Telangana govt announces Rs 25 lakh each for Chess Olympiad gold medallists Harika, Arjun
Harika and Arjun played pivotal roles in the Indian women's and men's teams' historic gold-medal victories at the recently concluded 45th Chess Olympiad.
Arjun Erigaisi and D Harika being felicitated by Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy. (Photo credit: Telangana CMO)
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy announced Rs 25 lakh each as a reward for Chess Olympiad gold medallists D Harika and Arjun Erigaisi, who hail from the state, in a felicitation ceremony in Hyderabad on Friday.
Harika and Arjun played pivotal roles in the Indian women's and men's teams' historic gold-medal victories at the recently concluded 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest.
It was India's maiden gold medal in the women's and women's categories at the Chess Olympiad. With both the teams winning edging past chess powerhouses like the USA, Kazakhstan, Georgia and China to win the country's maiden gold medal at the Chess Olympiad, it became a magnificent feat in history sports history.
"Chief Minister @revanth_anumula garu congratulated Telangana's chess champions, @HarikaDronavali garu, (Khammam) and @ArjunErigaisi garu (Hanumakonda), for winning gold at the #FIDE 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest. This marks a historic achievement as they are the first Indian players to clinch gold at this prestigious event. During a special meeting at his Jubilee Hills residence, the CM honoured their incredible accomplishment by announcing a reward of Rs 25 lakhs each. Minister @Tummala_INC garu, MLA @naini_rajender garu, Telangana Sports Authority Chairman @ShivaSenaIYC garu and the athletes' families were attended the program," Telangana CMO wrote on X.
In the final round of the tournament, India's men's team of D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, Arjun, Vidit Gujrathi, and Pentala Harikrishna beat Slovenia to clinch the gold medal.
D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi gave India a 2-0 lead, winning on the first and second boards, and confirmed the gold medal. Later in the final round, Praggnandhaa won his game, and Gujrathi played out a draw. But it was enough for India to beat Slovenia 3.5-0.5 to seal the gold medal.
Meanwhile, the Indian women's chess team of Harika, R Vaishali, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agarwal, and Tania Sachdev also won the gold medal after beating Azerbaijan 3.5-0.5.
Harika, Divya, and Vantika won their respective matches in the final round, while Vaishali drew her match against Ulviyya Fataliyeva.
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