Ajinkya Rahane lauds India's gold medal at FIDE Chess Olympiad, calls it a 'proud moment'

On Sunday, India became joint champions of the first-ever FIDE online Chess Olympiad. Connectivity issues ultimately led to India sharing the trophy with Russia. After the announcement, several cricketers including Delhi Capitals star Ajinkya Rahane took to Twitter to congratulate the participants on the achievement.

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India declared joint winners after FIDE Chess Olympiad server issue

Nihal Sarin and Divya Deshmukh, members of the Indian team featuring in the finals, were initially deemed to have lost their matches after internet connection issues during the second round caused them to forfeit. Before the network issues, the first round between India and Russia finished 3-3, after all six games ended as draws. However, after an appeal was filed, the International Chess Federation ruled that both India and Russia will be declared winners. 

This was the first time India reached the finals of the FIDE Chess Olympiad. The participating contingent comprised of Viswanathan Anand, Koneru Humpy, Dronavilli Harika, Nihal, Divya, Harkishna and Vidit. The joint win means India has registered its best-ever performance in the FIDE Chess Olympiad, eclipsing their earlier performance where they won the bronze medal in 2014.

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Ajinkya Rahane celebrates FIDE Chess Olympiad win

After the confirmation of the FIDE Chess Olympiad result, Indian batsman Ajinkya Rahane took to Twitter to congratulate the contingent on their victory. The batsman shared International Chess Federation’s tweet announcing the result, as he wrote that the FIDE Chess Olympiad victory was a proud moment for the entire nation. Ajinkya Rahane is currently in the United Arab Emirates, where he will be seen paying for the Delhi Capitals in IPL 2020. The batsman recently took to social media to share a picture of himself training outdoors, updating his fans that he was out of self-isolation and will now begin training.

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Ajinkya Rahane wasn’t the only member of the cricketing fraternity who congratulated the contingent on their FIDE Chess Olympiad victory. Sachin Tendulkar also took to Twitter to express his joy at the result as he shared Viswanathan Anand’s tweet celebrating the victory. Sachin Tendulkar tweeted that the victory is even sweeter considering it came just after the whole country celebrated National Sports Day. Congratulating the contingent, Sachin Tendulkar wrote that with the FIDE Chess Olympiad victory, the chess team has brought laurels to the nation. Retired cricketer VVS Laxman and popular sports presenter Harsha Bhogle also shared Viswanathan Anand’s tweet, as they congratulated the chess team on their victory.

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Image Courtesy: PTI