The history-making Indian Chess contingent that bagged gold at the recently concluded Chess Olympiad in Hungary was honoured by the Prime Minister of the nation Shri Narendra Modi.
The felicitation was an evening of celebration as the gold medallists, who achieved a maiden yellow metal scaled an unprecedented accolade.
D Gukesh who starred in Budapest for the Indian contingent reflected on the historic achievement with some fine remarks on Wednesday.
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“We were so close to the gold in the previous Olympiad in Chennai, things did not go out way, so we were very motivated to get the gold this time,” he said.
“We showed that India is not just a strong country, but we are already a superpower,” the teenager said to a raucous ovation.
Vidit Gujrati, who returned to India after opting to not defend his title in Azerbaijan in order to be part of the celebration, reflected on a moment during the iconic campaign when he spent hours at the gym, while Praggnanandhaa was playing his fixture against China.
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“There was a match against China and all three had drawn, and Gukesh was playing. The situation was tough and I was at the gym at that time, and then things started improving, so I decided to stay right there. And thanks to him worked out for two hours that day,” he said in jest.
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The All India Chess Federation announced Rs 3.2 crore rewards winners during the ceremony as each player from the team will receive Rs 25 lakh, while the captains of the men’s and women’s teams, Abhijeet Kunte and Srinath Narayanan, will be rewarded with Rs 15 lakh each.
