'A golden moment', says Koneru Humpy after India won gold medal in the 2020 Chess Olympiad

World Women Rapid Champion Koneru Humpy on Monday expressed glee after India became joint champions of the first-ever FIDE online Chess Olympiad. Connectivity issues ultimately led to India sharing the trophy with Russia. 

The Indian squad at the Chess Olympiad 2020 included Vishwanathan Anand, Vidit Santosh Gujarati (captain), P. Harikrishna, Koneru Humpy, Dronavalli Harika, Bhakti Kulkarni, Nihal Sarin, Divya Deshmukh, R. Praggnanandha, Vantika Agrawal, R. Vaishali, and Arvind Chithambaram. 

Speaking to ANI, Humpy said that It is a golden moment for the Indian chess fraternity adding that the victory will motivate many youngsters.

"It is a golden moment for the Indian chess fraternity. I think this victory will motivate many youngsters to take up Chess as a profession," said Humpy.

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

The dramatic final

Russia was initially declared the winner of the chess olympiad but after India officially lodged a complaint, stating that two of its players, Nihal Sarin and Divya Deshmukh, lost connection towards the end of the game, along with several other users, FIDE decided to consider the appeal and announce India and Russia as joint winners. 

In the first round, all games ended in a draw, but it was actually a narrow escape by Russia, as India was clearly pressing for a match win. The second round started with important changes in both teams: India threw Anand into the battle, Vidit moved to board two replacing Harikrishna, and Nihal Sarin replaced Praggnanandhaa. On the Russian side, Dubov, Goryachkina and Esipenko replaced Artemiev, Lagno, and Sarana, respectively.

It's India's first such victory and the first for Russia since 2002.

READ: Amit Shah congratulates Team India on winning Chess Olympiad, calls it 'Proud moment'