India clinches both golds in World Chess Olympiad—depth, width of talent & geopolitics of sport
Summary
TLDRThe video script discusses India's remarkable success in chess, highlighted by recent victories at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest. It emphasizes the growth of Indian chess beyond a few prodigies, like Viswanathan Anand, to a deep talent pool with 85 Grand Masters. The script also touches on the political aspects of chess, including Russia's ban from competitions due to the Ukraine invasion and the power dynamics within the International Chess Federation.
Takeaways
- 🏆 India has won both the gold medals in the Chess Olympiad held in Budapest, Hungary, for both the Open Championship and Women's Championship.
- 🌟 India has a rich pool of chess talent with 85 Grandmasters, including three women, and 136 International Masters, out of which nine are women.
- 🔝 Indian chess players have been steadily rising in the global rankings, with Arjun Erigaisi being the highest ranked at number four in the world.
- 🎓 Viswanathan Anand, a former world champion, has been a significant influence on the growth of chess in India, inspiring many to take up the game.
- 🌍 The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has been historically dominated by Russia, which has won numerous chess Olympiads since the Soviet era.
- 🚫 Russia has been banned from the recent Chess Olympiad due to the invasion of Ukraine, reflecting the intersection of politics and sports.
- 🏁 The ban on Russia from international chess has led to a power struggle within FIDE, with a vote taking place to potentially lift the ban.
- 🏃♂️ India voted to maintain the ban on Russia with some relaxation for children and vulnerable groups, aligning with the International Olympic Committee's stance.
- 📈 The popularity of chess has surged globally during the pandemic, with the game gaining a new audience and sex appeal, especially after the release of 'The Queen's Gambit' on Netflix.
- 🤼♂️ Politics and sports are closely intertwined, as seen in the banning of Russian athletes from international competitions and the influence of Russian officials in sports federations.
Q & A
What is the significance of the Indian chess team's recent victory in Budapest?
-The Indian chess team's victory in Budapest is significant because it marked India's emergence as a real chess power, winning both the open and women's gold medals at the chess Olympiad, which is a major international chess competition.
Who are some of the top Indian chess players mentioned in the script?
-Some of the top Indian chess players mentioned include Viswanathan Anand, Arjun Erigaisi, Prananda, Vidit Gujrathi, Pentala Harikrishna, D. Harika, Vashali Rameshbabu, Divya Deshmukh, Tania Sachdev, and Vantika Agrawal.
What is the role of Viswanathan Anand in the rise of Indian chess?
-Viswanathan Anand played a pivotal role in the rise of Indian chess by becoming world number one and inspiring other Indian players. He also served as a role model, showing that Indians could compete at the highest levels of chess.
How has the number of Indian Grandmasters evolved over time?
-India now has 85 Grandmasters in chess, which is a significant increase from the past when having just one Grandmaster was a cause for celebration. This growth reflects the depth and strength of Indian chess.
What is the impact of the ban on Russian chess players from international competitions?
-The ban on Russian chess players has impacted the dynamics of international chess competitions, as Russia has been a dominant force in chess for many decades. It has led to a shift in the balance of power and opportunities for other countries like India and China to excel.
Why were Russian athletes not allowed to compete under their own flag at the Paris Olympics?
-Russian athletes were not allowed to compete under their own flag at the Paris Olympics due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. They were permitted to compete as independent athletes, but not if they had supported the invasion.
What is the connection between politics and chess as discussed in the script?
-The script discusses how politics and chess are intertwined, with examples such as the ban on Russian players from competitions due to political tensions, and the historical impact of political decisions on chess Olympiads, including past boycotts and the influence of powerful figures in chess federations.
How did the popularity of chess increase during the pandemic?
-The popularity of chess increased during the pandemic as people stayed at home and engaged in the game. The release of the Netflix series 'The Queen's Gambit' also contributed to a new 'sex appeal' for chess, attracting more interest.
What is the controversy surrounding the International Boxing Association and Russian control?
-The controversy involves the International Boxing Association, which has been controlled by Russians for a long time. This control has led to issues such as the ban on Russian athletes and the gender controversy surrounding the Algerian boxer Iman Khelif, which was influenced by political and organizational power dynamics.
How has the rise of India and China in chess impacted the global chess landscape?
