Chess Olympiad: Winning medal alongside my brother Praggnanandhaa a proud moment for family, says Vaishali

The 44th Chess Olympiad which started on July 28 came to a close on August 9 with India bagging an array of medals, including the bronze medals in team events. Uzbekistan won Gold in the men’s team event while Ukraine took the top honour with Gold in the women’s team event.

While India took pride in hosting the Chess Olympiad and earned praise for a spectacular show as hosts, local heroes Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa and his sister, International Master Rameshbabu Vaishali gave the Chennai crowd plenty to cheer for by walking up on the stage together after bagging bronze medals in individual events.

Speaking to India Today, Grandmaster Praggnanandhaa said the competition at the Chess Olympiad was tough despite having familiar home conditions.

When asked about a picture of Magnus Carlsen looking into his game going viral on social media, Praggnanandhaa said: “It was good to play alongside him. This tournament was a tough one for everyone. My team played really well. We could have gone for Gold and in the end Bronze medal is a good result.”

“There have been so many fans supporting us and I hope many people take up chess even if not professionally, at least as a hobby”, he added.

GOOSEBUMPS FOR VAISHALI

Meanwhile, Vaishali said it was a heartbreak to not win Gold after having headed into the final round as the sole leader in the women’s competition. However, they lost 1-3 to USA in their final round to finish with a Bronze medal.

Nonetheless, it was a historic feat as India women had won their first-ever Olympiad medal in the team event.

“We were so close to winning Gold but this is a historic Bronze medal for the Indian team in Olympiad,” Vaishali said.

Conceding that the Chess Olympiad experience at home was both motivational and pressure-laden, Chennai’s Vaishali thanked her coach Shyam Sundar, Captain Abhijit Kunde, team members and fans.

“It was a goosebump moment to walk up the stage and share the moment with my brother. This is an indescribable moment for our family. We won four bronze and I thank all the fans who keep supporting us even when we lost”, she added.

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