Chess great Susan Polgar recalls PM Modi’s letter honouring her role in shaping Indian chess
New Delhi, June 5 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) Legendary chess player Susan Polgar has recalled the day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote to her on the eve of Republic Day in 2022 for playing an important role in the formative years of young Indian chess players.
PM Modi recently congratulated world champion D Gukesh for his first-ever classical chess victory against world no. 1 Magnus Carlsen in Round 6 of Norway Chess 2025. The Hungarian great has also praised the Prime Minister for his interest in chess and supporting his country’s players.
“A few years ago, I received this from Prime Minister Modi for my work with Indian students and support for Indian players. His office contacted me directly for my address so they can express his letter. I did not ask for it but appreciated his gesture. It is nice that he (even through his assistants) supports and encourages Indian chess players and athletes in other sports,” she posted on X with a copy of a letter she had received from PM Modi in 2022.
In her previous post, Susan reposted PM Modi’s post congratulating Gukesh on his win over world No. 1 Carlsen and asked if any other country’s leader posts about their chess players, while mentioning Argentine President Javier Milei as the only other person she knows.
“Are there leaders of nations who tweet about their chess players? I only know of one other, Javier Milei, tweeting about Faustino Oro,” Susan’s post read.
Meanwhile, Susan had congratulated Gkesh for his stunning win over Cralsen, posting, “He fights and fights and fights no matter how bad the positions are. This was also the strength of Carlsen for years. Mark of champions!”
Following his win over Carlsen, Gukesh scored his first-ever classical win over compatriot Arjun Erigaisi — and did so from a position that seemed all but lost — in a dramatic round seven encounter at the Norway Chess tournament on Monday.
Later, in the eighth round, Hikaru Nakamura halted Gukesh’s surge by beating the world champion in the classical format, breaking a five-game winless streak and throwing the leaderboard wide open.
With this win, Nakamura joined Gukesh at 11.5 points, putting both players in a tie for third place as the tournament approaches its climax. For Gukesh, the loss is a minor setback in what has otherwise been a breakout tournament.
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