-The rise of India and China in chess has introduced new competitive forces in the global chess landscape, challenging the traditional dominance of countries like Russia and the former Soviet republics. This shift is part of a broader geopolitical power dynamic in sports.
Outlines
🏆 Indian Chess Dominance
The script discusses India's recent success in chess, highlighting the country's victory in both the open and women's championships at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest. It mentions the depth of India's chess talent, with numerous Grandmasters and International Masters, and the influence of Viswanathan Anand on the growth of chess in India. The speaker also reflects on their own limited chess experience and the historical significance of the 1972 Spassky-Fischer match.
🌟 Celebrating Chess Prodigies
This section of the script celebrates India's chess prodigies, providing a detailed list of players who contributed to India's gold medals, including their FIDE rankings. It emphasizes the growth of Indian chess beyond a single star to a strong collective, with a focus on the current and future potential of Indian chess players. The speaker also notes the absence of Viswanathan Anand from the team and the presence of other high-ranking Indian players like Koneru Humpy.
🔍 Chess and Global Politics
The script explores the intersection of chess and global politics, particularly the ban on Russia from international chess competitions due to the invasion of Ukraine. It discusses the historical dominance of the Soviet Union and Russia in chess and the current power dynamics within the International Chess Federation. The speaker also touches on the impact of the pandemic and the popularity of chess, as well as the upcoming World Chess Championship in Singapore featuring Indian and Chinese grandmasters.
🤼♂️ Politics in Sports
In this part, the script delves into the influence of politics on sports, using the example of Russia's ban from international competitions and the workarounds Russian athletes have employed to participate. It also references other sports like wrestling and boxing, where politics have played a significant role, such as the controversy surrounding the Algerian boxer Iman Khelif. The speaker concludes by drawing a parallel between the strategic nature of chess and the cutthroat world of politics.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Chess Olympiad
💡Vishwanathan Anand
💡Mutual Funds
💡Market Risks
💡FIDE
💡Grandmasters
💡International Masters
💡Politics in Sports
💡Ban on Russia
💡Gender Test
💡Cerebral Game
Highlights
Legends know never to ask a bride why she's getting married.
Don't wear a skirt on a windy day.
Saving is not investing; Legends invest in mutual funds.
India's Prime Minister is in New York, a potential discussion topic.
Controversy over 'Tupa' involves politics and religion.
Incident in Odisha involving an army officer, his fiance, and police.
The speaker chooses to discuss chess instead of current events.
Vishwanathan Anand's rise to world number one in chess.
India's chess team wins gold in both open and women's championships in Budapest.
India's chess depth is evident with 85 Grand Masters.
India has 136 International Masters in chess.
India's chess power is celebrated with a focus on its growth and talent.
Vishwanathan Anand's influence on Indian chess and his world championships.
Politics in chess with Russia's ban from competitions due to the Ukraine invasion.
Historical dominance of the Soviet Union and Russia in chess.
The rise of India and China in chess and their impact on global chess politics.
The International Chess Federation (FIDE) assembly and the vote on Russia's ban.
The influence of Russian wrestlers even when competing under other national flags.
Politics and sports are intertwined, affecting competitions and athletes' participation.
