THE promised land is here. The future is now. India may have invented chess but they never played like they owned the board as the rest of the world surged ahead.
Not anymore. These days, India are the game’s top dogs. A bunch of teenagers have fulfilled the prophecy way before their time. Now, they have started winning titles. Like they did on Sunday. India’s Open and women’s teams made history as they claimed double gold for the first time at the Olympiad, one of the biggest honours available in the board game currently.
If Viswanathan Anand winning the first world title was Indian chess’ moon landing event, September 22, 2024, will go down as the day when they formally established a colony.
In almost 100 years of the Olympiad, the biggest team competition in the game, both Indian sides were never in contention for the major medal. Over the last two weeks in Budapest, that changed. Both teams used the 64 light and dark coloured squares as a blank canvas to bring to life a crazy dream. On Sunday, that fever dream was realised.
Just before the Olympiad began, Srinath Narayanan, the captain of the Open team, believed the team would start as favourites for gold. Even though they were seeded second in terms of ratings, he was fairly confident that they would all come back with the shiniest of metal discs hanging from their necks. “I think we have a good chance of winning gold,” he had said.
This story is from the September 23, 2024 edition of The New Indian Express.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the September 23, 2024 edition of The New Indian Express.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
NOW YOU SEE ME 3 WRAPS FILMING
IONSGATE has announced that their upcoming film Now You See Me 3 has officially wrapped shooting.
A BLEAK LIFE
THE first thing that would catch the eye of the subcontinental audience about the Kazakh film Madina is the nice, amiable way it brings India and Pakistan together:
'Cross presentsanew evolution ofthe thriller game'
Cross star Aldis Hodge speaks about his titular role in the Prime Video series, its views on morality and justice, working with creator Ben Watkins, his vision for the future of the character,
The magic of millets
Millets are small-seeded plants grown around drought-resistant farmlands.
Javier Bardem to headline CAPE FEAR
WE had earlier reported that Martin Scorsese's 1991 film, Cape Fear, is being adapted into a series by Apple TV+. Now, it has been revealed that Academy Award-winner Javier Bardem will be taking on the lead role in the series.
PORTIONS OF INEQUALITY
What and how much is served on one's plate has a greater connotation - it talks loud about food as a tool of dominance
Sharpening sportsmanship
When former India all-rounder and coach Robin Singh set up his cricket academy in the United Arab Emirates, Stephen Vincent, a noted coach with a vast experience from Chennai, was among the coaching staff at the academy. He went on to become the chief coach under Robin. And now, Vincent is the head coach of the Dunes Cricket Academy, which has three centres with turf wickets and Astro wickets, with the main one being at the Karama Sports Bay Centre.
AGE HOW NATURE TRACKS TIME
Different animal species grow older, or younger, differently, but ageing is determined by the ecosystems they occupy and the natural role they are designated
From Indirais 6pro-Hindu, turn to Modi's 6new phase,
Rae's ultimate non-decision According to the author, Rao inherited \"a very difficult situation\" when he took over as PM after Rajiv Gandhi's assassination.
Nitish Reddy for Test debut in Oz
Youngster adopts Kohli's fitness & Hardik's diet in his quest to become an all-format player