In the Open section of the Olympiad, India defeated China 2,5-1,5 with a key victory by World Chess Championship 2024 challenger Gukesh. India is with perfect 14 MP score, one point more than Iran, as the two teams are set to meet in a direct clash next round.

In the women section again India leads with perfect score of 14 MP, with two more than Poland, Kazakhstan and France. Next round will see Poland – India and Kazakhstan – France.

Replay games and follow round 8 live at the following links:More live (Open): Chess Olympiad 2024 live / Matches 1-26 live / Matches 26-50 live / Matches 51-75 live / Matches 75+ live / TCEC live / TCEC live 2

More live (Women): Matches 1-26 live / Matches 26-50 live / Matches 51-75 live / Matches 75+ live

More about Chess Olympiad 2024 : Participants open / Participants women / All news about Chess Olympiad 2024

Chess Olympiad 2024 R7 – title by Susan Polgar

The title of today’s round report comes from a tweet by Susan Polgar. She says, “India’s two teams,Open and Women, are BOTH 7-0 in match play! They dominated when they could, and found ways to squeeze out wins when needed! And, they are playing so far like a team!”

Chess Olympiad round 7 report – FIDE press release

The first ceremonial move in the open section of 45th Chess Olympiad was made by Mr. László Bekefi, General Manager of Coca-Cola HBC Hungary, and Mr. Alexey Dmitrenko, Supply Chain Leader at Coca-Cola HBC Hungary. Coca-Cola, the official beverage partner, supplies the Olympiad with free soft drinks and water for players, media, and the organising team.

This ceremonial move set in motion the most important match in the open section: India vs. China. The highly anticipated first board encounter between Gukesh D and Ding Liren did not happen. Although the two are set to play the world championship match in November, China allowed Ding Liren to rest for this match. Tournament commentator GM Peter Svidler had a strong opinion about this: “I don’t think you will find very many examples of the reigning World Champion not playing board 1 in an absolutely critical central match of the Chess Olympiad… If China wants to win this Olympiad, they need to win today. It is very difficult to take points off this Indian team. The fact that Ding Liren is not sitting down to play chess today after the rest day is, I think, quite significant.”

The first game to finish in the match was a draw between Praggnanandhaa R and Yu Yangyi on board two. One of the intrigues of the round was whether Arjun Erigaisi, with a perfect 6/6 record so far, would continue his winning streak. Following the crazy complications in the middlegame, which were “all just forced”, as Arjun said after the game, Erigaisi, playing White, ended his winning streak by drawing with Bu Xiangzhi. It is worth noting that before going for a threefold repetition through a perpetual check, Bu thought for some 15 minutes, constantly checking on the other two games, trying to consider whether he might continue the game. “It’s only White who could, in fact, push,” commented Erigaisi. “If the situation on the other two boards was different, I might have needed to risk, but my teammates were doing fine.”

As Pentala Harikrishna made a draw with Wang Yue, the game where India could hope for a win was Gukesh D vs. Wei Yi. For a long time, it looked like it would also finish in a draw. However, Black’s defending task was anything but easy. Finally, after an excruciating battle, on move 71, Black erred, and Gukesh didn’t let go of this chance. A narrow 2.5-1.5 win for India! “I thought I’ll press this forever and see what happens,” commented Gukesh after the game. “I couldn’t lose it, so there was no pressure on me.”

Iran stopped the Vietnam miracle, confidently defeating them by 2.5-1.5. Three draws and Pouya Idani’s win on the last board elevated Iran to a clear second place. The team, headed by Parham Maaghsoodloo and Amin Tabatabaei, initially seeded 10th, will meet India in the next round. “They are a strong team, so we’ll just come and play some good chess!” said Gukesh.

In the women’s section, the first move for Harika was made by H.E. Aref Hamad Al Awani, General Secretary of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, and Hussein Abdullah Khoury, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Chess Club. Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, will host the 47th Chess Olympiad in 2028. With this, the crucial match between India and Georgia started.

India has had an ideal tournament so far, winning all their matches. Divya Deshmukh, on board three, had been the hero of the team with 5.5 points in 6 games. This time, she made a draw, but her teammates Vaishali R and Vantika Agrawal took the flag and raised it high, winning their games.

An amazing 3-1 victory against one of the favorites, Georgia, leaves no doubt that India means serious business to improve on their bronze finish in 2022!

An important match between Poland and Ukraine in the women’s section ended in a draw. After Alina Kashlinskaya, on the first board, defeated Yuliia Osmak in a nerve-wracking time trouble, things looked bright for Poland. However, Ukraine struck back with a win by Nataliya Buksa against Oliwia Kiolbasa on the third board. It means that India is now two match points ahead of the pursuers.

Written by WGM Anna Burtasova

Photos: Michal Walusza, Mark Livshitz and Maria Emelianova

Srinath Narayanan shared in a recent interview, “With each edition the Indian team definitely seems to be having a step up. […] I think being the seeding number of the team hardly matters. It comes down to individual matchups, and Olympiad is like an open event. I think having a young team is a bit of an advantage here, as the experience of playing opens is still fresh in their memories.”

