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Indian women’s A team recorded their seventh consecutive win at the 44th Chess Olympiad in Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu on Friday.
In-form Indian Eves trounced sixth-seed Azerbaijan 2.5-1.5 to maintain their sole lead in the women’s section with 14 points to their credit.
India A, though, suffered a few hiccups after Koneru Humpy lost in the first game. However, Tania Sachdev and R Vaishali once again rose to the occasion magnificently by scoring hard fought victories over their respective opponents.
Experienced campaigner Harika Dronavalli also battled hard to split the points to help the hosts cruise to yet another victory.
Vaishali played splendidly in a drawn position, pressurizing her opponent with precise positive play and finally scoring a delightful victory.
Jubilant Vaishali later commented on her brilliant victory.
“Till the 40th turn, my game was dead equal and I considered settling for a draw. After Humpy’s loss, I had to keep pressing and interestingly, this was one position that we worked in the camp with Boris Gelfand. I followed his suggestions to the ‘T’.
A hallmark of the women’s A team in this tournament has been the ability of every player to score a win when the team needed it most.
India A captain Abhijit Kunte said:
“The way Harika, Vaishali, and Tania continued in this pressure situation is very heartening. The players understand the situation perfectly and deliver.”
Meanwhile, in the open section, India A hit the accelerator when it mattered the most. The second-seeded India A dismissed fellow countrymen India C 3-1.
Arjun Erigaisi and SL Narayanan help India A beat India C
Arjun Erigaisi downed Abhijit Gupta and S L Narayanan outplayed Abhimany Puranik to prop India A to a win over their compatriots at the Chess Olympiad. Pantala Harikrishna was held to a draw by Surya Shekhar Ganguly and SP Sethuraman forced Vidit Gujarathi to split the points.
India B, after a loss to Armenia in the 6th round, bounced back with a 3.5-0.5 score against Cuba with D Gukesh leading from the front once again to notch his seventh successive victory in the tournament.
Nihal Sarin and R Pragnanandhaa too made merry with two fine victories while Adhiban B was held to a draw.
In another setback for the star-studded USA Team at the ongoing Chess Olympiad, Armenia held them to a 2-2 draw and continued their sole vigil at the top of the points tally with 13 points. India A, India B, USA, and Uzbekistan are trailing behind with 12 points each.
Divya Deshmukh wins but India B loses to Greece in the women’s section
Divya Deshmukh scored a lone victory for India while Vantika Agrawal and Soumya Swaminathan lost their encounters. Mary Ann Gomes had to stay content with a draw as India B lost to Greece in the women's section of the Chess Olympiad. However, India's Women's C team defeated Switzerland 3-1 to bring some good news.
Chess Olympiad: Top 10 results of the day
Open
India A beat India C (3-1)
Armenia drew with USA (2-2)
France drew with Netherlands (2-2)
Serbia lost to Germany (1.5-2.5)
Cuba lost to India B (0.5-3.5)
Peru lost to Uzbekistan (0-4)
Spain lost to Kazakastan (1.5-2.5)
Azerbaijan beat Israel (3-1)
Greece drew with Ukraine (2-2)
Brazil beat England (2.5-1.5)
Women
Azerbaijan lost to India A (1.5-2.5)
Georgia beat Romania (2.5-1.5)
Ukraine beat Netherlands (3.5-0.5)
Poland drew with Bulgaria (2-2)
Armenia beat Israel (2.5-1.5)
Kazakhastan beat Vietnam (2.5-1.5)
India B lost to Greece (1.5-2.5)
Mongolia beat Cuba (3.5-0.5)
India C beat Switzerland (3-1).
