There was no repeat of the glory of Budapest, but India’s men and women managed to climb the podium nevertheless.

India had arrived in Samarkand as the defending champion in both the open and women’s sections of the Chess Olympiad. In 2024, India had indeed created history with a show that underlined its status as a powerhouse in the mind game.

So the expectations about India retaining both the crowns were high. And the country had players to do the job. Yes, there were concerns about the form of D. Gukesh. But, the World champion opted to play on the fourth board, and not on the first, which he did at Budapest and before that at home in Chennai (Mamallapuram) in 2022.

He was brilliant in both those tournaments and won the individual gold medal, too. He clinched silver this time around, and contributed significantly to his team. A loss in the final round, in the match against Hungary notwithstanding, he showed what he is capable of.

With his World title match against Javokhir Sindarov coming up in a couple of months’ time, he should be in a better frame of mind now than he was before the Olympiad got underway.

Another player from Chennai, B. Savitha Shri, must be feeling even better. She won individual gold as the reserve player and remained unbeaten. More importantly, she struck for the women’s team almost as if on demand. She would either win or at least draw whenever her team needed.

It is no small feat to win eight out of the 10 games at an Olympiad. Savitha has always shown promise. Now she seems to be ready for bigger things. This could be a turning point in her career.

Savitha wasn’t the only member of the Indian women’s team to win an individual medal. Koneru Humpy, Divya Deshmukh and the often underrated Vantika Agrawal also excelled on their respective boards. The only one to miss out was R. Vaishali.

Her younger brother R. Praggnanandhaa claimed bronze in the open section. He had the difficult task of playing on the top board. But the Indian team management’s decision to assign him for the games against the strongest players at the Olympiad was hardly surprising. He had been in fantastic form.

But, it wasn’t the perfect Olympiad for him. Just as it wasn’t for India, but that is because the bar keeps rising for Indian chess.

She was a wisp of a girl when she faced Magnus Carlsen in a simultaneous display ahead of the Norwegian’s World championship match against Viswanathan Anand in the city back in 2013.

B. Savitha Shri has come a long way since and is currently among the top Indian women chess players. A bronze medallist at the World Rapid championship in 2022, the 19-year-old WGM is making the right moves at the ongoing Olympiad in Samarkand.

She has been the star performer, winning all four games on the fourth board before being rested for Sunday’s fifth-round match against Poland.

The Chennai player, who trains under R.B. Ramesh, said the coach had been a great support and helped her make giant strides. “He (Ramesh sir) analyses games and offers psychological support. We work a lot on the middle and end-game,” Savitha Shri had told The Hindu.

On his part, Ramesh said, “Over the board, she does the most practical things without much hesitation when most players would hesitate.” The work put in with the acclaimed coach appears to be paying off at the Olympiad, and there is no one happier than her father Krishnan Baskar.

The teenager said World championship challenger R. Vaishali was like an “elder sister” and was always ready to help. “I approach Vaishali akka whenever I have any doubt. She gives me advice and I look up to her.”

Having matched wits with someone who would go on to become one of the greatest-ever, Savitha Shri is now holding her own against the game’s elite as she aims for the sky.