In the next round the open team of India will meet China, with a possible Gukesh – Ding game. They just played in Saint Louis (replay here) and depending on board order and sit-outs we might see yet another clash. The chess community considers Gukesh a favorite for the World Chess Championship 2024 in Singapore. Even Ding Liren considers Gukesh favorite for the World Championship. One of the few to be on the opposite pole is Peter Heine Nielsen, coach of many times World Champion Magnus Carlsen, who says Ding Liren is favorite for the match with Gukesh.

The women team of India will meet the historically strong team of Georgia. Here the surprising star is IM Deshmukh Divya, who currently has 5,5/6 and is on her way to cross 2500 ELO.

More live (Open): Chess Olympiad 2024 live / Matches 1-26 live / Matches 26-50 live / Matches 51-75 live / Matches 75+ live / TCEC live / TCEC live 2

More live (Women): Matches 1-26 live / Matches 26-50 live / Matches 51-75 live / Matches 75+ live

More about Chess Olympaid 2024 : Participants open / Participants women / All news about Chess Olympiad 2024

FIDE – Chess Olympiad 2024 has India as sole leaders

India is going to the only rest day of the 45th Chess Olympiad as the sole leader, having won all matches in both the open and women’s sections. Both teams have been winning confidently, without experiencing tough matches so far—a strong statement on their path to the gold medals.

Argentinian chess prodigy Faustino Oro, with a current rating of 2434 at just ten years old, made the first move in Round 6 for world champion Ding Liren, setting the games in motion.

India continued their pursuit of gold medals, defeating Hungary 3-1. Arjun Erigaisi remains the only player with a perfect score in the open section. In Round 6, he won against Sanan Sjugirov, a recent addition to the Hungarian team. Erigaisi is gaining 13 rating points in the Olympiad, elevating him to a career-high of 2791. The second win in the match was delivered by Vidit Gujrathi, while the games on first two boards ended in draws.

Incredible Vietnam halted China, tying the match 2-2. Wang Yue beat Tuan Minh Tran on the last board, but the leader of the Vietnamese team, Le Quang Liem, retaliated by defeating world champion Ding Liren.

“This is the first time that after the first half of the tournament, we are among the leaders,” commented Liem on the official broadcast. “I am very happy with the result and proud of my teammates. We are playing fantastically this time. Coming into this tournament, we had no expectations. We were initially ranked #21. We have never been this close to the medals before. We will enjoy the games and see what happens.”

Iran prevailed over Norway in a close match, thanks to a win on the fourth board, where Pouya Idani gained the upper hand over Frode Urkedal. Magnus Carlsen had a significant advantage in the middlegame against Parham Maghsoodloo but could only achieve a draw.

Uzbekistan had a tough match against Israel, as Sindarov blundered and lost to Nabaty. However, thanks to the wins of Abdusattorov and Yakubboev, the defending champions clinched the match victory. The USA continues to struggle, with four draws against Romania despite being the favorites on every board—a result that is hardly satisfying for the team of Fabiano Caruana.

After 6 rounds, India is the sole leader with 12 points, closely pursued by Vietnam, China, and Iran with 11 match points.

In the women’s section, India continues to delight their fans too. A convincing victory over Armenia was secured by Divya Deshmukh, who defeated Elina Danielian. Draws on the other boards cemented the result.

China, meanwhile, suffered a second consecutive loss. Poland pulled off this important victory by 2½-1½, thanks to Oliwia Kiolbasa, the heroine of the previous Olympiad, who beat Guo Qi. The other three games ended in draws. Georgia narrowly won against Mongolia, thanks to Melia Salome’s victory on the fourth board.

After six rounds, India leads with 12 match points, followed by Georgia and Poland with 11.

The tournament halts for a one-day break and the competition will resume on September 18 with Round 7.

Written by WGM Anna Burtasova

Photos: Michal Walusza, Mark Livshitz and Maria Emelianova

The open team of India is second seeded according to the FIDE rating list, right behind USA. Board 1 is for the highest rated Indian player Arjun Erigaisi. Right next to him will be no other than the World Championship 2024 challenger Gukesh D. Another youngster is on board 3 , Praggnanandhaa, and the team is completed by Vidit and Pentala Harikrishna.

Team India is captained by Srinath Narayanan who kindly answered the questions of Chessdom.com for the coming Chess Olympiad.

Tell us about the preparation of team India for the Chess Olympiad 2024

In recent times playing a lot seems to be one of the key factors for preparation and staying in shape. In accordance with that our players have prioritised playing tournaments and keeping themselves active. Gukesh and Pragg have been playing quite a bit including in St Louis. Hari played in Rubinstein Memorial in Poland. Vidit has been playing quite a bit, both online and offline. Arjun has been almost setting world records for being the most active player at his rating range! Everyone comes in quite active and well trained with their own ideas and preparation. We just need to be cautious about overdoing things as this team needs help more to relax rather than to be pushed.

You were a coach/captain of India A last Olympiad. From that team you have Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Santosh Gujrathi, and Pentala Harikrishna, while bringing in from India B Gukesh and Pragg. Is this change a step up?

