45th Chess Olympiad R4: Gukesh channels Magnus, Ukraine and Vietnam upset USA and Uzbekistan
Indian teams continue their winning streak at 45th Chess Olympiad 2024. Both men and women team registered their fourth win in Open and Women section. Serbia went down India by 0.5-3.5. D Gukesh and Vidit Gujrathi showed their expertise in the endgame against Alexandr Predke and Velimir Ivic respectively. Gukesh channeled the endgame expert Magnus Carlsen in his game. Arjun Erigaisi once again showed his sharp play to score a win against Aleksandar Indjic. Among the Women, India defeated France 3.5-0.5. GM Harika Dronavalli and IM Tania Sachdev scored with ease against IM Deimante Daulyte-Cornette and WIM Natacha Benmesbah respectvely. IM Divya Deshmukh defeated WGM Mitra Hejazipour in a rollercoaster battle which could have ended either way. Indian men will face Azerbaijan and women Kazakhstan in Round 5. It starts today at 3 p.m. local time, 6:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Abhyudaya Ram
Indian teams maintain their perfect score
The top seed USA which showed vulnerability as early as Round 2 against Singapore, succumbed to defeat against Ukraine 1.5-2.5. Apart from GM Fabiano Caruana, the remaining team does not seem to be in a harmony. It became evident in Round 4. China defeated Armenia by a minimum margin 2.5-1.5. GM Yangyi Yu (CHN) scored the decisive victory against GM Gabriel Sargissian (ARM). Vietnam defeated the defending champions, Uzbekistan 3-1, without conceding a single game. It certainly has to be the biggest upset of the round. GM Ngoc Truong Son (VIE) and GM Tuan Minh Le (VIE) defeated GM Nodirbek Yakubboev (UZB) and GM Javokhir Sindarov (UZB) respectively.
Among the Women, Turkiye held the defending champion, Ukraine to a 2-2 draw. Mongolia and Uzbekistan defeated Spain and Bulgaria respectively.
Open: Serbia - India: 0.5-3.5
GM D Gukesh (2764), GM Arjun Erigaisi (2778) and GM Vidit Gujrathi (2720) scored the wins over GM Alexandr Predke (2671), GM Aleksandr Indjic (2611) and GM Velimir Ivic (2599) respectively. Gukesh and Vidit had to grind in the endgame. Arjun seized his decisive advantage when his opponent allowed a tactical finish. GM Pentala Harikrishna was rested.
Predke - Gukesh
The last time GM Alexandr Predke faced GM D Gukesh in a Classical game was at Chennai Grand Masters 2023. Gukesh won that encounter in the fourth round and went on to qualify for the Candidates. Once again Gukesh beat him in Round 4. Of course this time things are much different as it is a team event and Gukesh is now a World Championship Challenger. 21.Qxc7+ Kxc7 the resultant double rook and knight endgame is relatively balanced. However, Gukesh kept creating imbalances, chances and grinded it into a win. Something the world no.1, Magnus Carlsen is known familiar to do in his games. This game certainly evokes the thoughts that Gukesh is ready for the biggest challenge of his chess career.
Indjic - Arjun
GM Aleksandar Indjic blundered 38.Rb3?? in an already difficult position. Find out the winning continuation which GM Arjun Erigaisi executed in the above position.
Vidit - Ivic
GM Vidit Gujrathi is making an attempt to capture the h5-pawn. Of course, he cannot take it immediately as the f3-pawn will fall after the trade of rooks and the resultant opposite color bishop endgame would end in a draw. Vidit's opponent, GM Velimir Ivic made a mistake 55...Rd1 56.f4 Rh1+ 57.Kg5 White not only managed to improve his king's position but also advance his passed f-pawn a bit. 57...Rh3 58.Rh7+ Ke8 59.Be1 Rh1 after repeating once to gain time 62.Bf2 Rh2 63.Bc5 Rg2 64.Re7+ Kd8 65.Re3 White defended the critical g3-pawn and let go of the expendable b2. 65...Rxb2 66.Bb6+ Kd7 67.Kxh5 and White went on to win the game using correct technique.
USA - Ukraine: 1.5-2.5
Singapore has showed the vulnerability of team USA. Ukraine got the opportunity and seized it. GM Fabiano Caruana (USA, 2798) scored the sole win of the match against GM Andrei Volokitin (UKR, 2660).
Ivanchuk - So
GM Wesley So blundered 44...Re2?? The legend, GM Vasyl Ivanchuk is not someone to miss this 45.Rd7 Re5 46.Rxf7 g5 47.h5 Kxh5 48.Rf6 and it's over.
