World champion D Gukesh made a strong comeback as the Indian men’s chess team triumphed over Italy with a score of 3-1 in the third round of the 46th Chess Olympiad held on Friday. The Indian women’s team also showcased their strength, convincingly defeating Greece 3.5-0.5, keeping them at the top of the standings after three rounds.
In this round, India fielded its strongest men’s lineup for the first time. Gukesh, playing Black against Italy’s Sabino Brunello on the fourth board, executed a brilliant game, securing a decisive win in just 33 moves. His choice of the Queen’s Indian Defence created a lively position, and he navigated through the complexities expertly, reaching a winning setup around the 20th move and finishing the match smoothly a few moves later.
Nihal Sarin continued his good form, overcoming Francesco Sonis with a well-placed Trompowsky Attack. Taking advantage of Sonis’s mistake, Nihal gained control of the game and forced the Italian player to lose a rook, leaving him unable to recover.
On the higher boards, R Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi both settled for draws. Praggnanandhaa faced Lorenzo Lodici for the second day in a row but couldn’t find the win. Meanwhile, Arjun encountered some tense moments against Luca Moroni Jr. but managed to secure a draw.
This strong performance resulted in a solid 3-1 victory for India against a completely Grandmaster-filled Italian team.
Meanwhile, in the women’s category, Koneru Humpy led the charge with a commanding win over Stavroula Tsolakidou. Vantika Agrawal also added to India’s victories, defeating Ekaterini Pavlidou, while B Savitha Shri continued her perfect streak by beating Antonia Christodoulaki. The only setback came from Divya Deshmukh, who drew her game against Anastasia Avramidou.
With this result, the Indian women’s team celebrated a convincing 3.5-0.5 win against Greece, maintaining their top position in the tournament standings.
As the tournament moves forward with eight rounds left out of the total 11, the competition is set to become increasingly fierce as the leading teams clash. The upcoming rounds are crucial for both the men’s and women’s teams as they aim for medals at one of the premier events on the chess calendar.
Round 3 Results:
- Men: India vs Italy (R Praggnanandhaa drew with Lorenzo Lodici; Arjun Erigaisi drew with Luca Moroni Jr.; Nihal Sarin beat Francesco Sonis; D Gukesh beat Sabino Brunello).
- Women: India vs Greece (Koneru Humpy beat Stavroula Tsolakidou; Divya Deshmukh drew with Anastasia Avramidou; Vantika Agrawal beat Ekaterini Pavlidou; B Savitha Shri beat Antonia Christodoulaki).
