Samarkand (Uzbekistan), Sep 23 (PTI) The Indian men’s team came up with an inspired effort to beat England while the women crushed Germany in the seventh round of the 46th Chess Olympiad here on Wednesday.
On the top board, R Praggnanandhaa showed the way with a clinical victory over Nikita Vituigov, while on the fourth, world champion D Gukesh remained invincible as he won another game.
For Gukesh, the board number does not seem important. Having won the last two gold medals playing for India on the top board, the Indian ace is looking good for a third straight gold, even on board four.
The loss on board three for Nihal Sarin against Luke McShane did not matter much for the Indian team, although it seems Vidit Gujrathi has to come back into the scheme of things.
Any hopes the German women’s team had were quashed in the first hour. Koneru Humpy may be a veteran, but her class shone through as she made short work of board one.
Vaishali, still struggling, drew on the second board while Divya Deshmukh won on the third to ensure an Indian victory. A little later, Savitha Shri scored her fifth win in as many games to give the team a 3.5-0.5 win.
Praggnanandhaa was at his tactical best as he outsmarted a senior opponent best known for his opening geometry. Once out of the bound, the Indian hit on the queenside with all his forces and was rewarded in no time.
Gukesh, too, latched on a singular king side attack and had little to worry. PTI Cor
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