Silver lining: on the Samarkand Chess Olympiad and India
India's performance at the Samarkand Chess Olympiad resulted in a runner-up finish for the men's team and a third-place finish for the women's team. While the results were commendable, they fell short of the high expectations set by India's status as a global chess powerhouse.
Why it matters
The analysis reflects India's growing stature in international sports and the pressure that comes with being a top-ranked competitor.
When the Indian men finish as the runner-up and the women secure third place in one of the world’s biggest sporting events, it calls for celebration. But, when the fact is that those performances did not quite live up to the expectations, it says a lot about the reputation India enjoys as a chess giant. The Indians’ show at the Chess Olympiad , which concluded at Samarkand on Sunday, is no doubt commendable, as they retained the Gaprindashvili Trophy, awarded to the best country overall, and claimed six individual medals as well. In a tournament in which more than 200 countries took part, that is no small feat. Still, for a nation that had won both the open and women’s titles two years ago in Budapest, the failure to defend even one is a bit of a disappointment.
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