The 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai, India, has reached its penultimate stage, with the final rounds promising intense competition and potential upsets. In Round 9, India’s top-ranked player, Arjun Erigaisi, drew against Uzbekistan’s Vokhidov Shamsiddin, allowing Uzbekistan to split points with India in a 2-2 result.
Despite the draw, India remains in a commanding position for the gold medal in the Open section, with 17 match points. They will face the United States in Round 10 on Saturday. Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand expressed optimism about India’s chances, stating, “I knew India’s cards were very good but it just feels like everything is falling in place.”
The top board match-up between D Gukesh and Nodirbek Abdusattorov, both rising superstars of chess, ended in a draw. Gukesh played a rare g3 pawn push on move 8 in a Najdorf, but the game fizzled out without any major fireworks.
Anand spoke about the psychological impact of certain games, recalling a painful loss suffered by Gukesh against Abdusattorov two years ago. “It was particularly painful for me because not only did he lose, he also shot past a draw… I’m going to assume he’s past it,” Anand said.
The women’s team suffered a setback in Round 8 with a loss to Poland. However, Vantika Agrawal played a key role in preventing a repeat of the 2022 Olympiad loss to the United States, defeating Irina Krush with Black to secure a 2-2 draw.
In other notable matches, Magnus Carlsen lost to Vladmir Fedoseev, causing Norway to slump further down the standings. Reigning world champion Ding Liren also drew against Iran’s Parham Maghsoodloo after a winning position petered out to an equal rook endgame.
