Chess Olympiad: Indian men march on, but women’s great run finally ends
The Hindu
India's men dominate Chess Olympiad, while women face tough loss, setting up exciting matchups in upcoming rounds.
India’s men overcame one of their strongest opponents at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest in some style on Thursday (September 20, 2024). They crushed Iran 3.5-0.5 in the eighth round to retain their sole lead position with just three rounds remaining.
D. Gukesh, fresh from his brilliant win against Wei Yi of China in the previous round, defeated Iran Parham Maghsoodloo with black pieces.
On the second board, R. Praggnanandhaa drew with Amin Tabatabaei. That was the only draw for India.
Arjun Erigaisi was back to his winning ways, defeating Bardiya Daneshvar on third board, while Vidit Gujrathi outwitted Pouya Idani.
India has a perfect score of 16/16 and has a two-point lead over Uzbekistan and Hungary, who are sharing the second spot. In the ninth round on Friday (September 21, 2024), India will take on fourth seed Uzbekistan.
The magnificent run of the top-seeded Indian women, however, finally came to an end. They lost to Poland 1.5-2.5 in a match that saw fortunes fluctuate wildly.
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