Pakistan team holds Indian tricolor during Chess Olympiad 2024 (WATCH)

The 45th Chess Olympiad witnessed an unexpected moment when members of the Pakistan chess team were seen holding the Indian tricolor while posing for a post-tournament photo with the Indian team.

Sreejith CR

First Published Sep 26, 2024, 6:00 PM IST | Last Updated Sep 26, 2024, 6:00 PM IST

During the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary, India created history as both men's and women's team secured gold medals. However, the event witnessed an unexpected moment when members of the Pakistan chess team were seen holding the Indian tricolor while posing for a post-tournament photo with the Indian team. The video quickly went viral on social media, sparking reactions from both sides of India-Pakistan border.

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The men's team comprising of Grand Master's (GM) Gukesh Dommaraju, Arjun Erigaisi and Pragganandhaa Rameshbabu secured victories as India beat Slovenia on Sunday. The men's team finished a full four points ahead of five teams, with the United States taking silver, while Uzbekistan secured the bronze medal. China, Serbia and Armenia just missed out on the podium.

D Gukesh won a historic second individual gold medal at the Chess Olympiad. Gukesh remained unbeaten in the tournament, securing 9 wins and a draw from his 10 matches. Erigaisi, on the other hand, finished with 10 wins out of 11 matches on Board 3. The duo helped India secure 21 out of 22 possible points. Pakistan finished at the 95th position with 11 points to their name.

The women's team comprised of Abhijit Kunte, Tania Sachdev, Vantika Agarwal, Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali Rameshbhabu and Divya Deshmukh. Harika, Diya and Vantika won their matches against their respective opponents while Vaishali secured a draw on Sunday.

Despite securing victory against Azerbaijan, the women's team were not assured of gold medal. India's victory in the women's open section depended on team USA taking points against Kazakhstan. India clinched the gold medal after USA held Kazakhstan to a 2-2 draw on Sunday.

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