With each edition the Indian team definitely seems to be having a step up. I have no role in selecting the team. The teams are selected according to the rating average of last 3 months from the time of registration. In general I think this is a good and impartial system of selection.

More about Chess Olympaid 2024 : Live blog / Participants open / Participants women / All news about Chess Olympiad 2024

Psychology is part of the game. Does being second seeded, according to the July rating list, put pressure on the team? And does playing away from home release pressure?

I think being the seeding number of the team hardly matters. It comes down to individual matchups, and Olympiad is like an open event. I think having a young team is a bit of an advantage here, as the experience of playing opens is still fresh in their memories. Playing away from home in general reduces pressure but perhaps not in this particular case. Our experience of playing the Chennai Chess Olympiad was great. When playing in Chennai there is a lot of familiarity, home support, and great support from the organisation and the government as well. Gukesh’s historic 8/8 and his win in the Chennai GM event both happened in Chennai. With Chennai, I can also be confident that the organization will be top notch. Based on these factors, we definitely prefer playing in Chennai.

Throwback: Chess Olympiad 2022 final report / Final rankings open section

Besides you and the players, who will accompany you and aid your team in Budapest?

Last time we had GM Vaibhav Suri and GM Sankalp Gupta help the team. It’ll be the same this time as well.

Does the All India Chess Federation support your Olympic journey? In what ways?

The All India Chess Federation organised training camps, covers the cost of expenses for the team. They have built a framework that has been working well for a few years now. The federation itself faces a lot of challenges and a lot of things can be improved, but I think that’s something common to chess administration as a whole.

Have you talked to Vishy Anand? Is he going to support you in Budapest?

Vishy is always a support to the team and shares great rapport with all of us. He is very friendly and always approachable for help and advice. He invited me to his residence is Spain and Chennai when I was less than 12 years old. This is personally with me, and he has a similar camaraderie with all the players as well. But I have great respect for him and I only approach him for things which are of utmost importance and things I can’t solve on my own.

You are now focused on the Olympiad. But tell us more about your chess projects/activities this year and in the near future.

Post Olympiad I’ll be captaining the Mumba Masters team in October in Global Chess League. We are also building up towards something exciting in November about which we will hear more in the times to come.

This November the Gukesh – Ding Liren match begins. Gukesh can become the youngest World Champion. Do you talk to him about the match? What are your expectations?

I feel optimistic about Gukesh’s chances. In recent times I feel that he has simply been playing better. I feel it is a bit similar to the 2013 match when Vishy was already not in his best shape, and Magnus was rising. Gukesh is perhaps not as strong now as Magnus was in 2013, so the level difference is not as big, but nevertheless I think Gukesh begins as a clear favourite. He also showed in the candidates that despite his young age, he can handle pressure brilliantly.

See the full interview in the video below and read more about team India here

Chess Olympiad Budapest 2024: Live blog / Participants open / Participants women / Official song

FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, All India Chess Federation President Dr Sanjay Kapoor and Tournament Director Bharat Singh Chauhan were also present on the occasion, heading a massive entourage of security, press and chess enthusiasts. As usual in the first round of the Chess Olympiad, most of the favourites had an excellent start – the top three teams, the United States, India and Norway, scored solid victories. 

Top seed USA defeated Angola by a clear 3.5-0.5 to start their campaign on a positive note. As has long been the norm for most of the top teams in the first round, where there is often a big disparity in the strengths of teams, the number one USA player, GM Fabiana Caruana, decided to save energy and gave up his seat to GM Sam Shankland, the team’s reserve player.

GM Levon Aronian, therefore, moved up to the first board, but the three-time Olympian for Armenia quickly drifted into trouble with some over-enterprising opening play. However, luck was on his side when his opponent, Angola’s board one IM David Silva, accepted a draw in an arguably won position. Read more: Levon Aronian saves the losing position against Angola’s IM David Silva

The rest of the top teams defeated their opponents effortlessly, with India A crushing Zimbabwe by 4-0, the same result as Spain – Wales, Azerbaijan – Algeria and  Poland – Syria, arguably three other favourites for the medals. 

Although Ukraine isn’t fielding their best players this year – Vassily Ivanchuk is a classic that will be dearly missed – they still started off strongly whitewashing Thailand. A glimpse over the results panel shows a startling statistic: no underdog was able to score a tie in any match: that is quite unbelievable in Swiss System events, in which most favourites usually win, but there are always a few surprises. Round 1 results – Open section / Round 1 results – Women’s section

Tomorrow’s second round will feature some exciting clashes: USA vs Paraguay and Moldova vs India will put the two top teams to the test, while there is a very good chance that World Champion Magnus Carlsen – who was spotted playing soccer this afternoon near the venue – will make his debut against Uruguay’s lucky first board. Read more: Grand reception for Magnus Carlsen in Chennai Olympiad

Chess Olympiad 2022 | Open section LIVE / Chess Olympiad 2022 | Women’s section LIVE

Text: IM Michael Rahal, FIDE Press Officer, Chennai
Photo: Lennart Ootes, Mark Livshitz and Stev Bonhage

Team pairings Round 2 (Open section):

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Team pairings Round 2 (Women’s section):

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