Chess Olympiad gold medal win a magical moment for us: Viswanathan Anand
Chennai: The legendary Viswanathan Anand and women's top player Koneru Humpy on Monday termed India's maiden gold medal win in the Chess Olympiad as a "magical moment" which will spur the further growth of the sport in the country.
India and Russia were on Sunday declared joint winners of the 2020 Online Chess Olympiad after the final was marred by server malfunction. Russia were initially declared winners after two Indians -- Nihal Sarin and Divya Deshmukh -- lost in the final after suffering a disconnection with the server.
India lodged a protest against the controversial decision which was reviewed.
For Anand, a five-time world champion and the country's first Grandmaster, it was his first Olympiad medal and he described it as a "magical moment".
"The tournament went like a dream for me. A special gold for me. A special moment for youngsters. Winning the gold is simply a magical moment," Anad told reporters during an online media interaction, along with all the other 11 members of the Indian team.
"I hope this will be the start of many things for India," Anand said of the country's first gold medal in the Chess Olympiad.
Indian men had previously won a bronze in the 2014 edition, which was the country's best finish before this gold.
"The Olympiad win is very special...A very special medal I will add to my collection," he added.
Praising the younger players in the team, he said they played a huge role in the victory, adding it proved the depth of Indian chess.
On the question of lack of government recognition for Indian chess players in the last few years, Anand said, "I hope this result will have a positive impact and they (government) will look at chess they did years ago.
"Several years ago, they had recognised that this is one of the sports where we do incredibly well. I hope we will once again start coming in for Arjuna and Dronacharya awards," he added.
Humpy, the world rapid champion, described the triumph as a golden moment for Indian chess and said great teamwork was key for the win.
"Really a special and golden moment for Indian chess. Talented youngsters like Nihal Sarin, R Praggnanandhaa, Vantika.. did well. Great teamwork did it for us. We had an advantage of having a mixed team," she said.
She said having Anand in the team was a great motivation for everyone.
On playing online, she said, "I never had an idea of playing online chess. I am comfortable playing over the board. The pandemic has forced us to play online. It is a different experience. Slowly, getting used to it," she added.
Team captain Vidit Gujrathi said the victory was possible due to the great work by all players.
"All the players did a great job which brought us the gold medal. It was a great experience to work with Anand," he said.
Youngsters Praggnanandhaa, Nihal Sarin, Divya Deshmukh and Vantika Agrwal said it was a matter of pride to be part of the Olympiad gold medal winning team and also to play alongside the likes of Anand, Humpy, P Harikrishna and D Harika.
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Seven killed, three injured in separate road accidents in UP
Mainpuri/Muzaffarnagar/Deoria (UP) (PTI): Seven people were killed and three others injured in separate road accidents in Mainpuri, Muzaffarnagar and Deoria districts of Uttar Pradesh, police said on Wednesday.
All incidents took place on Tuesday night.
In Mainpuri, three persons, including a couple, were killed near the Shitala Devi Temple on Devi Road under Kotwali police circle when a pickup vehicle hit a motorcycle head-on, Superintendent of Police Ganesh Saha said.
The victims, Dharmendra Singh (50), his wife Baby (48), both residents of Ferozabad, and Sanjay Singh (40) of Tavepur village, were on the two-wheeler and were on their way to attend the cremation of a relative when the incident took place.
According to police, the pickup and a Wagon R car were attempting to overtake each other when the former went out of control and rammed into the motorcycle, killing all three riders on the spot. Police rushed to the scene and sent the bodies for post-mortem examination, Saha added.
In Muzaffarnagar's Charthawal town, a 30-year-old woman, identified as Imrana, was killed while another woman was injured after a speeding car hit them on Rajbaha Road.
Circle Officer Ravishankar said the victims were walking when the car struck them, throwing Imrana into a canal. She was declared dead by the doctors.
Following the incident, villagers staged a protest demanding action against the driver, who fled the spot without the vehicle. Police said efforts are underway to trace and arrest the accused.
In another incident in Deoria district, three persons were killed, and two others seriously injured when a car crashed into a tree in the Baghochghat area late Tuesday night, police said.
The accident occurred near Haji Market when a Bihar-registered Swift car coming from Pakaha went out of control and rammed into a roadside tree, leaving the vehicle badly mangled.
Police said five people were travelling in the car. Three of them died on the spot, while two injured persons were admitted to Maharshi Devaraha Baba Medical College in Deoria.
The deceased have been identified as Karan Kushwaha, a resident of Gopalganj district in Bihar, and Pintu Kumar of Dulharpur village under Phulwaria police station. The identity of the third deceased is yet to be established.
The injured have been identified as Govind Kushwaha (18) of Sisai village in Kushinagar and Bhola Srivastava alias Sonu (22). Police said the occupants had visited a relative's place in Kushinagar and were returning after attending a wedding function when the accident occurred.
Station House Officer Anil Tiwari said police had to use a gas cutter to rescue the victims trapped inside the vehicle.
The bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination, and further legal proceedings are underway, he added.
