On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted the Indian men’s and women’s chess teams and had an interaction with them on their experiences and their journey. The GrandChess masters, for the very first time have won the gold medals at the 45th Chess Olympiad, making history.
PM Modi has previously interacted with the winners of Olympics and Paralympics, appreciating and motivating them. Moreover, he also interacted witht the world Cup-winning cricket team.
The men’s team, comprising D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujarathi, and P Harikrishna, which was led by Srinath Narayanan, has secured a top spot, securing 21 out of 22 points. Whereas, the women’s team led by Abhjit Kunte, featuring R Vaishali, Tania Sachdev, D Harika, Divya Deshmukh, and Vantika Agrawal, also secured 19 points from a possible 22.
Players Shares Their Journey
The youngest-ever world championship challenger, D Gukesh stated that teamwork has led them to win a gold medal. “In the last Olympiad, there was one match I should have won to guarantee a gold for India, but unfortunately lost. This time, we were motivated to win.” he added.
Tania Sachdev shared her experience of defeating the USA and said, “We won so convincingly, it felt that nobody could touch us,” The USA were the one that previously defeated the Indian team in the Olympiad. Harika even mentioned that the team received overwhelming support from their opponents.
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PM Modi on Future of Sports
As india has always approached advanced technologies, PM Modi was keen to understand how AI is shaping the future of the sport and how it is modernising it.
Praggnanandhaa stated, “With AI, chess has evolved, the computers have become much stronger, showing new ideas.” Vidit Gujarathi added, “AI is available to all; it has democratised chess.” The players often test their skills against advanced computer programs.
The Prime Minister acknowledging the importance of sports for the growth of the country said, “Development requires invincibility in every field. If you are talking about films, how many Oscars are your films winning? If you talk about science, then the number of Nobel Prize winners. In the same way, when our kids win maximum gold medals, that’s how our country becomes great.”
Birthday Surprise
Vantika Agrawal also received a birthday wish from Modi, she expressed her surprise and said. “He knew that, I was very surprised,” she said, recalling how Modi had previously felicitated her when she was only nine years old after a junior competition in Gujarat. “That motivated me,” she added. Gukesh said, “The way he remembered Vantika’s birthday showed how much he cares about the sport and players.”
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