India's Historic Triumph at Chess Olympiad: Viswanathan Anand's Vision for Women's Chess

Viswanathan Anand, five-time world champion, expressed joy at India's historic dual victory at the Chess Olympiad. While applauding the achievements, he emphasized the need for further progress in women's chess. Anand highlighted the importance of grassroots efforts and continuous development to maintain momentum and inspire more female participation in the sport.

In a moment of national pride, five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand celebrated India's unprecedented dual victory at the Chess Olympiad. However, Anand stressed that despite the milestone, much work remains for the advancement of women's chess in India.

On Sunday, India made history with both its men's and women's teams clinching their first-ever titles at the Olympiad, achieving a clean sweep of gold medals. While young Indian talents like R Praggnanandhaa and D Gukesh have elevated the men's game to new heights, the women's game struggles to keep pace.

"It's a very good beginning. I think still a long way to go because we must continuously keep progressing," Anand commented at the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League, emphasizing that the victory should inspire more girls to participate in chess.

Anand, who has motivated the current generation of chess prodigies, shared his joy and pride about witnessing India's historic performance. "It's great pride that it happened. It's not like the result caught me by surprise, but the feeling of being a double Olympiad champion is overwhelming," he said.

Despite the commendable performance, Anand warned of the persistent challenges ahead as other countries will return stronger. He stressed the need to tap into grassroots talent and support players at all levels to sustain the recent successes of Indian chess.

(With inputs from agencies.)