Upsets:
USA - Ukraine: 1.5-2.5
Vietnam - Uzbekistan: 3-1
Georgia - England: 2-2
Canada - Greece: 2.5-1.5
Women: India - France: 3.5-0.5
Divya - Mitra
WGM Mitra Hejazipour made an interesting practical sacrifice 22...Nxb3!? 23.cxb3 Qc3 24.Rd1 Qxb3 25.Qe1 Bxd5 26.Nh4 Kg8 27.Rg3 Qxa4 Black managed to get four pawns for the sacrificed knight. After few moves, the tables turned and it was Black who had a winning chance.
Black needed to play 38...Qxf3 39.Qxf6+ Rg7 40.Qxg7+ Kxg7 41.exf3 a5 and the resultant endgame is winning for her. Instead, 38...Kg7 evaporated her chances and once again White managed to turn things in her favor and win the game.
Replay India-France games
Upsets
Ukraine - Turkey: 2-2
Spain - Mongolia: 1.5-2.5
Uzbekistan - Bulgaria: 2.5-1.5
Argentina - Germany: 2-2
Monaco - Israel: 2-2
Scotland - Canada: 2-2
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Schedule
Everyday round starts at 3 p.m. local time, 6:30 p.m. IST from 11th to 22nd September 2024. The final round on 22nd September starts 11 a.m. IST. Rest day is on 17th September.
Replay Round 4 Open games
Replay Round 4 Women games
Round 4 Open results
| No. | SNo | FED | Team | Pts. | MP | Res. | : | Res. | MP | Pts. | Team | FED | SNo | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | USA | United States of America | 11 | 6 | 1½ | : | 2½ | 6 | 10 | Ukraine | UKR | 15 | ||
| 2 | 9 | HUN | Hungary *) | 10 | 6 | 2½ | : | 1½ | 6 | 9½ | Italy | ITA | 28 | ||
| 3 | 16 | SRB | Serbia | 9 | 6 | ½ | : | 3½ | 6 | 11½ | India | IND | 2 | ||
| 4 | 3 | CHN | China | 10½ | 6 | 2½ | : | 1½ | 6 | 10 | Armenia | ARM | 17 | ||
| 5 | 21 | VIE | Vietnam | 10½ | 6 | 3 | : | 1 | 6 | 10½ | Uzbekistan | UZB | 4 | ||
| 6 | 11 | POL | Poland | 10 | 6 | 2½ | : | 1½ | 6 | 10 | Lithuania | LTU | 29 | ||
| 7 | 36 | MNE | Montenegro | 9½ | 6 | 1 | : | 3 | 6 | 10 | Azerbaijan | AZE | 12 | ||
| 8 | 40 | SWE | Sweden | 10 | 6 | ½ | : | 3½ | 6 | 10 | Spain | ESP | 13 | ||
| 9 | 6 | NOR | Norway | 9 | 5 | 3 | : | 1 | 5 | 8½ | Slovakia | SVK | 43 | ||
| 10 | 32 | GEO | Georgia | 10 | 5 | 2 | : | 2 | 5 | 8½ | England | ENG | 8 | ||
| 11 | 30 | DEN | Denmark | 7½ | 5 | 1 | : | 3 | 5 | 8½ | Iran | IRI | 10 | ||
| 12 | 42 | LAT | Latvia | 8½ | 5 | 1½ | : | 2½ | 5 | 9 | Turkiye | TUR | 22 | ||
| 13 | 50 | CAN | Canada | 8½ | 5 | 2½ | : | 1½ | 5 | 8½ | Greece | GRE | 23 | ||
| 14 | 5 | NED | Netherlands | 7½ | 4 | 3 | : | 1 | 4 | 9½ | North Macedonia | MKD | 62 | ||
| 15 | 7 | GER | Germany | 8 | 4 | 3½ | : | ½ | 4 | 8 | Mongolia | MGL | 63 | ||
| 16 | 65 | BAN | Bangladesh | 8 | 4 | ½ | : | 3½ | 4 | 7½ | France | FRA | 14 | ||
| 17 | 66 | FAI | Faroe Islands | 6½ | 4 | 1 | : | 3 | 4 | 8 | Romania | ROU | 18 | ||
| 18 | 20 | ISR | Israel | 8 | 4 | 4 | : | 0 | 4 | 8½ | Albania | ALB | 68 | ||
| 19 | 69 | SCO | Scotland | 8½ | 4 | 1 | : | 3 | 4 | 7½ | Bulgaria | BUL | 24 | ||
| 20 | 25 | HUN | Hungary B | 7½ | 4 | 3 | : | 1 | 4 | 7½ | Japan | JPN | 70 |
Standings after Round 4
| Rk. | SNo | FED | Team | Games | + | = | - | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | TB4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | IND | India | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 69 | 15 | 18 | |
