India Strike Gold as Gukesh, Nihal Lead Italy Rout

India continued its strong run at the 46th Chess Olympiad, with the men defeating an all-Grandmaster Italy side 3-1 and the women overpowering Greece 3.5-0.5 in the third round on Friday.

The results kept both Indian teams unbeaten after three rounds, with the women continuing their strong position at the top of the standings.

The Indian men fielded their strongest combination for the first time in the tournament, with world champion D Gukesh returning to winning ways on the fourth board against Sabino Brunello. Playing black, Gukesh employed the Queen's Indian Defence and created a highly dynamic position. He gained a decisive advantage around the 20th move before wrapping up the game in 33 moves.

Gukesh later said playing on Board 4 was his own decision, with the team believing the arrangement offered India the best chance of victory. He also pointed to the strong form of R Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi.

The victory came after Gukesh was held to a draw by Indonesia's Satria Duta Cahaya in the second round. He now has two wins and a draw from three games.

Nihal Sarin also maintained his perfect start, defeating Francesco Sonis. Playing white in a Trompowsky Attack, Nihal capitalised on a mistake and won a rook.

Praggnanandhaa drew with Lorenzo Lodici, while Arjun was held by Luca Moroni Jr. after surviving some difficult moments.

In the women's section, Koneru Humpy defeated Stavroula Tsolakidou, while Vantika Agrawal beat Ekaterini Pavlidou. B Savitha Shri registered her third straight win, defeating Antonia Christodoulaki. Savitha, who began as a reserve, has made an immediate impact with three victories.

Divya Deshmukh drew with Anastasia Avramidou.

India's women had earlier defeated the Dominican Republic 4-0 and Finland 3.5-0.5. With eight rounds remaining, both teams now face increasingly tougher opposition as the leading sides begin meeting each other in the 11-round competition, being held in Samarkand from September 16 to 27.