Chess Olympiad: India Men Beat Italy 3-1, Women Down Greece

46th Chess Olympiad: Team India continues winning run; Gukesh, Nihal, Humpy show top form

Samarkand, September 19

At the end of round three, the world champion D Gukesh and Nihal Sarin's wins were at the centre of India's 3-1 win over an all-Grandmaster team from Italy, as per ESPN.

The women's team also maintained their dominance at the table with a 3.5-0.5 win over Greece.

At the top of the table, R Praggnanandhaa could not win for the second day running against Lorenzo Lodici, but Nihal and Gukesh's performances ensured India got a win. Nihal prevailed over Francesco Sonis, while Gukesh beat Sabino Brunello.

Gukesh, after a few disappointing outings, was back to his elite best against Brunello, dismantling him with black pieces. Arjun Erigaisi survived a few anxious moments, securing a draw for his team.

In the women's section, Koneru Humpy put on a show for Team India as she beat Stavroula Tsolakidou in a one-sided encounter. The Chess World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh managed a draw against Anastasia Avramidou, and Vantika Agrawal defeated Ekaterini Pavlidou.

On the last board, B Savitha Shri made it a hat-trick of wins, defeating Antonia Christodoulaki.

With eight rounds to go in the 11-round tournament, the top teams will clash with each other. For India, the next three rounds will be crucial to determine how far they can go in the tournament. In the 2024 Chess Olympiad, India had secured gold medals in both open and women's sections.

-Results

Round 3 open: India beat 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 beat Greece (Koneru Humpy beat Stavroula Tsolakidou; Divya Deshmukh drew with Anastasia Avramidou; Vantika Agrawal beat Ekaterini Pavlidou; B Savitha Shri vs Antonia Christodoulaki).

— ANI