Fri Sep 20 04:48:55 UTC 2024: ## India Dominates Chess Olympiad, Women’s Team Suffers First Loss
**Budapest, Hungary:** India’s men’s chess team continued its impressive run at the 45th Chess Olympiad, securing a resounding 3.5-0.5 victory over Iran in the open section on Thursday.
D. Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, and Vidit Gujrathi all defeated their Iranian opponents, while R. Praggnanandhaa drew his fifth consecutive game, contributing to the team’s overall triumph.
However, the Indian women’s team experienced its first defeat of the tournament, falling 1.5-2.5 to Poland. Monika Socko defeated R. Vaishali with black pieces, while Harika Dronavalli suffered another loss against Alina Kashlinskaya.
Vantika Agrawal squandered a winning position against Alicja Sliwicka, settling for a draw. The only win for the women’s team came from Divya Deshmukh, who defeated Aleksandra Maltsevskaya with black pieces, securing her sixth victory in eight rounds. Deshmukh’s strong performance has propelled her to a live rating of 2494.8, making her the current World No. 13.
Despite the loss, India continues to lead the open section with 16 match points. In the women’s section, India remains in contention for the top spot, tied with Kazakhstan and Poland with 14 match points each.
First Piper 