Chess Olympiad | Gukesh sizzles as India marches on in Budapest
Gukesh was superb.
| Photo Credit: FLICKR/FIDE
Not even the strong Chinese wall could stop the Indian men at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest. And it took a remarkable endgame from D. Gukesh for the second-seeded India to keep the sole lead.
It had almost seemed India would have to be content with a draw against its third-seeded rival. The second, third and fourth boards had all ended in draws, and that meant Arjun Erigaisi’s stunning six-game winning streak came to an end, as he was held by Bu Xiangzhi.
R. Praggnanandhaa and Pendyala Harikrishna drew with Yu Yangyi and Wang Yue, respectively. And a draw looked the likeliest result on the top board between Gukesh and Wei Yi, too.
China’s decision to rest Ding Liren meant that there would be no teaser for his World title match against Gukesh, starting on November 23 in Singapore. The teenager showed his class against Wei, as he converted the virtually equal-looking ending, with his double-knight against Black’s rook, to a well-deserved victory in 80 moves. India won 2.5-1.5.
The top-seeded Indian women also maintained their sole lead, with a 3-1 win against second seed Georgia. Vantika Agrawal’s victory on the fourth board against her higher-rated rival Bella Khotenashvili had more or less ensured India’s win in the match, but, later on, R. Vaishali converted her slightly better position into a full point over Lela Javakhishvili on the second board.
On the top board, Dronavalli Harika drew with Nana Dzagnidze. On the third board too, it was a draw, between Divya Deshmukh and Nino Batsiashvili.
Published – September 19, 2024 01:08 am IST
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