Chess Participant: Sir, this is the first time India has won both gold medals, and the way the team has performed is remarkable. The boys scored 21 out of 22 points, and the girls scored 19 out of 22 points. In total, we secured 40 points out of 44. Such a huge and impressive performance has never happened before.

Prime Minister: What was the atmosphere like there?

Chess Participant: Since we won for the first time, everyone was happy for us because we celebrated so much. In fact, every opponent came and congratulated us, and they genuinely felt happy for us. Even our opponents!

Chess Participant: Sir, we've noticed that in recent years, many spectators have been cheering for us. They travelled from far away just to watch the match, which I don't think used to happen before. So, I believe the popularity of chess has increased. It felt really good to see people rooting for us. There was some pressure, but the support felt great. When we won, everyone was chanting "India, India!"

Chess Participant: This time, 180 countries participated. When the Olympiad was held in Chennai, both Indian teams (men and women) won bronze. In the last match for the women's team, we played against the USA, and we lost, losing the chance for a gold medal. But this time, we played against them again and were more motivated to win the gold medal for India. We had to defeat them this time.

Prime Minister: You had to defeat them.

Chess Participant: That match was very close and ended in a draw. But we went on to win the gold. Sir, this time we were determined to return with a victory for our country. There was no second option.

Prime Minister: You only get victory when you have such determination. But when you scored 21 out of 22 and 19 out of 22, what was the reaction of other players or the organizers of the event?

Chess Participant: Sir, I think Gukesh wants to answer that. I just want to say that we won so convincingly, especially in the Open team, that it felt like no one could even come close to us. In the women’s team, we won the first seven matches in a row, and then faced a small setback, but we showed resilience and made a comeback. But as for the Open team, sir, I can't even express how dominant we were. I think Gukesh, who was on  board, can explain it better. 

Chess Participant: This experience was truly a great team effort. Every single one of us was in excellent form and super motivated. In the 2022 Olympiad, we were very close to winning the gold medal, but I played one game where I could have won and secured the gold, but unfortunately, I lost that game. It was heartbreaking for everyone. So, this time we were super motivated, and from the start, we were determined to win. I'm really glad!

Prime Minister: Tell me, have you ever thought about using AI to correct your game or understand your opponent’s game?

Chess Participant: Yes, sir. With AI, chess has evolved. There are new technologies, and computers have become much stronger now, showing many new ideas in chess. We are still learning from it, and I think there is a lot to learn.

Chess Participant: Sir, I think it’s now become so accessible that AI tools are available to everyone because it’s been democratized. We certainly use it in our preparation.

Prime Minister: Tell me more.

Chess Participant: Nothing much, sir, it’s been quite an experience.

Prime Minister: Nothing much? You just won, just like that…gold (medal) came easy?

Chess Participant: No sir, it didn’t come easy. We worked really hard. I think all my teammates, including the men, worked very hard to finally reach this stage.

Prime Minister: I’ve noticed that many of your parents are doctors.

Chess Participant: Yes, both my parents are doctors, and my sister is a doctor too. When I was young, I used to see them getting phone calls from patients at 2 a.m., and they had to go to attend to them. So I thought I would choose a more stable career, but then I realized sports also require a lot of running around!

Chess Participant: Sir, I’ve always noticed that you encourage and support every sport and every athlete. I feel you have a deep connection with sports. I want to know the story behind it—why is that?

Prime Minister: I’ll tell you. I believe that a country doesn’t become developed just by its wealth, industry, or GDP. A nation needs to excel in every field. If it's the film industry, we should aim to win the maximum Oscars. If it’s science, we should aim for the most Nobel Prizes. Similarly, in sports, our children should bring home the maximum gold medals. It’s when a country excels in all these verticals that it truly becomes great. When I was in Gujarat, I started a "Khel Mahakumbh" (sports festival) where lakhs of children participated. I even encouraged older people to play. As a result, talented children started emerging. I firmly believe that our youth have immense potential. Secondly, I think for a good social environment in the country, the spirit of sportsmanship should be a cultural norm, not just for athletes but in all aspects of life.

Chess Participant: You make so many big decisions every day. What advice would you give us on how to handle pressure situations?

Prime Minister: Physical fitness matters a lot. Many of us are physically fit, and you probably follow a training regimen. You must have been told what to eat, how much to eat before a game, and what not to eat. I believe that if we develop habits around these things, we can digest all kinds of problems. For good decision-making, you need a lot of information—both positive and negative. It's human nature to only want to hear what is pleasant, but that can lead to mistakes in decisions. If you try to hear all types of information, understand different perspectives, analyse them yourself, and, without hesitation, ask an expert if something is unclear, you’ll find it easier to navigate challenges. Some things come with experience, and as I’ve said before, yoga and meditation have real power.

Chess Participant: Sir, we played for two weeks, and we’re exhausted now. But you work day in and day out for years without taking a break. So I wanted to ask—what is the secret of your energy? You know so much, you’re always open to learning, open to the world, and you fill every sports person with so much enthusiasm to perform. I wanted to ask, if you could give us one piece of advice, where would you like to see chess?

Prime Minister: You see, never seek satisfaction in life. You should never feel satisfied with anything because that’s when you start becoming complacent.

Chess Participant: That’s why you only sleep for three hours, Sir!

Prime Minister: There should always be a hunger inside us—to do something new, to do something more.

Chess Participant: We had just won the tournament, and we were returning on the bus when we saw your speech live. You announced to the world that India had won two historic gold medals, and we were all together in the bus. It made us so happy that you announced it in front of the whole world. I played my first Olympiad in 1998, and at that time, players like Garry Kasparov and Karpov were playing, and we used to run to get their autographs. India's ranking was very low back then. But this time, when I went as a coach, I saw Gukesh, Brahmananda, Arjun, Divya, Harika coming, and now people are running to get their autographs. This change, this confidence in the new generation of players—I think it’s because of your vision that India should be number one. I believe that change is happening, sir.

Chess Participant: Thank you so much for meeting us on such short notice. You were in the US, but you still made time for us, and we are truly motivated by this.

Prime Minister: My value lies in all of you. I think this is not only important for us, but it will also be a great inspiration for others who play chess. They will be motivated to play well and meet you, which will inspire them even more.

Yes, sometimes seeing others succeed shows us that if they can do it, we can do it too. Once, when I was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, I organized a very large chess event.

Chess Participant: Twenty thousand people played chess together at that event, and sir, many of them had never played chess before.

Prime Minister: At that time, some of them may not have even been born! People were surprised, wondering what Modi was doing. Organizing seating for 20,000 people requires a large space, so I had a huge tent built. Even the officials were asking why so much money was being spent. I told them, "This is exactly what I’ll spend it on."

Chess Participant: Sir, when you encouraged me so much at that time, I was overjoyed. I told myself that I had to give my all to chess from that moment on. From then on, my goal was to win medals for India, and I was so incredibly happy.

Prime Minister: You were also there!

Chess Participant: Yes, when you organised it. At that event, many girls participated as well.

Prime Minister: Wow. So how did they bring you to that event?

Chess Participant: I had won the Asian Under-9 Championship, and someone told my mother about a big event happening in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. That’s when I was invited.

Prime Minister: Can I keep this?

Chess Participant: Yes, sir. It was meant to be framed and presented to you, sir, but …

Prime Minister: Don’t worry, this is a very special memory for me. Did you keep the shawl I gave you?

Chess Participant: Yes, sir, I have kept it.

Prime Minister: Great. I’m really happy. My best wishes to all of you. Keep progressing!

***

MJPS/ VJ/SKS/VK