Pakistani Chess Team Holds Indian Flag High at Chess Olympiad 2024, Heartwarming Moment Goes Viral

A heartwarming moment took centre stage at the 45th International Chess Federation (FIDE) Chess Olympiad in Budapest, where India clinched a historic double gold in the team events. The unforgettable incident, that took place during the post-tournament photo session, was recorded on video and it has since been making the rounds on social media. In the now-viral video, Pakistani chess team, standing alongside winning Team India, chose to hold the Indian flag high in celebration instead of their own.

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“Pakistani Chess Team with the Champions of Chess Olympiad 2024 – Team India!” wrote the popular chess platform “ChessBase India” while sharing the video on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Watch the video here:

India’s historic gold at Chess Olympiad 2024

“India triumphs at 45th Chess Olympiad, winning both Open and Women’s competitions,” the International Chess Federation shared a congratulatory post on X. It added, “India has come a long way since Vishy Anand paved the way for the new generation of chess players. Young talents have emerged and grown to become some of the top players in the world. Gukesh D triumphed at the Candidates Tournament earlier this year, and now India has completely dominated the 45th Chess Olympiad.”

Wins for Gukesh Dommaraju, famously known as Gukesh D, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, also known as Pragg, and The Mad Man of Chess Arjun Erigaisi sealed gold in the men’s event, known as the Open event. Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali Rameshbabu, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal, and Tania Sachdev won their respective games to secure gold in the women’s competition.

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Gukesh, Erigaisi, Deshmukh and Agrawal bagged individual gold medals on their respective boards.

India on record-breaking spree at Chess Olympiad 2024

“When you bring the first-ever team gold to your country in a #ChessOlympiad… And it is in both sections: Open and Women!” wrote FIDE while sharing a video of the celebration at the Hungarian capital.

FIDE added, “India made history yesterday, not just by winning gold medals in both sections, but also becoming only the third country ever to achieve this feat in the same Olympiad!”

India’s historic gold medal at the Budapest Chess Olympiad has secured them a place in the 2025 FIDE World Cup. This tournament serves as a qualifier for the World Chess Championship 2026 that will determine the new world champion. The upcoming championship match will be a showdown between the defending champion, Ding Liren, and the challenger, Ian Nepomniachtchi, who emerged victorious from the Candidates Tournament earlier this year.