Vishy’s children are all grown up: Garry Kasparov praises India’s Olympiad win

Chess legend Garry Kasparov heaped praise on the Indian contingent after their historic double gold at the 2024 Chess Olympiad. India made history in Budapest on Sunday, September 22, by winning gold in both the men’s and women’s events at the Chess Olympiad. Following the men’s team’s groundbreaking triumph, the women’s team, consisting of Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali Rameshbabu, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal, Tania Sachdev, and Abhijit Kunte, secured gold, marking a historic double victory for India.
In the final round, India dominated Azerbaijan with a 3.5-0.5 win. Harika, Divya, and Vantika secured victories in their respective matches, while Vaishali held a draw. Despite this emphatic result, India’s gold in the women’s open section was not guaranteed. Their title hopes hinged on the USA holding Kazakhstan.
India were crowned champions when the USA managed to secure a 2-2 draw against Kazakhstan on Sunday. Had Kazakhstan won, the competition would have gone to tie-breaks. Earlier, key victories from D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi propelled India to their first-ever Chess Olympiad title on Sunday, September 22. Competing in Budapest, India triumphed over Slovenia in the final round, surpassing China to claim the title in the open section.
Taking to X, Kasparov praised the Indian contingent for their win. The chess legend claimed that ‘Vishy’s children’ had all grown up and the game is coming home.
“A very impressive double gold achievement by India. “Vishy’s children” are all grown up and chess is coming home! Two American flags on the podiums as well, worthy of note. Add Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, with no European flags,” said Kasparov.
Viswanathan Anand was happy to see the Indian contingent’s performance and also claimed that Gukesh is a contender to win the World Championship title against Ding Liren.