46th Chess Olympiad R1: India Begins Olympiad with Wins in Open and Women’s Sections

Open Section: India vs. Thailand (3-1)

Captain Srinath Narayanan rested R Praggnanandhaa for the opening round. Arjun Erigaisi played on the top board, followed by Nihal Sarin on Board 2 and D Gukesh on Board 3. Vidit Gujrathi played on Board 4.

Board 1: Arjun Erigaisi vs. Prin Laohawirapap (0-1)

Arjun was expected to win comfortably and for a large part of the game, he did hold the better position. But a tactical oversight in the middlegame let Laohawirapap seize the initiative. The Thai IM exploited Arjun's exposed king using his queen and rook in tandem to keep Arjun in constant check.

Arjun gained a clear advantage after Black’s 31...h5. He handled the position well and looked set to win.

31...h5 was a blunder that gave Arjun a big advantage.

However, the game changed on move 47. Arjun could have played 47.Nxe4 to control the position, but he instead played 47.Nf3?, giving Black a chance to fight back.

What stopped Arjun from playing 47. Nxe4?

With both players short on time, Arjun's king came under increasing pressure. Prin used his queen and rook to keep giving checks. After 54.Re3+, Arjun could not find a way out and resigned.

Both fought until the very end in a long battle. | Photo: Rafal Oleksiewicz

The joy of beating Arjun Erigaisi! | Video: ChessBase India

Board 2: Thanadon Kulpruethanon vs. Nihal Sarin (0-1)

This was the most one-sided of India's four games, and the first Indian point on the board. Nihal never let the Thai FM settle. He seized the initiative straight out of the opening and simply kept building on it. Nihal wrapped it up in 28 moves.

Board 3: D Gukesh vs. Faris Rashid Alriyami (1-0)

Gukesh put together what was described as a brilliant attacking display. He built up his position steadily before turning the screws in the middlegame. Once he got the initiative, he didn't let Alriyami back in.

Board 4: Tupfah Khumnorkaew vs. Vidit Gujrathi (0-1)

There was no real drama in Vidit's game. He controlled the position well throughout and brought the point home in 30 moves.

The upset on the top board did not cost India the match. | Photo: Michal Walusza

The Indian team behind the Indian team!

Ranking list after Round 1

Check the full ranking list here.

In Round 2, the Indian Open team will face Indonesia.

Women's Section: India vs. Dominican Republic (4-0)

Divya Deshmukh did not play in the first round. Koneru Humpy and R Vaishali played on Boards 1 and 2 respectively, while Vantika Agrawal moved up to Board 3. Savitha Shri B made her Olympiad debut on Board 4.

Board 1: Koneru Humpy vs. Franchesca Ramirez Luzon (1-0)

Humpy made no mistake against Luzon and there was no real drama in her game either. Luzon blundered on move 15, and Humpy took over from there without giving her opponent a chance to fight back.

Board 2: Miguelina De La Rosa Martinez vs. R Vaishali (0-1)

Vaishali kept improving her position and eventually found a way to open up White’s kingside. Her attack became too strong for Martinez to handle, and White had no way to stop it.

Board 3: Vantika Agrawal vs. Mary Loly Gonzalez Peguero (1-0)

This was the closest game of the match. For a long time, it looked like the game would end in a draw, as Vantika could not find a clear way to make progress. However, Gonzalez Peguero made a mistake at a crucial moment.

45... Qc3 is a terrible blunder! Can you find the best move instead?

This blunder allowed Vantika to reach a rook-and-minor-piece endgame. Her advanced passed pawn then played a key role, and she went on to win the game.

Vantika found the breakthrough to score a win! | Photo: Michal Walusza

Board 4: Karla Mya Nunez Diaz vs. Savitha Shri B (0-1)

A winning Olympiad debut! | Photo: Rafal Oleksiewicz

Savitha Shri was playing Black on her Olympiad debut. She gave herself every reason to feel at home on the big stage. She slowly took control of the game and kept improving her position. The debutant won the game in 38 moves.