At the 45th Chess Olympiad, Grandmaster D Gukesh defeated Fabiano Caruana of the United States, boosting India’s hopes for its first-ever gold medal in the men’s category.
Gukesh, set to compete in the World Championship match in Singapore this November, showcased his strategic prowess in a tough match against the top-seeded Caruana. Utilizing a Catalan opening, Gukesh advanced his position in the middle game, eventually securing a pawn and compounding the pressure on Caruana, who subsequently lost a second pawn and the game.
Earlier, R Praggnanandhaa faced a tough battle against Wesley So, initially giving the American team the lead. However, the Indian men’s team remained strong, with Arjun Erigaise controlling his game against Lenier Dominguez Perez and securing a win after more than five hours of play. Vidit Gujrathi also maintained a solid stance against Levon Aronian.
With the technicalities pending and the pairings for the next round yet to be announced, it appears highly likely that Team India will clinch the Olympiad gold for the first time, even with a round to spare.
In the women’s division, India triumphed over China with a score of 2.5-1.5. Divya Deshmukh starred for the Indian team by defeating Ni Shiqun. The other matches saw R Vaishali drawing in a challenging position against Guo Qi, D Harika holding Zhu Jiner, and Vantika Agarwal achieving a draw against Lu Miaoyi as the middle game began.
With Georgia poised to defeat the overnight leader Kazakhstan, the Indian women’s team is on track to retake the top spot and emerge as strong contenders for the gold medal.