| 2 | 13 | ESP | Spain | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 57 | 13,5 | 18 | |
| 3 | 3 | CHN | China | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 54 | 13 | 18 | |
| 4 | 21 | VIE | Vietnam | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 52 | 13,5 | 16 | |
| 5 | 12 | AZE | Azerbaijan | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 50 | 13 | 16 | |
| 6 | 11 | POL | Poland | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 49 | 12,5 | 16 | |
| 7 | 9 | HUN | Hungary | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 46 | 12,5 | 16 | |
| 8 | 15 | UKR | Ukraine | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 44 | 12,5 | 16 | |
| 9 | 6 | NOR | Norway | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 52,5 | 12 | 18 | |
| 10 | 10 | IRI | Iran | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 44,5 | 11,5 | 16 |
Round 5 pairings
| No. | SNo | FED | Team | Pts. | MP | Res. | : | Res. | MP | Pts. | Team | FED | SNo | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | IND | India | 15 | 8 | : | 8 | 13 | Azerbaijan | AZE | 12 | ||||
| 2 | 15 | UKR | Ukraine | 12½ | 8 | : | 8 | 12½ | Hungary *) | HUN | 9 | ||||
| 3 | 13 | ESP | Spain | 13½ | 8 | : | 8 | 13 | China | CHN | 3 | ||||
| 4 | 21 | VIE | Vietnam | 13½ | 8 | : | 8 | 12½ | Poland | POL | 11 | ||||
| 5 | 22 | TUR | Turkiye | 11½ | 7 | : | 7 | 12 | Norway | NOR | 6 | ||||
| 6 | 10 | IRI | Iran | 11½ | 7 | : | 7 | 11 | Canada | CAN | 50 | ||||
| 7 | 33 | ARG | Argentina | 10½ | 6 | : | 6 | 12½ | United States of America | USA | 1 | ||||
| 8 | 4 | UZB | Uzbekistan | 11½ | 6 | : | 6 | 11½ | Moldova | MDA | 34 | ||||
| 9 | 35 | CUB | Cuba | 10½ | 6 | : | 6 | 10½ | Netherlands | NED | 5 | ||||
| 10 | 36 | MNE | Montenegro | 10½ | 6 | : | 6 | 11½ | Germany | GER | 7 |
Round 4 Women pairings
| No. | SNo | FED | Team | Pts. | MP | Res. | : | Res. | MP | Pts. | Team | FED | SNo | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | IND | India | 10 | 6 | 3½ | : | ½ | 6 | 10½ | France | FRA | 13 | ||
| 2 | 55 | DEN | Denmark | 8 | 4 | ½ | : | 3½ | 4 | 9 | Hungary *) | HUN | 14 | ||
| 3 | 15 | ENG | England | 11 | 6 | 0 | : | 4 | 6 | 11½ | China | CHN | 4 | ||
| 4 | 5 | UKR | Ukraine | 9 | 6 | 2 | : | 2 | 6 | 10 | Turkiye | TUR | 16 | ||
| 5 | 7 | USA | United States of America | 11 | 6 | 3½ | : | ½ | 6 | 10 | Netherlands | NED | 17 | ||
| 6 | 9 | ESP | Spain | 11 | 6 | 1½ | : | 2½ | 6 | 9½ | Mongolia | MGL | 18 | ||
| 7 | 19 | SRB | Serbia | 9 | 6 | 1½ | : | 2½ | 6 | 9½ | Kazakhstan | KAZ | 10 | ||
| 8 | 11 | ARM | Armenia | 11 | 6 | 3 | : | 1 | 6 | 11½ | Vietnam | VIE | 20 | ||
| 9 | 34 | UZB | Uzbekistan | 9½ | 6 | 2½ | : | 1½ | 6 | 10½ | Bulgaria | BUL | 12 | ||
| 10 | 2 | GEO | Georgia | 9 | 5 | 3 | : | 1 | 5 | 8½ | Greece | GRE | 23 | ||
| 11 | 22 | ROU | Romania | 9 | 5 | 1 | : | 3 | 5 | 10 | Poland | POL | 3 | ||
| 12 | 28 | SLO | Slovenia | 8½ | 5 | 1 | : | 3 | 5 | 9 | Azerbaijan | AZE | 6 | ||
| 13 | 26 | ARG | Argentina | 10 | 5 | 2 | : | 2 | 5 | 9 | Germany | GER | 8 | ||
| 14 | 56 | BIH | Bosnia & Herzegovina | 7 | 4 | ½ | : | 3½ | 4 | 8 | Switzerland | SUI | 21 | ||
| 15 | 24 | ITA | Italy | 7 | 4 | 3½ | : | ½ | 4 | 8 | North Macedonia | MKD | 57 | ||
