The 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad took off with a grand opening ceremony at the Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai yesterday. This mega international event was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the presence of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and a host of celebrities. The four-hour ceremony showcased the rich tradition and culture that is intrinsic to this country, where chess originated 1500 years ago.
This edition of the Olympiad is the world’s biggest team chess championship, featuring players from 187 countries, takes place at Hotel Four Points by Sheraton, Mamallapuram from 29th July and concludes on 9th August 2022 . The Olympiad is being held in India for the first time ever, after being moved out of Moscow following the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Prime Minister Narendra Modi who declared open the 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad said that in a short period of time, the organizers had made outstanding arrangements.
In the Olympiad, both open and women’s sections are played. Disabled, blind, and deaf teams are missing in this edition compared to previous Olympiads. An incredible number of 1736 players are in the fray. There are two giant Halls A and B, accommodating Tables 1 to 27 in Hall “A” with the remaining Tables being played out in Hall “B”.
Top seeds in the Open section, USA, India, and Norway cruised to comfortable wins against Angola, Zimbabwe, and Lebanon respectively. While India swept Zimbabwe 4-0, USA and Norway shed half a point on their way to victory. Angola’s IM Silva David (2315) held USA’s top board GM Aronian Levon (2775) to a draw, while FM Khairallah Faisal (2239) of Lebanon snatched half a point from Norwegian 3rd board GM Christiansen Johan-Sebastian (2593). World Champion Magnus Carlsen arrived in Chennai earlier today and is likely to play the top board soon. India 2 & 3 teams blanked UAE & South Sudan 4-0, giving hosts a flying start.
In the women’s section India, Ukraine and Georgia overcame Tajikistan, South Africa, and Iraq with a 4-0 score. Koneru Humpy, Vaishali R, and Bhakti Kulkarni went through clinical wins over their Tajik opponents. But, Tajikistan’s third board Saidova Rukhshona (1624) fought a marathon six-hour battle against Indian IM Tania Sachdev. In the Smyslov Variation of Ruy Lopez, Tania got saddled with a doubled pawn but had a pair of bishops for compensation. On many occasions, Saidova’s position looked tenable, but the persistent Tania kept pressing the opponent and ultimately forced her to resign after 103 moves.
In the Open section, GM Vidit Santosh Gujrathi on top board followed the King’s Indian defense Bayonet Attack against IM Makoto Rodwell of Zimbabwe and won the rook ending with accurate play. GMs Erigaisi Arjun and Narayanan S L scored clinical wins against their lower-rated opponents. But it was GM Sasikiran, in the fourth board, who stole the show with a major piece sacrifice on move number 18 and followed it up with some highly energetic play. Sasi slowly gained a couple of pawns choking white’s play in 39 moves.
Many European teams registered 4-0 victories in the first round and it was a delight to watch. As the Russian team and China teams are absent, the competition is assuming a new dimension in the pursuit of a podium finish.”
Open section: Main Results Round 1: India (4) beat Zimbabwe (0), Angola(½) lost to the United States of America (3½), Lebanon(½) lost to Norway (3½), Spain (4) beat Wales (0), Syria (0) lost to Poland (4), Azerbaijan (4) beat Algeria (0), Jordan (0) lost to The Netherlands (4), Ukraine (4) beat Thailand (0), Sudan (0) lost to Germany (4), England (4) beat Cyprus (0), United Arab Emirates (0) lost to India 2 (4), Armenia (4) beat Madagascar (0).
Women: Main Results Round 1: Tajikistan (0) lost to India (4), Ukraine (4) beat South Africa (0), Iraq (0) lost to Georgia (4), Poland (4) beat Syria (0), Monaco (0) lost to France (4), Azerbaijan (4) beat United Arab Emirates (0), Puerto Rico (0) lost to the United States of America (4), Germany (4) beat Zambia (0), Botswana (0) lost to Armenia (4), Kazakhstan (4) beat Guatemala (0), Wales (0) lost to India 2 (4), Hungary (3½) beat Panama (½).
The press release is available in:
English
Translate this press release into your languages, using Ailaysa: AI Translation Platform. Start free now.
