India Dominates in Chess Olympiad 2024: Consecutive Succes for Both Men's and Women's Teams
Arjun Erigaisi continued his impressive winning streak as he led India to a compelling victory over Serbia in the fourth round of the 2024 Chess Olympiad held in Budapest. The match ended in a 3.5-0.5 scoreline favouring India. In the same stride, the Indian women's team also retained their winning ways, overcoming France with an identical score. Standing tall in their respective sections, the Indian men's team currently lead, while the women's team is in second place.
World's number four, Erigaisi, exhibited a flawless counter-offensive approach against Indjic Aleksandar, positioning him closer to the 2800 rating. Grandmasters Vidit Gujrathi and D. Gukesh further strengthened India's foothold with their smooth wins over Evic Velimir and Alexandr Predke, respectively. Simultaneously, R Praggnanandhaa drew against Alexey Sarana.
The women's division showed no less resilience. India's top-ranked woman, D. Harika, made a strong comeback from a loss in the previous round and outmaneuvered Deimante Daulyte-Cornett. Natacha Benmesbah fell to Tania Sachdev, while Divya Deshmukh showcased a thrilling performance against Mitra Hejazipour. R Vaishali's game against Sophie Millet resulted in a draw, signifying another victory for India in the Chess Olympiad.
The third round showed a slight dip in performance for the men's team but nothing significant enough to halt their momentum. They convincingly beat Hungary B 3.5-0.5, maintaining their flawless record in the tournament. An unexpected defeat for Harika was overshadowed by victories from Vaishali, Divya, and Vantika Agarwal, culminating in a 3-1 victory that kept them jointly leading on six match points.
This impressive performance is reminiscent of the Indian contingent's exploits in the previous Chess Olympiad of 2022, where the men's B team and the women's team had each earned a bronze medal.
