46th Chess Olympiad R4: Gukesh defeats Shirov as both Indian teams score 3-1 victories

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

It looked like India was going to win by (3.5-0.5) as Nihal made a solid draw with black pieces, but Arjun and Praggnanandhaa were clearly better. Arjun managed to win his game, so does our World Champion Gukesh, but Pragg missed his chances against David Anton, and the game ended in a draw.

Board 1: David Anton Guijarro vs. R. Praggnanandhaa (0.5-0.5)

Praggnanandhaa played an excellent game against David; he outplayed him in the opening and had a massive 1-hour lead on the clock as he was still in his opening preparation, but a few inaccuracies let the advantage slip, and David managed to hold a draw.

Board 2: Arjun Erigaisi vs. Maksim Chigaev (1-0)

Finally, Arjun found his 1st win after playing a brilliant game of chess against Maksim. Arjun created weaknesses on Maksim's kingside and exploited them in the middlegame to win a comfortable game without any counterplay.

Board 3: Jaime Santos Latasa vs. Nihal Sarin (0.5-0.5)

Nihal made a solid draw with black pieces against Jaime Santos Latasa.

Board 4: D. Gukesh vs. Alexei Shirov (1-0)

The World Champion is back in form as he defeated Shirov in style. Gukesh made sure that Shirov couldn't castle and then exploited his king to get a winning position; after that, Gukesh made no mistakes and secured a full point for the Indian team

White to play

Replay Spain vs. India Games

Ranking list after Round 4

In Round 5, the Indian Open team will face the Netherlands.

Pairings for Round 5

Women's Section: Mongolia vs. India (1-3)

Another day, another dominating victory by the defending champions. On the top 2 boards, Vaishali and Humpy drew their games, but on the 3rd board Divya struck with the black pieces and won her game, and Savitha Shri is putting up a masterclass in her debut Olympiad as he scored her 4th consecutive win in 4 rounds.

Board 1: Mungunzul Bat-Erdene vs. Koneru Humpy (0.5-0.5)

It was a chaotic game where at one point Humpy was clearly winning, but she made a huge mistake, and the position came to equality. But then Bat-Erdene started pressing and had a better position; eventually, Humpy showed her experience and held a draw on top board.

Board 2: Vaishali Rameshbabu vs. Munkhzul Turmunkh (0.5-0.5)

It was a solid draw where Vaishali had some minor chances, but Turmunkh played well and held the draw against the World Championship Challenger.

Board 3: Bayasgalan Khishigbaatar vs. Divya Deshmukh (0-1)

Divya played a beautiful game; she managed to get a great position in the middlegame and then dominated throughout the game, showing the power of the bishop pair. A big win with the black pieces for Divya Deshmukh.

Position after 17...g5

From the outside, the move looks like a bad move that weakens the black king, but it was the best, as it forces the trade of bishops, and black will be left with a bishop pair.

Board 4: Savitha Shri vs. Munguntuul Batkhuyag (1-0)

Can anyone stop Savitha Shri?? The answer looks like a big no. Savitha won her 4th game in a row. In the 4th round, she managed to punish Batkhuyag's blunder and won the game with a deadly attack.

Replay Mongolia vs. India Games

Ranking list after Round 4

In Round 5, the Indian women’s team will take on Poland.

Pairings for Round 5

Photo gallery | Video gallery

Round 3 Recap

Will be coming soon....

Replay live stream

Format

System: Swiss format, 11 rounds

Team size: 5 players per squad, 4 play each round

Time control: 90 min for 40 moves + 30 min for the rest, with a 30-sec increment from move 1

Important links

Official website, Tournament regulations, Buy tickets

Check out Open Teams, Pairings/Results, Standings

Check out Women's Teams, Pairings/Results, Standings