PC: TN DIPR
Thanks to a stunning rearguard action by Vaishali and Tania, Indian women defeated Azerbaijan 2.5 – 1.5 in the 7th round of the Chess Olympiad. Top seeded Indian women keep their lead with 14 match points, followed by Ukraine, Armenia and Georgia at 12 match points. After a day of rest, some football & an excursion to nearby spots, players got revitalised and resumed their play at the giant hall of Hotel Four Points by Sheraton, Mamallapuram, Chennai.
Team India scored a fancy 3-1 win over India 3 through wins on the lower boards. GMs Harikrishna Pentala and Vidit Santhosh Gujrathi drew against GMs Surya Shekher Ganguly and Sethuraman S P. National Champion GM Erigaisi Arjun and S L Narayanan won their games, helping the team’s cause.
India 2 continued their impressive match with a 3.5 – 0.5 sweep of Cuba. GM Gukesh D won his game in the top board against GM Albornoz Cabrera (2566). With a 7/7 score, Gukesh is proving to be a king maker. His finish in today’s game with a bishop sacrifice was electrifying. The momentum in the top board triggered wins in the next two boards by GMs Nihal Sarin and Praggnanandhaa. The draw in the fourth board by GM Adhiban Baskaran completed the rout.
In the Open section, Armenia played above their strength to hold top seed USA 2-2. Armenia with 13 match points led the field followed by USA, India, Uzbekistan, Germany, Kazakhstan and India 2 at 12 match points.
GM Wesley So was the first to score for the United States. A rook sacrifice in the middle game startled the Armenian GM. Subsequent forced moves pushed GM Hrant into the back foot. Unable to save the position the Armenian gave up on the 28th turn.
In the top board, GM Fabiano Caruana got a good tenable position by move 20. But GM Gabriel Sargissian defended well, gaining a slight advantage. Cashing in the complications arising out of the position, the Armenian GM completed a stunning upset win.
A win in the third board game by GM Dominguez Perez helped the US increase their lead to 2:1 against Armenia. But, GM Sam Shankland playing in the fourth board succumbed to pressure. Shankland’s marathon 90 move loss would be painful as Armenia equalised to 2-2.
In the women’s section, team India had their back to the wall as Azerbaijan led 1.5 – 0.5 after a few hours. The loss in the top board by GM Koneru Humpy was offset by IM Tania Sachdev’s win in the bottom board. Young IM Vaishali carried the team burden lightly. Her 72 move win helped Indian women maintain their lead by 14 match points.
Key eighth round pairings: Open section: Armenia – India, USA – India 2, Germany – Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan – Azerbaijan, Netherlands – Hungary. In the women’s section it is: India – Ukraine, Georgia – Armenia, India 3 – Poland, Romania – Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan – Slovakia.
The eighth round is scheduled to start by 3pm IST on Saturday, 6th August, 2022.
Open section : Main Results Round 7: India (20) beat India 3 (18), Armenia (19.5) drew United States of America (18), France (20) drew Netherlands (20.5), Serbia (17) lost to Germany (19), Cuba (18) lost to India 2(22.5), Peru (16) lost to Uzbekistan (23), Spain (18) lost to Kazakhstan (20), Azerbaijan (19.5) beat Israel (18.5), Greece (19.5) drew Ukraine (19.5), Brazil (19) beat England (18), Iran (19.5) beat Australia (18), Austria (15)lost to Hungary (20).
Women: Main Results Round 7: Azerbaijan (20) lost to India (21), Georgia (18.5) beat Romania (18), Ukraine (21) beat Netherlands (17), Poland (21.5) drew Bulgaria (20.5), Armenia (22.5) beat Israel (18.5), Kazakhstan (18.5) beat Vietnam (17.5), India 2 (17.5) lost to Greece (20.5), Spain (21) drew Czech Republic (17.5), Mongolia (20) beat Cuba (16), India 3 (18.5) beat Switzerland (17), Slovakia (17) beat Estonia (17.5), France (18) drew Croatia (16.5).
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