| 16 | 58 | MNC | Monaco | 7½ | 4 | 2 | : | 2 | 4 | 8½ | Israel | ISR | 25 | ||
| 17 | 59 | SCO | Scotland | 9½ | 4 | 2 | : | 2 | 4 | 7 | Canada | CAN | 27 | ||
| 18 | 61 | MDA | Moldova | 8 | 4 | 1½ | : | 2½ | 4 | 8½ | Cuba | CUB | 29 | ||
| 19 | 30 | AUT | Austria | 6½ | 4 | 3 | : | 1 | 4 | 8½ | Bangladesh | BAN | 62 | ||
| 20 | 63 | POR | Portugal | 7½ | 4 | 1 | : | 3 | 4 | 8½ | Hungary B | HUN | 31 |
Standings after Round 4
| Rk. | SNo | FED | Team | Games | + | = | - | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | TB4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | CHN | China | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 65 | 15,5 | 17 | |
| 2 | 1 | IND | India | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 60 | 13,5 | 18 | |
| 3 | 7 | USA | United States of America | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 59,5 | 14,5 | 17 | |
| 4 | 11 | ARM | Armenia | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 56 | 14 | 17 | |
| 5 | 10 | KAZ | Kazakhstan | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 48 | 12 | 18 | |
| 6 | 34 | UZB | Uzbekistan | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 46 | 12 | 16 | |
| 7 | 18 | MGL | Mongolia | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 45 | 12 | 17 | |
| 8 | 3 | POL | Poland | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 49 | 13 | 16 | |
| 9 | 16 | TUR | Turkiye | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 45 | 12 | 17 | |
| 10 | 2 | GEO | Georgia | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 43 | 12 | 16 |
Round 5 pairings
| No. | SNo | FED | Team | Pts. | MP | Res. | : | Res. | MP | Pts. | Team | FED | SNo | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | KAZ | Kazakhstan | 12 | 8 | : | 8 | 13½ | India | IND | 1 | ||||
| 2 | 14 | HUN | Hungary *) | 12½ | 6 | : | 6 | 12 | Estonia | EST | 38 | ||||
| 3 | 4 | CHN | China | 15½ | 8 | : | 8 | 14 | Armenia | ARM | 11 | ||||
| 4 | 18 | MGL | Mongolia | 12 | 8 | : | 8 | 14½ | United States of America | USA | 7 | ||||
| 5 | 34 | UZB | Uzbekistan | 12 | 8 | : | 7 | 12 | Georgia | GEO | 2 | ||||
| 6 | 3 | POL | Poland | 13 | 7 | : | 7 | 12 | Turkiye | TUR | 16 | ||||
| 7 | 6 | AZE | Azerbaijan | 12 | 7 | : | 7 | 11 | Ukraine | UKR | 5 | ||||
| 8 | 8 | GER | Germany | 11 | 6 | : | 6 | 12 | Sweden | SWE | 33 | ||||
| 9 | 35 | NOR | Norway | 10 | 6 | : | 6 | 12½ | Spain | ESP | 9 | ||||
| 10 | 12 | BUL | Bulgaria | 12 | 6 | : | 6 | 10½ | Latvia | LAT | 36 | ||||
| 11 | 13 | FRA | France | 11 | 6 | : | 6 | 13 | Iran | IRI | 37 | ||||
| 12 | 39 | PER | Peru | 12½ | 6 | : | 6 | 11 | England | ENG | 15 | ||||
| 13 | 17 | NED | Netherlands | 10½ | 6 | : | 6 | 11 | Croatia | CRO | 40 | ||||
| 14 | 19 | SRB | Serbia | 10½ | 6 | : | 6 | 11½ | Czech Republic | CZE | 41 | ||||
| 15 | 42 | MNE | Montenegro | 12 | 6 | : | 6 | 12½ | Vietnam | VIE | 20 | ||||
| 16 | 21 | SUI | Switzerland | 11½ | 6 | : | 6 | 8 | Brazil | BRA | 43 | ||||
| 17 | 24 | ITA | Italy | 10½ | 6 | : | 6 | 12½ | Philippines | PHI | 47 | ||||
| 18 | 50 | FIN | Finland | 12½ | 6 | : | 6 | 12 | Argentina | ARG | 26 | ||||
| 19 | 52 | EGY | Egypt | 10½ | 6 | : | 6 | 11 | Cuba | CUB | 29 | ||||
| 20 | 30 | AUT | Austria | 9½ | 6 | : | 6 | 10½ | Luxembourg | LUX | 53 |
