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Tania Sachdev had to wait a long time to win the Chess Olympiad gold after the heartbreak of 2022, wherein the women’s missed the top prize by a whisker, 2024 proved to be the year that the women’s team claimed a historic gold and for Sachdev, who had been competing at the Olympiad since 2008, this win meant everything. In this exclusive interview with News18 Sports , International Master Sachdev shares her thoughts on the monumental success of the Indian chess teams – Indian Open Team also won gold while 4 players won individual golds as well – the overwhelming support they’ve received, and the significance of India’s golden generation in chess. Sachdev also reflected on her personal journey, the impact of chess legend Vishwanathan Anand, and the promising future of Indian women’s chess.
How does it feel to receive such overwhelming support and love after the historic win? It’s very, very special. And yeah, just a huge, huge thank you to everyone for being a part of this big moment with us, for celebrating this with us. It makes us realize what we’ve done goes beyond us.
It hopefully inspires so many people watching this. Thank you so much for cheering for us, rooting for us. Everyone who came today, this warm reception, it really means the world.
All the hard work, the sweat, everything that went into it, makes it all worth it. You’ve mentioned how much this means to you. After coming so close in the previous Olympiad and now finally winning gold, how significant is this moment for you personally? I think when we say it means a lot, or it means everything, it’s just that.
It keeps us inspired and motivated to play our best, to play our hearts out for the country. In Budapest, the men’s team dominated—they were unstoppable, untouchable, and ran away with the gold. The women’s team, it got a bit tricky in the middle; we were leading until the 7th round, then had a setback, but we managed to come back.
We showed resilience, and that’s what I mean: when you have the support of people back home, knowing they are rooting for you, it fuels you from within. So it really means everything for us. While the men’s team dominated, the women’s team wasn’t far behind.
You and Harika have been in Olympiads before, but now there’s a talented group of young players. How do you feel about them and their impact on the team? It truly is the golden generation of Indian chess, both for the men and the women. Harika and I have played so many chess Olympiads, coming so close, having near misses.
And then we had these three young girls—Vaishali, who was part of the bronze medal-winning team in Chennai. I think what we were missing in Chennai, we had here, in the form of Divya and Vantika, and their fiery play. So many clutch victories, their confidence, positive energy, intensity, hunger—all of that.
It’s not only inspiring for India, but also for the players themselves to witness that. For a long time, people have said India is the future of chess, but now India is both the present and the future. India’s present and future in chess are bright, but there’s also a rich legacy with Vishwanathan Anand as a central figure of inspiration.
How has his legacy impacted the current generation, and what influence has he had on players like you, Harika, and Hari? Well, let me start with my personal story. I got motivated and inspired to take up chess seriously after I played a simul against Vishy sir. It was in Delhi, at the City Fort Auditorium, and I was the only girl there.
I played that game and lost, of course. But just seeing him, I knew I wanted to be like him. That was the start of my chess journey.
He’s inspired everyone. If you had to point to one reason why chess is where it is today in India, that reason is Vishwanathan Anand. His achievements—being a five-time world champion, an absolute legend—it’s hard to put into words.
He’s inspired a whole generation. His contribution goes beyond words, and just his presence has always been there to guide us. In many ways, he’s the one who coined the term ‘golden generation,’ and this victory owes itself to him.
You also met Prime Minister Modi today. What was the conversation like? What was the mood among the team? It was actually a beautiful afternoon. We sat with him for more than an hour, and it’s so clear how much he loves sports and athletes.
His passion for sports shines through. It was so inspiring to be around him, to talk to him, and to learn from his experiences. We spoke about many parallels we face in chess and how to deal with them.
He had so many interesting takeaways and inspiring stories to share. It’s moments like these that motivate all of us to give even more for the country. What does the future hold for the Indian women’s chess team? With you and many other talented players, it seems like an exciting prospect.
It’s definitely a scary prospect for our opponents! As I said before, the present and the future of Indian women’s chess look amazing. We’ve seen what the youngsters are capable of, and I have no doubt that the Indian women’s team will win many more golds in the future, but this one will always be the first..
