Divya, a national champion, said the competition was organised very well. “ Although this was not my first time playing for the Indian team, it was a different experience as the competition was in India. The joy of winning an individual bronze medal on the fifth board is different.,” she said.
Divya said there are international competitions but regular Olympiads or similar high-profile events can benefit the players. Divya scored seven points out of nine in the tournament. Her team finished eighth overall. Divya also said that Viswanathan Anand's company or his experience is always inspiring. She said , “ The last round of the tournament was a bit tense overall because the match was in the morning session and along with individual performance the victory for team was essential”.
A great joy to win medal: Raunak
Raunak Sadhwani was included in the India-2 team in the open group. This team won the bronze medal. Raunak contributed five and a half points out of eight. "It's definitely a pleasure to win a medal," he said. It was a different experience as the tournament was held in India. Sports torch was also taken out on this occasion. The enthusiasm of the sports lovers was worth seeing. However, this did not affect my game at all. I played my natural game.”
Raunak opined that there will be no problem in organising such a global level competition if the sponsors come forward in India. He insisted that he benefited from Viswanathan Anand's guidance during one round. The match against Azerbaijan was the toughest, he said, adding that his side had the upper hand. Still he couldn't win. So it gets a bit stressful.
Earlier SJAN President Dr Ram Thakur and secretary Paritosh Pramanik welcomed Divya and Raunak respectively. Divya and Raunak's parents were present on this occasion.