Samarkand, 25 September (H.S.): India were held to draws in both the Open and women’s sections in the eighth round of the 46th Chess Olympiad on Thursday. The Indian Open team drew 2-2 with Azerbaijan, while the women’s team also played out a 2-2 draw against Kazakhstan. Following these results, India slipped in the standings in both sections.

In the Open section, reigning world champion Grandmaster D. Gukesh drew his game against Azerbaijan’s Grandmaster Mahammad Muradli. All four boards witnessed closely fought contests between India and Azerbaijan, with the teams eventually sharing the points. The official tournament records confirm that R. Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Gukesh and Vidit Santosh Gujrathi all drew their respective games.

After eight rounds, India have 13 match points and are in seventh place in the Open section. Hosts Uzbekistan lead the standings with 14 points.

In the women’s section, India were held to a 2-2 draw by Kazakhstan. Alua Nurman defeated Grandmaster Rameshbabu Vaishali for Kazakhstan. Meanwhile, Savitha Shri secured a victory over Woman International Master Elnaz Kaliakhmet, helping India salvage a draw in the match.

After eight rounds, India have 13 points and are fifth in the women’s section, while China lead the standings with 15 points.

India had produced strong performances in both sections in the seventh round. In the Open section, India defeated England 2.5-1.5, while the women’s team defeated Germany 3.5-0.5.

After the sixth round, India had been third in both the Open and women’s sections. In the Open section, Uzbekistan led with 14 points, while in the women’s section, China and Uzbekistan were ahead of India with 13 points each.

The 46th Chess Olympiad consists of 11 rounds and is scheduled to conclude on September 27.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar