Wins by Koneru Humpy and Vaishali R against Georgia propelled Indian women to sole lead with 12 match points at the end of the sixth round in the 44th Chess Olympiad at Hotel Four Points by Sheraton, Mamallapuram, Chennai here today. The Open section saw Armenia moving into sole lead with 12 match points as they overcame in-form team India 2 by a 2.5 – 1.5 score. In the second spot with 11 match points were the top seeds USA, who will now cross swords with Armenia in the next round.
16 year old Grandmaster Gukesh D (6/6) kept his 100% score winning the top board game against Armenia’s GM Sargissian Gabriel. A draw in the second board by GM Nihal Sarin turned out to be only addition for team India 2. GMs Adhiban Baskaran and Sadhwani Raunak lost in the lower boards. The loss to Armenia pushed team India 2 to the third spot along with Netherlands, India 1, France, Serbia, Germany, India 3, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Peru and Cuba.
Team India playing Uzbekistan were held to a 2-2 draw. In the first board, GM Harikrishna Pentala won his game against reigning World Rapid Chess Champion Abdusattorov Nodirbek. GMs Vidit Santosh Gujrathi and Erigaisi Arjun drew their game in the middle boards. A loss on the bottom board by GM Sasikiran Krishnan saw Uzbek’s snatching a draw from India.
Further down, team India 3 outplayed Lithuania 3.5 – 0.5 as GM Ganguly Surya Shekhar shed a draw in the top board. GMs Sethuraman, Gupta Abhijeet and Puranik Abhimanyu won their games in the lower boards.
Third seeded Norway slid to a shock 1.5 – 2.5 defeat in the hands of 29th seed Australia. World Champion Magnus Carlsen defeated GM Smirnov Anton in the top board. Losses in the next two boards cost Norway dearly.
Indian women improved their medal chances defeating main rivals Georgia 3-1. In the top board GM Koneru Humpy scalped GM Dzagnidze Nana. IM Vaishali R gave India their second win scoring over Javakhishvili Lela in the third board. Draws in the second and fourth board gave India a crucial win over four time Olympiad champions Georgia.
Top seeded Indian women have come up with a steady show so far. The next five rounds, coming after a day’s rest, will be a test of character and skill for the team led by GM Koneru Humpy.
In another board, Czech Republic held team India women 2 to a 2-2 draw, where all four games ended without a result. Team India women 3 beat Australia 3-1. The top two boards ended in draws, while the next two boards went in favor of the hosts.
Key pairings in the Open section : India 1 – India 3, Armenia – USA, France – Netherlands, Serbia – Germany, Cuba – India 2. In the women’s section it is: Azerbaijan – India, Georgia – Romania, Ukraine – Netherlands, Poland – Bulgaria, Armenia – Israel.
Tomorrow is a day of rest. The seventh round is scheduled to start by 3pm IST on Friday, 5th August, 2022.
Open section : Main Results Round 6:
India 2 (19) lost to Armenia (17.5), Uzbekistan(19) drew India (17), United States of America (16) beat Iran (16), Cuba (17.5) drew Spain (16.5), Poland(15) lost to Serbia (15.5), Netherlands (18.5) beat Georgia (17.5), Germany (16.5) beat Italy (16.5), England (16.5) drew Austria (15), Switzerland (14) lost to France (18), India 3 (17) beat Lithuania (15), Peru (16) beat Croatia (16), Kazakhstan(17.5) beat Czech Republic (17.5).
Women: Main Results Round 6:
India (18.5) beat Georgia (16), Romania (16.5) drew Ukraine (17.5), Azerbaijan (18.5) beat Kazakhstan (16), Serbia(14.5) lost to Poland (19.5), Netherlands (16.5) beat France (16), Israel (17) beat Germany (15.5), England (14) lost to Armenia (20), Czech Republic (15.5) drew India 2 (16), Vietnam (16) beat Hungary (16), Bulgaria (18.5) beat Peru (16.5), Denmark (15) lost to Spain (19), Cuba (15.5) beat Colombia (15).
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