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PM Modi congratulates Indian team on their golden performance at the 45th Chess Olympiad

by Rasika Ratnaparkhi - 26/09/2024

India made headlines by winning gold medals at the 45th Chess Olympiad held in Budapest, Hungary. Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with the Indian Champions at his residence in New Delhi on 25th September 2024. He personally congratulated all the players and the coaches for their hard work and dedication to achieve this success. Not only this, but the players, and their team received cash prizes. SAI awarded Rs. 20,00,000 to each player, Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin awarded Rs. 25,00,000 to Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, and Vaishali, Rs. 15,00,000 to Srinath, AICF awarded Rs. 25 Lakhs to each player, Velammal Nexus awarded Rs. 10 Lakhs to Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, and Vaishali and Rs. 5 Lakhs to Srinath and Arjun Kalyan, Telangana CM A Revanth Reddy awarded Rs. 25 Lakhs to Harika and Arjun, MCA awarded Rs. 3 Lakhs to Vidit and Divya each and 1.5 Lakhs to Abhijit and Sankalp each, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray felicitated Vidit Gujrathi and Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde awarded Rs. 1 Crore to Vidit and Divya each and Rs. 10 Lakhs to Abhijit and Sankalp each. Read the article to know more.

Prime Minister of India meets the team in Delhi

India created history by winning gold medals at the 45th Chess Olympiad held in Budapest, Hungary. The Indian Men’s team entered the event as the second seed, while the Women’s team began as the top seed. Both teams were in the race for gold right from the start. After facing setbacks in the previous Olympiad, the Indian teams were extra focused this time. They capitalized on their early advantages in the initial rounds. As the event reached its midway point, both teams maintained their top positions with steady performances. And in the most critical final rounds, our players delivered key victories. After a roller-coaster ride of emotions, both teams emerged as champions!

Team India won gold medals in the open and women's section at the 45th Chess Olympiad! | Photo: Stev Bonhage

This ‘golden’ moment continues to resonate across the nation. Every day, we read the news about different prizes for the Indian Team. Even though it has been four days since the Olympiad officially concluded, the fever among Indians is still very much alive. All the Indian fans are so overwhelmed with this victory that they want to personally congratulate the players. Everyone wants to send a message to the team: “We are proud of you!”

In light of this overwhelming pride, 25th September 2024 marked an important day for the Indian Team. The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, personally met with the champions of the 45th Chess Olympiad at his residence in New Delhi. He congratulated the team for their remarkable achievement and for making the nation proud on the global stage. He spent over an hour with the players and their coaches to discuss their victory and much more.

PM Narendra Modi met the Indian Olympiad team after their victory at the 45th Chess Olympiad! | Photo: PMO India
PM Modi Celebrates India's Historic Chess Olympiad Win with the Winning Contingent!

This gesture will definitely have a profound impact on the players. This kind of validation is not just an acknowledgement of their hard work, but also a boost to player’s confidence. Recognition at such a high level validates all the effort that has gone into their journey. We hope that this will act as a source of motivation for the players and that they will continue delivering such exceptional performances in the future. Additionally, this achievement has brought chess back into the limelight. Watching these players in action will inspire a new generation of aspiring players to take up this game.

Here are some photos from their meeting:

The Prime Minister congratulated all the players | Photo: PMO India

The PM also had a conversation with all the players individually.

PM Modi with Divya Deshmukh

PM Modi with Vaishali

PM Modi with Vantika Agarwal

PM Modi with Harika Dronavali

PM Modi with Tania Sachdev

PM Modi with Praggnanandhaa

PM Modi with Vidit Gujrathi

PM Modi with Arjun Erigaisi

PM Modi with Gukesh
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi Interacts With The Olympiad Champions
Player's opinion after their interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Cash awards given to the Indian Teams for their victory:

The Sports Authority of India has awarded Rs. 20,00,000 to each of the players in the Indian Open and Women's Team. Here is a picture of the Indian Team with the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, and Minister of State for Youth Affairs & Sports Raksha Nikhil Khadse:

Each player has received Rs.20,00,000 from the Sports Authority of India (SAI)

The Indian men's team at the ministry of sports | Photo: India Sports Twitter

The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M.K. Stalin felicitated and awarded Rs. 25,00,000 to Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, and Vaishali each. The team captain Srinath Narayanan was awarded Rs. 15,00,000.

