Gukesh was placed on the fourth board for the tournament, with R Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi and Nihal Sarin taking the top three boards. Gukesh, you are an officer and a gentleman. Hailing the 20-year-old world champion, Mahindra wrote on X, “If you want a masterclass in what it means to be a true team player, this is it.
Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra hailed reigning Chess World Champion Gukesh D for his decision to play on Board 4 at the ongoing Chess Olympiad, calling him an “officer and a gentleman”. “You embody what I hope will come to be seen as quintessential Indian virtues: humility always, aggression when needed,” he added while sharing Gukesh’s interview video.
“I mean, it’s pretty clear that Pragg and Arjun have been in really good shape. Also, the ratings say the same. And yeah, it was my idea. “About the look of the world champion playing on board four, I think, if the team needs it, I would even rest all the games. We are here playing for India, and there’s no player bigger than the country. So I’m just happy to do whatever it takes for the team to do well,” he added. “I think it’s worth mentioning that we had a very hectic travel, and then on the first day, there were some organisational issues. We all waited for like six hours to get a room.
Because it was just a very good game by both sides, I think, “I wouldn’t really consider yesterday a disappointment,.
And the whole team, we all thought the same, that this is the order that gives us the best chance of winning the tournament,” Gukesh said, as quoted by FIDE. And my opponent defended well, so sometimes you can’t do anything,” he said. So obviously, in the first round, Arjun was just tired, and he blundered in the end,” Gukesh said.
So Arjun got a room probably a few hours before the event.
