44th Chess Olympiad 2022 R7: Gukesh 7/7, now World no.25, Indian Women extend their lead

Armenia without Aronian can still put up a fight

Armenia in the Open and India 1 Women maintained their lead in their respective sections. Armenia vs USA had four decisive games. GM Sam Shankland lost in a dramatic fashion against GM Robert Hovhannisyan after the former incorrectly made an illegal move with his king which cost him the game and the match ended in a draw. Uzbekistan scored their fourth whitewash of the event, it was against Peru in Round 7. Spain and England went down against Kazakhstan and Brazil respectively by a minimum margin. In the Women's event, India 2 suffered a shocking defeat against Greece 1.5-2.5. Poland was held to a draw by Bulgaria 2-2.

History will always be kind to Magnus Carlsen. Norway despite being third seeded in the Open section, is having a hard time finding their footing in this event. They barely managed to defeat North Macedonia in Round 7.

Open: India 1 - India 3: 3-1

GM Arjun Erigaisi (2689) defeated GM Abhijeet Gupta (2627) when the latter incorrectly liquidated into a queen ending.

Arjun Erigaisi - Abhijeet

31...Qb8 or Re7 would have been better for Black. 31...Rxe5 proved to be fatal 32.Qxe5 and now d4 does not help Black to promote a queen as the white king can prevent it.

Abhimanyu - Narayanan

21.dxe5 on a regular day would have been fine. However, there is a sniper bishop at b6 which makes 21...Nh5! an excellent choice. Black does not need to rush taking the e5-pawn. 22.Nf1 Nxg3 23.Nxg3 Nxe5 24.Ra3 Qf6 the pin is extremely uncomfortable for White. Although White was able to get back in the game but an eventual mistake cost him the game.

Cuba - India 2: 0.5-3.5

GM D Gukesh (2684), GM Nihal Sarin (2651) and GM Praggnanandhaa R (2648) scored a win each. GM B Adhiban (2598) drew with GM Omar Almeida Quintana (2523).

Carlos Daniel - Gukesh

Gukesh is undoubtedly in top form. He made a beautiful finish 45...Bf4. Even after 46.gxf4 gxf4 47.Re2/1 Rxc3+ Black recovers the material and converts his advantage into a win easily.

Women: Azerbaijan - India 1: 1.5-2.5

All previous encounters between IM Gunay Mammadzada (2455) and GM Koneru Humpy (2586) ended in 1-0. This one was no exception. Although, Humpy got a substantial advantage in the middlegame.

Gunay - Humpy

Black is in full command after 24.e3. However, Gunay created some chances for herself by breaking the pawn chain.

37...h5 turned out to be the decisive mistake as 38.Qd6 forced the exchange of queens. 37...f3 would have still kept Black in the game.

Harika - Khanim

White is winning here. There are two ways, one is to push the pawn to a7 and then go f3-g4 break. The other one is to keep the pawn at a6 and bring the king to the queenside by sacrificing a couple of kingside pawns. Harika opted for the latter 42.g3 Kf6 43.Ke3 Ra3+ 44.Kd2 Ra2+ 45.Kc3 Rxf2 46.Rc8 Ra2 and the game meandered into a draw. 47.Kb4 would have still kept winning chances.

Govhar - Vaishali

3 vs 4 pawns on the same side in Rook ending is a draw. However, the defender must play correctly to save the point. 64.Rg8 is the correct way to defend it. White blundered 64.Re8 and Vaishali seized her opportunity 64...f5 65.Rg8 Kh3 and it's all over for White because Black invaded with the king.

Tania - Ulviyya

Find out the correct way for Black to save the game. Both 47...Ra1 and Rxg3 loses for Black. The Azeri opted for the former and Tania capitalized on her mistake.

India 2 - Greece: 0.5-3.5

WGM Divya Deshmukh (2319) scored the sole victory for the team against WFM Haritomeni Markantonaki (2154). WGM Mary Ann Gomes (2324) drew with WIM Ekaterini Pavlidou (2138). WGM Vantika Agrawal and IM Soumya Swaminathan lost their respective games. Thus, India 2 lost the match to Greece by a minimum margin 1.5-2.5

India 3 - Switzerland: 3-1

IM Eesha Karavade (2339) and WGM Nandhidhaa P V (2312) won, WGM Pratyusha Bodda (2312) and WIM Vishwa Vasnawala (2305) drew their respective games.

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Schedule

Everyday round starts at 3 p.m. IST from 29th July to 8th August 2022. The final round on 9th August starts 10 a.m. IST. Rest day is on 4th August 2022.

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Round 8 Women pairings

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