The India B team, whose average age is only 19, managed to thump Germany in the 11th and the final round of the 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai to win a bronze medal in the Open Section. The team comprising of D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, Nihal Sarin and Raunak Sadhwani managed to finish third. Whie Nihal and Raunak from the Indian side managed to win their respective matches, Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa drew their respective games.
However, it was Uzbekistan that finished with a gold medal. They defeated the Netherlands by 2.5-1.5 and clinched their first-ever gold at the International Chess Olympiad, surpassing their previous best of a silver medal in 1992. Meanwhile, Armenia, who were in the lead for a good part of the 11-round contest, finished second with a 2.5-.15 victory over Spain.
The Indian team was led by 16-year-old Gukesh whose performance may have dipped in the last few games was one of the stand-out performers in the competition. Not only did the teenager win the first 8 games in a row, but he also drew the ninth game, not managing a single win post that.
"Overall it's been a very enjoyable event. The performance has been special. I didn't expect to play so well but it could have been better," Gukesh said after the team's bronze medal win.
Meanwhile, India women’s team, led by Tania Sachdev lost 3-1 to the USA.
Notably, this is the first time that the Olympiad was held in India and the event witnessed a record number of teams participating in the Open and Women's sections.
