Fri Sep 20 12:17:15 UTC 2024: ## Indian Men Dominate at Chess Olympiad, Women Suffer First Loss
**Budapest, Hungary:** India’s men’s team continued their strong performance at the Chess Olympiad 2024, crushing Iran 3.5-0.5 in the open section on Thursday. D. Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, and Vidit Gujrathi secured decisive victories, while R. Praggnanandhaa drew his fifth consecutive game, solidifying the team’s dominance.
However, the Indian women’s team suffered their first defeat, falling 1.5-2.5 to Poland. Monika Socko outplayed R. Vaishali, while Harika Dronavalli lost her game against Alina Kashlinskaya. Vantika Agrawal missed a winning opportunity, settling for a draw against Alicja Sliwicka, while the sole victory in the women’s section came from Divya Deshmukh, who defeated Aleksandra Maltsevskaya with black pieces.
Divya’s win marks her sixth victory in eight rounds, boosting her live rating to 2494.8, making her the current World No. 13.
Despite the setback in the women’s section, India maintains its lead in the open section with 16 match points. The women’s section sees a three-way tie for the top spot between India, Kazakhstan, and Poland, each with 14 match points.
First Piper 