Transcripts
are you sure here's the 30C lesson on
what Legends know never ask a bride why
she's getting married don't wear a skirt
on a windy
[Music]
day dant is not a
shower don't sniff chil flee and don't
forget saving is not investing Legends
don't just save they invest in mutual
funds mutual fund Investments are
subject to Market risks read old scheme
related documents carefully
thinking about a subject for kutak
clutter today we were spoiled for
choices the prime minister is in New
York so that's the obvious one that
would have been an easy one to do then
there is also this controversy over Tupa
lus that's that has politics that has
religion that has a lot of things put
into it so that is again a very
fascinating story and a very complex one
so there is clutter there and the third
one is also this unfortunate incident
that's happened in odisha involving an
army officer his fiance and odisha
police again there is a lot to talk
about but you know what we are doing we
are stepping away from all three of
these and indulging ourselves I'm IND
indulging myself for two reasons one
because I know you are forgiving you are
very forgiving you let me stray into
areas which may not be making big big
headlines and which may may not be on
your evening discussion sessions as I
often do when I stay into Africa and
second because it forces me to learn
something new one of the main
contributions that k letter has made to
my life is that it's making me learn new
things making me more curious about
things that I know very little about for
example chess now the last time I sat on
a chess board may have been maybe
seriously may have been several decades
ago maybe I sat with my neighbors Grand
Grand child a few times lost each time
that's how it happens when you sit with
a 5year old or a sixy old or a seveny
old but serious chess of any at any
competitive level even with a friend
must have been in the mid 7s or early
70s and why because that is when the
spasi Fisher matchup Boris spasi from
Soviet Union Bobby Fisher from America
Two prodigies playing in
1972 that had that had fired the world's
imagination about Chess so that is
around time I was an early college I
don't think I played chess since then
however I've been watching like any
sports fan the progress of Indian chess
lately in the progress of Indian chess
first of all the progress became visible
with the rise of with the arrival of one
Indian Prodigy that is vishwanathan
Anand who became world number one he is
also featured twice on walk the talk and
I will try to share those links with you
but now lately you've seen Indian chess
really growing and it is not now riding
on the shoulders or the Mind brilliant
mind of just one person or two persons
now India has a lot of depth and a
tribute to that depth is the fact that
India has just won in Budapest in
Hungary India has just won both the gold
medals that is for the Open Championship
open means where anybody can play and
second only for women so both open Open
championship and women's India has won a
gold this is not India's first gold
India also won a gold in 2020 allbe that
was a gold shared with with Russia that
was shared with Russia because 2020 was
an online Championship remember that was
the peak of the first wave of covid and
the whole world was scared and indoors
that Championship ended up being shared
simply because there was too much
disruption and Indian players in
particular did not did not find it easy
to connect and to play so that's how
that gold medal was shared this gold
medal however is fully India's both gold
medals men as well as women so before we
talk more about Chess let me first read
out to you the names of This Magnificent
men and women who brought this Pride to
India that is d goes world number seven
I will also read their current FID
rankings from the FID website FID is the
FID is the international Chess
Federation like many of these
federations it's based in a frankophone
location in this case Loan in
Switzerland so would be Federation
International D J Sheek Sheek in French
is chess I'm listing these players who
participated according to their FID
ranking so number one number one is
Arjun arasi Arjun arasi is number four
in the world on F rankings then number
seven is D GES number 12 in FID ranking
is our prananda number 24 is vidit
Gujarati and number 41 is pentella har
Krishna one is a reserve the team is
four players one is a reserve of course
vishwanathan Anand is number 11 in FID
rankings he was not in the team then
there is the women's team women's team
again B based on their rankings D harika
that is number 11 D Hara is harika
davali D for davali vashali Ramesh Babu
is number 12 FID rankings for
women Divya deshmuk number 15 Tanya
sajev number 58 and vanti agrawal number
75 so these are the world ranking
Indians who brought us these two gold
medals which is a wonderful thing and
she may not be playing there right now
in the chess Olympiad like vishwanathan
Anand but there is also konu Hy who's
the highest ranking Indian wom player at
this point number six on fed rankings so
that's a lot of Chess power and if you
think this is not enough I'll give you
some more data so India now has 85 Grand
Masters in chess 85 there was a time we
would celebrate if one Grand Master Rose
85 Grand Masters in chess of these of
these 85 three are women now put this in
perspective to put this in perspective
I'll give you the total numbers there's
a total of 1,77
2 Grand Masters in the whole world
1772 of whom 41 are women out of these
now 85 are Indian Grand Masters and
three women three of 41 then
International Masters that's the second
category International Masters the total
