NEW DELHI: The Chess Olympiad 2024 witnessed an unexpected moment when members of the Pakistan chess team were seen posing with the Indian flag during a post-tournament photo session.
As seen in a viral video, the incident took place after the conclusion of the Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary.
And since then, the clip of a Pakistani team member holding the Indian flag quickly spread across social media, drawing reactions from both sides of the India-Pakistan border.
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The viral video has sparked conversations on how chess, a game of strategy and intellect, can be a metaphor for building peaceful relations between nations.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time the sporting spirit transcended national boundaries in recent weeks.
Earlier, during the Asian Champions Trophy in hockey, Pakistani players were seen waving Chinese flags and donning Chinese badges after their bronze medal match, showing their support for China in the final.
Nevertheless, despite their support, China faced a narrow 1-0 defeat at the hands of a well-oiled Indian side.
During the tournament, Pakistan’s Momin Fayzan earned the Candidate Master (CM) title with an impressive score of 6.5 out of 11 in the open section, while 11-year-old Aayat Asmi secured the Woman Candidate Master (WCM) title with 5 out of 10 points in the women’s division.
India’s men’s team, led by D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, and R Praggnanandhaa, dominated the event, securing the top spot with 21 out of 22 points.
The women’s team, featuring D Harika, Tania Sachdev, and R Vaishali, also clinched gold following a win against Azerbaijan.