Gukesh, Nihal and Praggnanandhaa Lead India to Big Win Over Uzbekistan-2

World champion D Gukesh, Nihal Sarin and R Praggnanandhaa spearheaded India’s impressive 3.5-0.5 victory over Uzbekistan-2 in the 10th and penultimate round of the 46th Chess Olympiad on Saturday.

The victory kept India firmly in contention for a medal in the open section. India moved to 17 points, remaining in sole second place behind Uzbekistan-1, who stayed on top with 18 points after defeating Armenia by an identical 3.5-0.5 margin.

India, however, face a difficult task if they are to defend the gold medal won at the previous Olympiad. They need a strong victory in the final round and will also have to hope that Uzbekistan-1 drop points.

Nihal Sarin was the first Indian to register a win against Uzbekistan-2. Playing with the black pieces, Nihal won a couple of pawns early and went on to defeat Mukhammadzokhid Suyarov. Gukesh then extended India’s advantage by beating Ortik Nigmatov, while Arjun Erigaisi settled for a draw against Abdimalik Abdisalimov.

Praggnanandhaa completed the team’s convincing performance with a victory over Jakhongir Vakhidov, giving India the 3.5-0.5 scoreline.

In the women’s section, India held table-toppers China to a 2-2 draw, keeping their medal hopes alive. China remained at the top with 18 points, while Kazakhstan moved into sole second place with 17 points after beating France 2.5-1.5. India are third with 16 points.

B Savitha Shri was the standout performer for India, defeating Zhai Mo. The win was her eighth in the tournament and took her tally to an impressive 8.5 points from nine games.

Koneru Humpy drew with Zhu Jiner, while Divya Deshmukh shared the points with Song Yuxin. Vantika Agrawal lost to Lu Miaoyi.

Elsewhere, Mongolia lost 1-3 to Poland, while Vietnam defeated Indonesia 2.5-1.5. With one round remaining, both Indian teams remain in medal contention.