On the toughest game?

In terms of opposition, it was against Lenier Dominguez [US], because he was clearly the highest-rated player I faced in the tournament. My best game would be against Daneshvar Bardiya of Iran. In the (ninth round) game against the Uzbek player (Shamsiddin Vokhidov), you had a chance to grab the pawn on f7 and win.

I saw 38. Bf7. But I just assumed 38. … Qf7, I move the queen and he goes 39. … Nf6. But I forgot that if I play 39, Qd2 or Qd4, I could go 40. Qd8 after Nf6. This was clearly a missed chance.

Last time, you crossed 2700. This time, you came close to crossing 2800.

It feels nice, but I didn’t think too much about it. I am happier about the two golds that I won.

When were you certain that you would get the gold in the Open?

When we won the 10th round against the US, it was clear in the back of all of our minds that we had won the gold. But we didn’t want to relax and take the last game lightly.

How did you celebrate?

We were planning a few things, including a sky lounge, but it was already late by the time we finished taking photos after the closing ceremony. So we did not go out for dinner but we had a long night after returning to the hotel. No one slept after going back and we were just dancing and singing.

A huge part of the credit goes to (Viswanathan) Anand sir. Most of us who started playing chess were inspired by him.

What did you think of Ding Liren’s decision not to play against India?

I think it was not just to avoid Gukesh. He was in a bad shape and lost the previous round to Le Quang Liem.

Before the Olympiad, you told TNIE that Ding played better in the Sinquefield Cup despite the results and you expected a 50-50 match if he continued in that direction. Now, after seeing Ding’s performance in the Olympiad, has your opinion changed?

I think it is going to be a massacre. Gukesh is a huge favourite now. First, he is showing tremendous form. Second, Ding was not in the best possible mental or physical shape. In long games, he was just collapsing. I think the strength difference is too much now.

Full story: newindianexpress.com