Very big achievement: Divya Deshmukh on Indian team winning maiden gold medal in FIDE Online Chess Olympiad
Aug 31, 2020
Nagpur (Maharashtra) [India], Aug 31 : Divya Deshmukh, who was a part of the Indian team that was declared joint winners of the FIDE Online Chess Olympiad along with Russia, expressed elation and termed it a 'very big achievement'.
"The first reaction was of disappointment and we did not know that server had crashed. I had a really good position," Deshmukh told ANI.
"I want to give credit to my parents, they have supported a lot and my sister also helped me a lot. It is a very big achievement. So, I am very happy. It is a very good result, Russia is a very strong contender and earlier we have suffered defeats against them," she added.
On Sunday, India's Nihal Sarin and Deshmukh lost connection to their games in the second round and had to forfeit. Originally, Russia was declared as the winners, but India filed an appeal and after investigation, both India and Russia were announced as joint winners.
This was the first time that Olympiad was conducted online.
The first round of the summit clash between India and Russia finished as 3-3 draw after all six games finished in six draws.
During an online press conference on Monday, Sarin said, "I want to congratulate the team for a wonderful show. Everyone played well and I am happy to be a part of this team."
Whereas R Praggnanandhaa said, "I am very happy to be a part of this team. I want to congratulate everyone."
On Saturday, Koneru Humpy was the shining light for India as she defeated Monika Socko of Poland in the semi-finals. India and Poland had won one round each in normal play and as a result, Humpy had to battle against Socko for the Armageddon (tie-break clash).
In this clash, Humpy managed to defeat Socko to clinch the summit clash spot for India. India had lost the first round of the match, but the side managed to make a stunning comeback in the second to stage a remarkable comeback.
