Savitha Shri Baskar, a 19-year-old international master from Chennai, won India’s only gold medal at the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. A reserve player who joined the team after 35-year-old grandmaster Harika Dronavalli stepped aside to give an opportunity to a younger player, played all 10 rounds, winning eight games and drawing two.
“Coming to the team as a reserve player, I wasn’t even expecting to play all 10 rounds,” she told Times of India. “So I’m grateful for the trust my teammates and my captain had in me, for giving me the opportunity to play all 10.” She was disappointed that the Indian women’s team won only the bronze medal. At the last Chess Olympiad in 2024, India won gold in both the open and women’s team competitions, as well as four individual gold medals. “The team medal will always come first, because we’re giving out everything for the team,” Savitha said. “I wasn’t even caring about my individual gold.”
Compiled and partly written by Indian humorist MELVIN DURAI, author of the novel Bala Takes the Plunge. [Comments? Contributions? Please email us at melvin@melvindurai.com. We welcome jokes, quotes, online clips, and more.]