Reigning world champion D Gukesh came up with a fighting performance as India’s men defeated Germany 2.5-1.5
While the women’s team secured a convincing 3-1 win over Uzbekistan in the ninth round of the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand.
Gukesh appeared to be in serious trouble for much of his game against Alexander Donchenkov, but the Indian star staged a remarkable comeback and eventually trapped the German player’s king in a mating net.
His turnaround proved decisive for India, who had been staring at a possible defeat. The victory took the Indian men’s tally to 15 points, keeping them firmly in the race for a podium finish with two rounds left.
Uzbekistan strengthened their position at the top of the open section by defeating top seeds the United States. Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Nodirbek Yakubboev secured wins over Fabiano Caruana and Hans Moke Niemann respectively. Javokhir Sindarov’s defeat to Wesley So on the second board did little to affect the hosts’ overall result.
In the women’s section, China continued to dominate the standings with another 3-1 victory, this time against Armenia. The Chinese team moved to 17 points, opening a two-point gap over India. The two teams are expected to face each other in the penultimate round, in a match that could have major implications for the title race.
India remain in contention, but they will need a strong result against China to keep their hopes alive. Zhu Jiner has been leading the Chinese challenge, while Koneru Humpy will be looking to rediscover her best form at a crucial stage of the tournament.
For Gukesh, the win over Donchenkov was particularly significant after he had been close to losing the game. His fighting spirit once again came to the fore and could prove valuable ahead of his world championship match later this year.
The other three games in India’s men’s match ended in draws, with R Praggnanandhaa splitting the point with Vincent Keymer, Arjun Erigaisi drawing with Matthias Bluebaum, and Nihal Sarin sharing the point with Fredrik Svane.
India’s women had a relatively comfortable outing against Uzbekistan. Divya Deshmukh and Vantika Agrawal registered victories, while Humpy and Savitha Shri were held to draws, securing a 3-1 team win.
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