reputation India enjoys as a chess giant. The Indians’ show at the Chess Olympiad, which concluded at Samarkand on Sunday, is no doubt commendable, as they retained the Gaprindashvili Trophy, awarded to the best country overall, and claimed six individual medals as well. In a tournament in which more than 200 countries took part, that is no small feat. Still, for a nation that had won both the open and women’s titles two years ago in Budapest, the failure to defend even one is a bit of a disappointment. The Indian men were seeded second, while the women had the top billing. So, the men played according to their ranking, as the host Uzbekistan, the only country that could challenge India when it comes to the depth of young chess talent, emerged as the champion. The clash between the two teams was the most anticipated one at the tournament, and it was always going to be crucial. So it proved.

Uzbekistan beat India in the sixth round, moved into the sole position, and inched towards the gold; not even a shocking defeat to Germany mattered in the end. The Indian women’s winning run had been stopped in the fifth round, by Poland. They had to fight hard then to win even bronze. The Chinese women were the deserving winners, even though they had not fielded some of their best players. That four Indian women — out of the five — won individual medals proves it was a fine team effort, and yet B. Savitha Shri stood out. The Chennai teenager was making her Olympiad debut, coming in place of the vastly experienced D. Harika, who chose to stay away this time, and she was brilliant right through the event. Of her 10 games, she won eight and drew the other two. Savitha deserves all the support she requires to make further progress on the chessboard. Remember, India does not have the kind of bench strength in women’s chess that it possesses in the men’s game. D. Gukesh, though playing on the fourth board, could not have timed his individual silver better: after becoming the youngest World champion in history in 2024, he has had a tough time. He is defending his crown against Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov in the match starting in Geneva on November 24. The Olympiad would only have helped him recover some of his confidence and persistence.