The online Chess Olympiad title clash between India and Russia generated enough drama, albeit for reasons unrelated to the battle that unfolded on the chess board. A technical problem overshadowed the final score as both countries were declared winners by the International Chess Federation (FIDE).
“We did nothing wrong. Our team had done everything correctly,” said Viswanathan Anand, the senior-most member of the Indian team, during a virtual press conference on Monday.
After the first leg of the final finished in a draw, Russia clinched the second round 4.5-1.5. An upset Indian team appealed to FIDE that two of their players – Nihal Sarin and Divya Deshmukh – had lost server connection during their games. FIDE, convinced that there was a global internet outage, decided to award the gold medal to both the teams.
FIDE’s call didn’t go down well with the Russians. Alexandra Kosteniuk, the women’s world champion (2008-2010), posted on Twitter that India weren’t worthy winners. “India didn’t win the Olympiad. They were named by FIDE as co-champion. There is a huge difference between actually winning the title or being awarded one without even winning a single game,” fumed the 36-year-old.
It was the first time that FIDE had chosen two winners. Anand stressed that the controversy will not take the sheen off India’s special achievement. “The internet disconnection was not India’s fault. We were ready for any decision from the FIDE. If FIDE had asked us to play more games, we would have played. But obviously, FIDE had to look at the bigger picture and then they took a decision. I think we fully deserve this gold,” explained the five-time world champion.
The tournament, especially for India, was marred by poor internet connection. In the initial stage, following India’s shock draw against Mongolia, seasoned campaigner Koneru Humpy and captain Vidit Gujrathi pointed out the problem of weak internet connection. The All India Chess Federation had offered to make arrangements in five-star hotels for the duo to continue playing.
Anand narrated his difficulty in competing on the online medium. “I don’t remember if it was the quarterfinal or the semifinal. There was a power cut scheduled in Chennai from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. When the power goes, there is a brief moment to switch on the generator. That’s when I take 10-15 seconds to reconnect. Thankfully, our vice-captain Srinath Narayanan requested the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board to not to cut power in my building till the final,” he recollected.
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