{"id":11261,"date":"2022-08-03T20:17:07","date_gmt":"2022-08-03T20:17:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www1090.fide.com\/?p=11261"},"modified":"2023-10-26T06:30:47","modified_gmt":"2023-10-26T06:30:47","slug":"triple-gold-armenia-leads-the-olympiad-halfway-through","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/triple-gold-armenia-leads-the-olympiad-halfway-through\/","title":{"rendered":"Triple-gold Armenia leads the Olympiad halfway through"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"11261\" class=\"elementor elementor-11261\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-7cea845d elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default wpr-particle-no wpr-jarallax-no wpr-parallax-no wpr-sticky-section-no\" data-id=\"7cea845d\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-41640d62\" data-id=\"41640d62\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-78698065 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"78698065\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong><em>India\u2019s 16-year-old prodigy Gukesh wins his sixth game in a row<\/em><\/strong><\/p><p>Three-time Olympic champions Armenia scored a huge win this afternoon in the 4 Points Sheraton Convention Centre, defeating India B by 2.5-1.5 in a very exciting match. Despite losing on board one &#8211; Sargissian was steamrolled by Gukesh &#8211;\u00a0the Armenians were stronger on the lower boards, and GMs\u00a0<strong>Samvel Ter-Sahakyan<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>Robert Hovhannisyan<\/strong>\u00a0(pictured below) won their games.<\/p><p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/app.fide.com\/upload\/17182\/135007e7085979a7d5b41ce54c0e54d7.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p><p>Going into the rest day, they are the sole leaders of the open section with a perfect twelve match-point score.<\/p><p>However, the man of the day was once again 16-year-old Indian prodigy Gukesh D, who scored his sixth win in a row. The feat is reminding many of us of the brilliant performance of former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik at the 1992 Manila Olympiad.<\/p><p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/app.fide.com\/upload\/17196\/c5cd828daf007728dc1c9b23eb047e62.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p><p>Barely known internationally, Vladimir scored 8.5\/9, notching up a 2958 rating performance, and winning the gold medal on board five. Kramnik was only 17 at the time\u2026<\/p><p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/app.fide.com\/upload\/17181\/3fb5ed13afe8714a7e5d13ee506003dd.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p><p>Of course, both performances are not totally comparable &#8211; Gukesh is already a well-known grandmaster and the Olympiad is only halfway \u2013 but even so, his performance is already outstanding.<\/p><p>The round began with a double-move opening ceremony. The Director of Citi Bank, Mr. Pradeep Sekar opened the Women\u2019s India vs Georgia match while veteran Indian IM K. Murugan \u2013 representing NLC &#8211; played the ceremonial move on the India B vs Armenia first board. Murugan has been an Olympic team member for India on a few occasions and is highly respected in the national chess community.<\/p><p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/app.fide.com\/upload\/17184\/4efdd2f969559e8b1c92e99f32ded48e.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p><p>In addition to the key India B vs Armenia match, all eyes were focused on team India A. Would they be able to keep up the pace of the youngsters, against Uzbekistan, arguably an even younger team?<\/p><p>A tough day in the office; a very focused Harikrisna defeated Abdusattorov with Black on board one, when the young Uzbek misplayed a topical Italian opening.<\/p><p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/app.fide.com\/upload\/17185\/2de40e0d504f583cda7465979f958a98.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p><p>On board four, Sasikiran was having trouble facing his young opponent\u2019s attack, and in the end, it came crashing through: Vokhidov Shamsiddin scored a massive win putting the tie on the score boards.<\/p><p>On board two Vidit drawed effortlessly but on board three Erigaisi was on the verge of losing. All in all, a lucky save for India A \u2013 2-2 in the end \u2013 who now have the same points as India B.<\/p><p>Fabiano Caruana went from villain to hero. His clear win this afternoon over Iran\u2019s top player Parham Maghsoodloo \u2013 2.5-1.5 was the final score for USA \u2013 leaves the Americans in prime position to continue climbing up the standings ladder. They are now clear second with 11\/12 points and things are looking brighter for them every day.<\/p><p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/app.fide.com\/upload\/17186\/fac4ef5554f69012fe38d2f1d4e245a6.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p><p>Spain &#8211; Cuba ended in a 2-2, probably leaving the Spaniards slightly disappointed. Board two and elite player Vallejo Pons was unable to play again due to a slight throat infection: many players are suffering the outside heat combined with the air conditioning inside the playing hall.<\/p><p>These results on the top matches have permitted none less than ten teams to tie for third place with 10\/12 and although there are still five rounds to go, these teams will clearly be medal contenders.\u00a0 France, the Netherlands, Germany, Serbia, Peru \u2026 and the list goes on.<\/p><p>The Netherlands are clearly an up and going team. Sporting first board Anish Giri, they seem to be on a roll after their unexpected loss against Israel. First a 4-0 win against Canada and this afternoon they defeated the always dangerous Georgian team by 2.5-1.5 with two wonderful exchange sacrifices on boards one and two.<\/p><p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/app.fide.com\/upload\/17187\/e4bde0eb46b8f32ef4b4207f5344b4d4.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p><p>In his\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/wcXQxI0RHWM\">short postgame interview with FIDE Press Officer IM Michael Rahal<\/a>, Giri was kind enough to offer some insight into the game.\u00a0 Check it out to improve your chess skills!\u00a0\u00a0<\/p><p>Players will enjoy tomorrow\u2019s day off and games will continue on August 5th according to schedule. India A vs India C will be the main dish on the menu although all eyes will be on Armenia vs USA for first place.