Pravaha Foundation honored the champions of the 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad
On 29th October 2024, the Pravaha Foundation, in collaboration with Mytrah Energy and MGD1, organized a ceremony to honor the champions of the 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad including Arjun Erigaisi, Harika Dronavalli, Srinath Narayanan, Pentala Harikrishna, and Vantika Agrawal. The foundation has been supporting chess talents for the past two years with the main focus of supporting women players. Their support includes funding for players' travel and training expenses, ensuring they have access to quality coaching and opportunities to compete effectively. During the ceremony, they also felicitated young chess players Savithi Varshini and Sarayu Velpula to inspire them to continue pursuing their passion for the game. Read the article to see the pictures and know what the players had to say. Photo: Aditya Sur Roy
Pravaha Foudnation felicitated India's chess olympiad champions
On 29th October 2024, the Pravaha Foundation, in collaboration with Mytrah Energy and MGD1, organized a ceremony to honor the champions of the 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad. The felicitation ceremony was held at Park Hyatt in Hyderabad where Arjun Erigaisi, Harika Dronavalli, Srinath Narayanan, Pentala Harikrishna, and Vantika Agrawal were honored. All the players shared their insights after being felicitated.
The Pravaha Foundation, a Hyderabad-based NGO, is committed to supporting young talents by providing them with top-level opportunities. Since March 2023, they have been contributing to Indian chess through training camps, sponsorships, and collaborations through their ‘64 Squares’ initiative. They have partnered with MGD1, India’s top chess management firm to support 6 chess players – 5 girls and 1 boy. This sponsorship includes financial support for travel and high-quality coaching for these players.
They recently organized a training camp with Judit Polgar in Budapest for the Indian women players. Vantika Agrawal and Tania Sachdev were among these players who clearly showed mind-blowing performance in the 45th Chess Olympiad, bringing home a gold medal.
Pentala Harikrishna:
Earlier, finishing in the top 20 was considered okay for India, then it became the top 10. Some years ago, if we didn't win any medal, it was considered as a little bit of failure or disappointment. But very soon, people will expect India to win a gold medal. The expectations will be higher and higher!
Srinath Narayanan:
Winning the Olympiad for the first time in history and being a part of it is a very proud moment for me. The kind of domination we showed in the Olympiad, especially the difference between the first team and second team in the open section hasn't been seen ever in recent history.
Arjun Erigaisi:
I think such recognition is very important and helpful to all chess players. I am grateful to the Pravaha Foundation for stepping into the chess world. My message to all budding chess players is to just play chess and enjoy the fun.
Vantika Agrawal:
I want to thank Pravaha for supporting me for the past two years. Immediately after they started supporting me, I became an International Master. Before that, I could not afford to play so many international tournaments and take high-level coaching from strong grandmasters. The training with Judit Polgar in January really helped me a lot.
Pravaha Foundation is focused on boosting the Chess Ecosystem in India by organizing tournaments, providing training, and offering sponsorships. Vinoda Kailas, Managing Trustee of Pravaha Foundation had mentioned earlier that their interest in supporting chess grew naturally after observing the exceptional talent among young chess players. This natural progression has led them to actively contribute to the development of chess in the country.
