Once the initial chaos was out of the way at the 44th Chess Olympiad venue on Friday afternoon – only to be expected at the start of a tournament of this magnitude – chess took centrestage. And to India’s delight, it was a smooth-sailing opening day for the hosts.
In the open section, the top Indian team of Vidit Gujrathi, Arjun Erigaisi, SL Narayanan and Sasikaran Krishnan – seeded second behind United States of America – posted a comfortable 4-0 victory over Zimbabwe. Gujrathi was occupying the top board in the absence of P Harikrishna, who chose to sit out of the opening fixture. Up against him was Zimbabwe’s Rodwell Makoto, an International Master with a FIDE rating of 2346.
Gujrathi took 49 moves to close the fixture, the longest among any of his teammates.
Erigaisi, on the second board, defeated Spencer Masango while Narayanan and Krishnan got the better of Emarald Mushore and Jemusse Zhemba respectively. Erigaisi, one of the most promising young Indian players on view, wrapped up his game in 38 moves.
The second and third Indian teams in the open section also started their campaigns with wins over United Arab Emirates and South Sudan respectively.
{{/usCountry}}The second and third Indian teams in the open section also started their campaigns with wins over United Arab Emirates and South Sudan respectively.
{{/usCountry}}Part of the second Indian team that also features D Gukesh, Nihal Sarin, B Adhiban and R Praggnanandhaa, Raunak Sadhwani was the first player to register victory on Friday. Praggnanandhaa wasn’t in action on the first day.
Sadhwani defeated UAE’s Mohammad Abdulrahman in 36 moves, even showing the confidence to try out a new idea with his queen and bishop on his Olympiad debut. Not just that, he said he was so assured with his opening that he had ample time to track how his teammates were faring.
“I played a good game. I am very excited for the rest of the tournament. This is my first Olympiad. I am looking forward to giving my best,” Sadhwani said.
Sarin’s duel against UAE’s Ibrahim Sultan was a 55-move affair, but the 18-year-old Grandmaster from Kerala came through as expected.
In the women’s section too, India A – seeded first – began with a 4-0 sweep as Koneru Humpy, R Vaishali, Tania Sachdev and Bhakti Kulkarni beat their counterparts from Tajikistan. The second and third Indian women’s teams also notched 4-0 wins over Wales and Hong Kong, capping off a faultless day for the hosts.
Aronian held by Angola’s Silva
The only surprise result on offer was in USA’s encounter against Angola. Levon Aronian was the highest-ranked player in action on Friday. Pitted against International Master David Silva, who has a rating of just 2315, Aronian had to share the spoils. The world No 5, playing with black pieces, offered a draw after 41 moves, which Silva accepted despite being in an advantageous position.
The Americans still emerged victorious against Angola by a margin of 3.5-0.5 as Wesley So, Leinier Dominguez and Sam Shankland had little trouble in dispatching their respective opponents. Fabiano Caruana, who is their highest-rated player, didn’t play the opening fixture. World No 1 Magnus Carlsen was also absent on the first day, but he must have been pleased with the Norwegians notching a 3-5-0.5 victory over the men from Lebanon.