'Time to seize the gold': Rahul Gandhi wishes Team India for Chess Olympiad's final round

New Delhi: As the Indian chess teams are on the verge of history-making gold medals in the open section and the women’s sections at the prestigious Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi extended his best wishes to Team India on Sunday.

India all but secured overall victory in the Chess Olympiad after defeating the United States in the penultimate round of the Open section on Saturday. The women’s team also came back to winning ways, handing China a 2.5-1.5 loss.

"Wishing Team India all the success as you step into the decisive rounds of the Chess Olympiad, both in the Open and Women's sections!

"You're on the verge of making history today. Your relentless dedication and exceptional skills have led you to this moment. Now is the time to seize the gold and show the world what India is made of," Gandhi posted on X.

Wins by Dommaraju Gukesh, who outplayed Fabiano Caruana, and Arjun Erigaisi, who beat Leinier Dominguez, granted the Indian team the crucial match victory over the tournament's top seeds in the Open section.

Meanwhile, in the women's section, India defeated China, with Divya Deshmukh's victory clinching the match. Harika Dronavalli secured a draw against Zhu Jiner, with Vantika Agrawal and R. Vaishali also drawing their games against Miaoyi Lu and Guo Qi, respectively.

With one round to go in the Women's Chess Olympiad, India and Kazakhstan are sharing the lead. The fight for medals is very much open in the women’s section, as the USA and Poland trail the leaders only by a single point.