number of international Masters in the
world is 3893
3,893 of which 134 are women India has
136 International Masters out of these
and chances are many of them will grow
to be grand Masters these are very tough
Norms they have to pass these norms and
get there but chances are many many of
them would because they are growing of
the 136 International Masters in India
nine are women and again there's a
ranking of women Grand masters of which
there are 336 in the world India has 18
of those that's the ranking of women gr
master so India has a lot of depth and a
lot of width as far as its chess power
is concerned so India has now become a
real chess power which needs to be
celebrated I only given you the names
and details of the players who were
contesting in this chess Olympiad and
vishan Anand and konu H but as I look at
the FID rankings I find more names but
as I look at the FID rankings I find
even more names so check out this depth
arvind chetram VR at number
33 nihal serin at number number 59 very
young fellow among women there is also
bakti Kar at 84 so there's a lot of
people I found another very Indian
sounding name Manish gir at number 22
but as it turns out he he plays for the
Netherlands so once again just as you
celebrate your cricket stars you
celebrate n Chopra in athletics you
celebrate your wrestlers let's also
celebrate our chess players because it's
a cerebral game you have to be nuts to
be repeating that but let me just say
that it's a very tough game it's also a
game in which they've been very dominant
powers for a very long time and
particularly the Soviet Union and the
former Soviet republics and that's why
it was very difficult for players from
other countries particularly from India
to break into this and that's where the
rise of vishwanathan Anand
revolutionized everything because what
did it do just as capil D did with his
team in 1983 at LS or Ms dhony with his
team in 2011 in Mumbai or s of ganguli
with his test team at Eden Gardens 2001
vishwanathan Anand convinced Indians
that they could be World beaters and
since then there's been no stopping so
Anand became world champion fed world
champion 2000 he was world champion from
2000 to 2002 then unified World chess
champion 2007 to
2013 and it's in his way that a lot of
this other Talent has risen in fact even
now when the international chess
federations assembly was taking place in
Budapest on the sidelines of the
championship Anand who's currently the
vice president of fiday he presided over
the Assembly of fiday at Budapest on the
sidelines of the chess Olympiad also
because aradi dcoic who is the current
president he's a Russian is a former
Russian Deputy Prime Minister a Putin
Ally he couldn't be there because
Russians have been banned from competing
in World Chess since their invasion of
Ukraine and just as their troops fight
on the ground Russian and Ukrainian
officials and politicians have also been
fighting a big brutal power game in
international Chess Federation which
gives us the Quee to get into what seems
to be our favorite sport which is
politics in this case international
sports so even as we look at this Chess
Championship we can't we can't Overlook
the fact that Russia has been banned
from it and we'll talk a little bit
about this politics because it's very
important because Russia the ban on
Russia means a bit like you can hold an
ICC World Cup T20 ODI World test
Championship whatever if you banned
Australia or India maybe India or
Australia in that in in in that order
how do you then hold a world
championship if you look at Russia and
before that Soviet Union this Russia is
a successor state of Soviet Union since
the Soviet Union first
started appearing in the World Chess
Olympiad 195 2 to
1974 they won every World Championship
all 12 titles so Soviet Union had a
clean sweep over 22 years
1976 once again there was politics 1976
Soviet Union could not play here because
1976 fiday awarded the hosting of the
world championship to hia in Israel now
many countries in the Soviet block led
by the Soviet Union and in the Islamic
block they boycotted that Championship
on the other hand they held their own
little championship in Libya in Tripoli
that was called believe it or not
against chess Olympiad so while there
was a chess Olympiad going on in HiFi in
Israel there was an against chess
Olympia going on in Tripoli there's an
interesting little sidelight there
Soviet Union wasn't there El Salvador
won that against chess Olympiad gold
medal but that is the only time where
pakistanis got a Lans so Pakistani won
the equivalent of the Bron bronze medal
there finishing at number three that
said 1978 the Americans won 1980 1980
the Soviet Union was back and between
1980 and 1990 they won it again six
times all six times and then now Soviet
Union ceased to exist but Russia was
there as successor state so 92 to 2002
Russia won it six times and what
happened after that it was still the
former Soviet Republic so see after 2002
come to 2004 Ukraine 2006 Armenia
Ukraine Armenia Armenia Ukraine Armenia
that was the next five championships and
then 2014 one more power rose that is
China so
2014 and 18 the Chinese won the World
Chess Olympia by this time India was
Rising as well and as we told you
earlier 2020 IND became the joint
winners now India are the winners now to
understand the politics of Chess a
little bit better because now it's part
of the global power politics because
it's Russia versus the West I'm sharing
a couple of articles with you one from
BBC a couple from BBC and one from my
friend and fellow traveler limousine
liberal James Crabtree in financial
times he is he has talked about how
