2024 Chess Olympiad - How India Took the Gold

The 45th Chess Olympiad finished just a few weeks ago (on September 23rd to be more precise).

The Chess Olympiad has a fairly long history. The event, which takes place every two years, was first unofficially played back in 1924 in Paris, although it was labeled the "Chess Olympic Games" at the time.

The first official edition of the Chess Olympiad was held in London in 1927. The 1st Women’s World Chess Championship also took place during that Olympiad.

History aside, an Olympiad is quite unique as we get the privilege of seeing the best players from all over the world in one place fighting for their countries.

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And after watching the event, I am more convinced that a big change in the world of chess that started a few years ago is consolidating.

When I was a kid, chess was clearly dominated by European players. Nowadays, even the best European countries are probably not amongst the candidates to win an Olympiad!

Chess is moving towards eastern countries. In the previous Olympiad, Uzbekistan surprised the world by winning the event. This time, it was India who dominated throughout the event, winning by a very large 4-point margin.

I analyzed all of the games that India played. Several things impressed me from this young team. One of them is their computer-like play, which should probably not come as a surprise as chess becomes more and more competitive decade after decade (and more reliant on engine preparation).

But how mature their play was for such a young team shows how this is not an improvised team but a very professional one.

So if you want to see some of the most impressive wins from the best nation in the world, check out my latest video here: https://youtu.be/UPA-7qkQ4nU