After the Russian women’s team claimed the title at the World Team Championship, Russian Chess Federation (RCF) Executive Director Alexander Tkachev boasted that the “Russian chess school is the strongest in the world”. The team was allowed to participate in FIDE’s World Team Championship as neutrals under the FIDE flag.
For the record, the Indian women’s team has lost to Kazakhstan in the quarter-finals. None of the four Indian women who are grandmasters — Koneru Humpy, Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali Rameshbabu and Divya Deshmukh — were part of the Indian women’s team. The Indian team was represented by IM Padmini Rout, WGM Nandhidhaa PV, WIM Velpula Sarayu, IM Savitha Shri B and WGM Srija Seshadri.
Russia — represented by players like Aleksandra Goryachkina, Kateryna Lagno, Polina Shuvalova, Leya Garifullina and Anna Shukhman — beat Azerbaijan in the final to claim the gold medal. Meanwhile, a strong China team, led by Hou Yifan, had claimed bronze. For the Russian team, there were also individual medals for Polina Shuvalova (gold on board three), Leya Garifullina (silver on board four), and Anna Shukhman (gold on board five).
India’s Padmini Rout claimed an individual bronze on top board as did Savitha Shri B on the fourth board for Team India.
“It’s been proven once again: if we’re allowed anywhere, we always take first place. I’d say this is a shared victory. The girls have many fans all over the world, not just in Russia, and I’m sure many are happy about the return of our team,” Tkachev was quoted as saying by Russian media organisation TASS. “We haven’t lost a single match, which proves that the Russian chess school is currently the strongest in the world. And no matter what obstacles they throw in our way, no matter what interviews they give admitting they’ll do everything to deprive Russians of chess, nothing will work. The girls have shown how to resolve all issues at the chessboard, not behind the scenes.”
The World Team Championship is a team’s championship like the Olympiad. It’s held every two years. The Russian women’s team had also claimed the title in 2021. But in 2023, they had missed out on competing due to FIDE barring teams from Russia after the invasion of Ukraine.
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