chess became internationally much more
popular during the pandemic because
people stayed at home this is also the
time when Netflix released the Queen's
Gambit so it gave chess the game of
chess a new sex appeal people were were
indoors and that brought about a boom
now that boom has led to the rise of
India and China in fact later this year
in Singapore they will be the next World
Chess Championship where two grand
masters from India and China will be
competing he reminds us he also tells us
he also reminds us that for the longest
time World Chess intern National Chess
Federation FID has been controlled by
the Russians the power there has been
with the Russians as much as in some
ways power with the international boxing
Association has been with Russians
whereby also lies a little tail on the
side which I will bring to you in a
minute he writes also how for quite some
time FID was headed by a Nutty Russian
oligarch Kiran ilum zenov Kiran iliam
zenov was so nutty he actually claimed
that he had been kidnapped by aliens
once right so maybe if he writes a book
about that Netflix could make a make a
film on that as well now it is given
that Russian control and Russian power
that the Western World also while they
banned the Russians they are struggling
so during this edition of Chess Olympiad
again the FID assembly met and there was
a vote called kistan moved a vote for
lifting the ban on Russia however the
Western Powers the others got in Russia
doesn't have that much support so
country's voting were given three
options one was a complete ban on Russia
no relaxation one was a ban but in
consultation with International Olympic
Committee to which fed is Affiliated
some concessions so children in Russia
could participate and also vulnerable
categories of people could participate
and the third choice was to completely
lift the ban so to completely lift the
ban only 21 voted for a total ban for 41
voted and banned with some relaxation
for children and vulnerable groups in
consultation with ioc 66 voted so they
had the majority India voted alongside
them Ukrainian chess president who was
there and he's an influential person in
Ukrainian politics Alexander kamishin he
is also a close Aid of zilinski he was
there and he made a statement that look
all you guys have to think again before
you even talk of letting Russia in
Ukraine has lost already 20 21 chess
players in the fightings that is how
intense this politics gets in fact I
can't let you go away before taking you
back just a few weeks at the Paris
Olympics at the Paris Olympics also
Russia was not allowed to compete so
Russians were told they can't compete
but they can compete as independent
athletes but if an as an independent
athlete also if you had ever supported
Russia's invasion of Ukraine you could
not compete and that's how one of
Russia's top most wrestlers who was a
defending champion in his category that
is 97 kg freestyle Abdul Rashid sadv he
was not allowed to come and defend his
title what did the Russians do some
Russians of course came in as
independent competitors they won a gold
medal as well in gymnastics but just
like the depth in chess that the
Russians have they also have depth in
wrestling so lots of Russian wrestlers
then triy to go and compete for other
nations six of them won medals one of
them Ahmed tudino he won the 97 kg gold
for bahin right he wrapped himself in
the B banian flag when the Press later
asked him questions he didn't know a
word of Arabic he said I will go to bin
because I won the gold medal for them I
will go there and and then go right back
to my parents to my Village in dagistan
in Russia along with my medal right and
also similarly Ram zamalo who won the
gold medal similarly in the 74 kg
category for ARA now this is the great
Russian wrestling team which won five
medals out of six categories in Tokyo
Olympics of which three were Golds
Russia is a real superpower in wrestling
again at London they won four medals out
of seven categories including two goals
now now they were not allowed to compete
but see what their wrestlers are doing
and these are not the top Russian
wrestlers because top Russian wrestlers
will not go and play for another country
these are the B and C category Russian
wrestlers so four more who competed for
other countries also got medals that is
Islam D for Albania Sherman VV for
Albania again Doren kurv for Greece me
mov for aeran all four of them won
bronze medals for their adopted
countries in these Olympics so that's
the complexity that politics causes in
sport as well I told you about boxing as
well now you remember the controversy
over Iman KH the Algerian boxer about
whose gender questions were raised she
won the gold medal in her category now
international boxing Association had
banned her they had banned her because
they said she did not pass the gender
test however the international Olympic
Committee banned the international
boxing Association and they said look we
have no we have no such problems we we
go by the gender mentioned on somebody's
passport and that's how Iman khif was
able to compete just as I said to you
earlier international box Association is
also headed by Russia and it's been
controlled by Russians for a very long
time that's the reason we say that
politics and Sport always go together
but talking about Sport and politics I
have to say something about Chess on
both chess boards of Politics as well as
real chess every move you make is a move
to kill except in the game of chess you
can never kill your own not so in
politics
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
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