CM of Tamil Nadu, M.K. Stalin awarded cash prizes to Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, Vaishali, and Srinath

The All India Chess Federation felicitated the Indian Open and Women's Teams in New Delhi. All the players from both teams will be awarded Rs. 25 Lakhs each. The Team Captains Srinath Narayanan and Abhijit Kunte will receive Rs. 15 Lakhs each, and the Assistant coaches/seconds from each team - Sankalp Gupta, Vaibhav Suri, Swayams Mishra, and Arjun Kalyan will receive Rs. 7.5 Lakhs. The Head of the Indian delegation, Dibyendu Barua will be awarded Rs. 10 Lakhs. The total outlay by AICF for this achievement was a massive Rs.3.2 crores!

The felicitation ceremony organized by the AICF in Hotel Ashoka on the 25th of September

The Chief Minister of Telangana, A Revanth Reddy felicitated and awarded Rs. 25,00,000 to Harika and Arjun each. 

CM of Telangana, A Revanth Reddy awarded Rs. 25 Lakhs to Harika and Arjun. | Photo: Telangana CMO

Velammal Nexus felicitated and awarded Rs. 10 Lakhs to Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, and Vaishali each and Rs. 5 Lakhs to Srinath and Arjun Kalyan each.

Velammal Nexus felicitated Gukesh, Pragnanandhaa, Vaishali, Srinath, and Arjun Kalyan | Photo: Vedhan M / The Hindu
Velammal Nexus felicitated Gukesh, Pragnanandhaa, Vaishali, Srinath, and Arjun Kalyan | Video: 96TV Tamil News

Maharashtra Chess Association felicitated Vidit Gujarati, Divya Deshmukh, Abhijit Kunte, and Sankalp Gupta. They awarded Rs. 3 Lakhs to Vidit and Divya and Rs. 1.5 Lakhs to Abhijit Kunte and Sankalp Gupta. Divya and Sankalp were virtually present for the ceremony.

Vidit Gujrathi and Abhijit Kunte felicitated by the Maharashtra Chess Association | Photo: Maharashtra Chess Association

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray and President of Yuva Sena, Aditya Thackeray felicitated Vidit Gujrathi for his performance at the 45th Chess Olympiad.

Vidit Gujrathi was felicitated by Uddhav Thackeray and Aditya Thackeray | Photo: Shiv Sena's Instagram

The Government of Maharashtra felicitated Vidit Gujrathi, Divya Deshmukh, Abhijit Kunte, and Sankalp Gupta. They awarded Rs. 1 Crore to Vidit and Divya each and Rs. 10 Lakhs to the coaches Abhijit Kunte and Sankalp Gupta each.

CM of Maharashtra Eknath Shinde felicitated and awarded Rs. 1 Crore to Divya Deshmukh | Photo: Maharashtra Chess Association

Vidit's Parents Nikita Gujrathi and Santosh Gujrathi received the prize on his behalf | Photo: Maharashtra Chess Association

Abhijit Kunte's wife Meghana Kunte received the prize on his behalf | Photo: Maharashtra Chess Association

Summary of Cash Prizes:

Player INR USD
D. Gukesh 80 Lakh 95,580
R. Praggnanandhaa 80 Lakh 95,580
Arjun Erigaisi 70 Lakh 83,700
Vidit Gujrathi 1.48 Crore 1,76,100
Pentala Harikrishna 45 Lakh 53,800
Harika Dronavali 70 Lakh 83,700
R. Vaishali 80 Lakh 95,580
Divya Deshmukh 1.48 Crore 1,76,100
Vantika Agarwal 45 Lakh 53,800
Tania Sachdev 45 Lakh 53,800
Coach INR USD
Srinath Narayanan 35 Lakh 41,820
Abhijit Kunte 26.5 Lakh 31,500
Assistant Coach INR USD
Vaibhav Suri 7.5 Lakh 8960
Arjun Kalyan  12.5 Lakh 14,935
Sankalp Gupta 19 Lakh 22,600
Swayams Mishra 7.5 Lakh 8960
Delegate INR USD
Dibyendu Barua 10 Lakh 11,950

We thank SAI, AICF, the government of Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Maharashtra, Velammal Nexus, Maharashtra Chess Association, and Shiv Sena (UBT) for not only recognizing the achievements of the players but also honoring them with cash awards. Our gratitude to the Prime Minister of the country Narendra Modi for sparing time from his busy schedule for these champions! It is sure to motivate them and other chess players in the days and years to come.


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