<\/p><p>Armenia (12)\u00a0\u2013 United States of America (11)<\/p><p>India A\u00a0 (10) \u2013 India C (10)<\/p><p>France (10) \u2013 Netherlands (10)<\/p><p>Serbia (10) \u2013 Germany (10)<\/p><p>Cuba (10) \u2013 \u00a0India 2 (10)<\/p><p>Peru (10) \u2013 Uzbekistan (10)<\/p><p>Games will begin at 3pm sharp and can be followed live on the tournament website.<\/p><p>For a complete list of results, please visit the official website at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/chessolympiad.fide.com\/open-results\/\">https:\/\/chessolympiad.fide.com\/open-results\/<\/a><\/p><p>Text: IM Michael Rahal, FIDE Press Officer, Chennai<\/p><p>Photos: Lennart Ootes, Mark Livshitz and Stev Bonhage<\/p><hr \/><p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/app.fide.com\/upload\/17105\/00cf63fe98f9ee199d9c3930ea48873c.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>India\u2019s 16-year-old prodigy Gukesh wins his sixth game in a row Three-time Olympic champions Armenia scored a huge win this afternoon in the 4 Points Sheraton Convention Centre, defeating India B by 2.5-1.5 in a very exciting match. Despite losing on board one &#8211; Sargissian was steamrolled by Gukesh &#8211;\u00a0the Armenians were stronger on the lower boards, and GMs\u00a0Samvel Ter-Sahakyan\u00a0and\u00a0Robert Hovhannisyan\u00a0(pictured below) won their games. Going into the rest day, they are the sole leaders of the open section with a perfect twelve match-point score. However, the man of the day was once again 16-year-old Indian prodigy Gukesh D, who scored his sixth win in a row. The feat is reminding many of us of the brilliant performance of former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik at the 1992 Manila Olympiad. Barely known internationally, Vladimir scored 8.5\/9, notching up a 2958 rating performance, and winning the gold medal on board five. Kramnik was only 17 at the time\u2026 Of course, both performances are not totally comparable &#8211; Gukesh is already a well-known grandmaster and the Olympiad is only halfway \u2013 but even so, his performance is already outstanding. The round began with a double-move opening ceremony. The Director of Citi Bank, Mr. Pradeep Sekar opened the Women\u2019s India vs Georgia match while veteran Indian IM K. Murugan \u2013 representing NLC &#8211; played the ceremonial move on the India B vs Armenia first board. Murugan has been an Olympic team member for India on a few occasions and is highly respected in the national chess community. In addition to the key India B vs Armenia match, all eyes were focused on team India A. Would they be able to keep up the pace of the youngsters, against Uzbekistan, arguably an even younger team? A tough day in the office; a very focused Harikrisna defeated Abdusattorov with Black on board one, when the young Uzbek misplayed a topical Italian opening. On board four, Sasikiran was having trouble facing his young opponent\u2019s attack, and in the end, it came crashing through: Vokhidov Shamsiddin scored a massive win putting the tie on the score boards. On board two Vidit drawed effortlessly but on board three Erigaisi was on the verge of losing. All in all, a lucky save for India A \u2013 2-2 in the end \u2013 who now have the same points as India B. Fabiano Caruana went from villain to hero. His clear win this afternoon over Iran\u2019s top player Parham Maghsoodloo \u2013 2.5-1.5 was the final score for USA \u2013 leaves the Americans in prime position to continue climbing up the standings ladder. They are now clear second with 11\/12 points and things are looking brighter for them every day. Spain &#8211; Cuba ended in a 2-2, probably leaving the Spaniards slightly disappointed. Board two and elite player Vallejo Pons was unable to play again due to a slight throat infection: many players are suffering the outside heat combined with the air conditioning inside the playing hall. These results on the top matches have permitted none less than ten teams to tie for third place with 10\/12 and although there are still five rounds to go, these teams will clearly be medal contenders.\u00a0 France, the Netherlands, Germany, Serbia, Peru \u2026 and the list goes on. The Netherlands are clearly an up and going team. Sporting first board Anish Giri, they seem to be on a roll after their unexpected loss against Israel. First a 4-0 win against Canada and this afternoon they defeated the always dangerous Georgian team by 2.5-1.5 with two wonderful exchange sacrifices on boards one and two. In his\u00a0short postgame interview with FIDE Press Officer IM Michael Rahal, Giri was kind enough to offer some insight into the game.\u00a0 Check it out to improve your chess skills!\u00a0\u00a0 Players will enjoy tomorrow\u2019s day off and games will continue on August 5th according to schedule. India A vs India C will be the main dish on the menu although all eyes will be on Armenia vs USA for first place. Armenia (12)\u00a0\u2013 United States of America (11) India A\u00a0 (10) \u2013 India C (10) France (10) \u2013 Netherlands (10) Serbia (10) \u2013 Germany (10) Cuba (10) \u2013 \u00a0India 2 (10) Peru (10) \u2013 Uzbekistan (10) Games will begin at 3pm sharp and can be followed live on the tournament website. For a complete list of results, please visit the official website at\u00a0https:\/\/chessolympiad.fide.com\/open-results\/ Text: IM Michael Rahal, FIDE Press Officer, Chennai Photos: Lennart Ootes, Mark Livshitz and Stev Bonhage<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":11263,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[158,209],"regular":[],"sticky-post":[],"class_list":["post-11261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chess-news","tag-chess-olympiad","tag-india"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11261","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11261"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11261\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11266,"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11261\/revisions\/11266"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11263"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11261"},{"taxonomy":"regular","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/regular?post=11261"},{"taxonomy":"sticky-post","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sticky-post?post=11261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}