Prime Minister Modi Congratulates India's Chess Olympiad Champions

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met India's Chess Olympiads gold medalists. For grandmaster Vantika Agrawal, it was a special moment, recalling her previous felicitation by PM Modi. Players discussed the role of AI in chess, growing popularity, and the team's motivation from past defeats.

India's Chess Olympiads gold medallists had a remarkable meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday. For woman grandmaster Vantika Agrawal, the occasion held special significance as it was PM Modi who, as Gujarat's Chief Minister, had previously motivated her by felicitating her following her victory at the Asian under-nine Championships.

Vantika recounted the inspirational felicitation and how it spurred her on to achieve greater accolades for India. She also expressed her amazement at PM Modi remembering her birthday. 'When you encouraged me, I felt really motivated and happy. I've given my everything to chess since then,' Vantika said, gifting PM Modi a picture of her younger self being felicitated by him.

During the interaction, PM Modi reminisced about hosting a grand chess event during his tenure as Gujarat CM, involving 20,000 players, a decision that puzzled many at the time due to its large scale. 'I wanted to do it, and I did it,' he said.

Harika Dronavalli, a member of the women's gold medal-winning team, recounted their joyous celebration and the support from their opponents. Teen prodigy and grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa highlighted AI's role in advancing chess strategy, echoed by Vidit Gujarathi, who noted the growing popularity of the sport and the strong support from fans.

Tania Sachdev, another gold-winning team member, shared that their past defeat to the USA had motivated them to clinch victory this time.

(With inputs from agencies.)