Chess Olympiad Round 9: D Gukesh channels his international stage champion self, overturns almost-lost sport to maintain India in gold hunt

NEW DELHI: Since turning into international stage champion two years in the past, noise has adopted Dommaraju Gukesh nearly all over the place, at occasions making it really feel as if he is not worthy of the title he rightfully received.But on Friday, when India wanted the youngest international stage champion in historical past to ship a win, he did precisely that, turning round an almost-lost place to beat Germany’s Alexander Donchenko in Round 9 of the forty sixth Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.It was the type of efficiency that felt prefer it might quiet the criticism all by itself.

How Gukesh turned the tables on Donchenko

Playing black, Gukesh traded off his dark-squared bishop early to wreck White’s pawn construction, then spent the middlegame manoeuvring patiently, repositioning knights, increasing on the queenside with a5-a4, and probing for weaknesses with out dashing.For an extended stretch, the place stayed murky and roughly balanced, with each side shuffling items and neither capable of land a clear blow.It was within the run-up to the time management that issues turned harmful for Gukesh. Donchenko doubled his rooks on the e-file and pushed one all the way in which to e6, aiming squarely at Black’s king, which had been pressured to step out to f7 for security.With his personal clock working low, Gukesh needed to defend exactly whereas attempting to generate counterplay of his personal on the kingside, pushing his h- and g-pawns ahead to create problems. It was a place the place one careless transfer might have ended the sport in White’s favour.Gukesh held his nerve. As the pawn storms and piece trades settled down, he discovered a path to activate his queen and knight whereas White’s items drifted out of coordination.The Chennai-born grandmaster discovered a superb transfer with 51…Nf4. The German sacked Gukesh’s knight with 52.Rxf4, however Donchenko’s bishop was thus left hanging on c3; Gukesh’s queen swooped in to seize it, and from there it was a matter of method.A examine along with his queen pressured Donchenko’s king into an inconceivable spot, and White resigned relatively than play on a bit down along with his king uncovered.Elsewhere on the board, Nihal Sarin, taking part in white, spent a lot of his sport in some turmoil in opposition to Frederik Svane however held agency for a draw.With Gukesh’s win already banked, Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi did not must pressure issues both, settling for attracts in opposition to Vincent Keymer and Matthias Bluebaum, respectively. India closed out the match 2.5-1.5.With the win, India moved to fifteen factors, nonetheless one level behind hosts Uzbekistan, who beat the United States on Friday to remain in entrance.

Vantika, Divya lead India’s girls to victory

India’s girls’s workforce additionally had a productive Friday, with Vantika Agrawal and Divya Deshmukh each delivering necessary wins to seal the match in opposition to Uzbekistan.Vantika, taking part in white in opposition to Nilufarkhon Imomkuzieva, picked up an early pawn with a pointy tactical sequence; a examine along with her queen pressured Black’s king to surrender materials earlier than the middlegame had correctly begun.She nursed that small materials edge via an extended, technical battle, buying and selling down right into a rook endgame the place her further pawn and extra lively king proved decisive.Pushing her kingside pawns ahead within the closing levels, Vantika finally broke via, and Imomkuzieva had no approach to maintain the place collectively.Divya Deshmukh’s sport in opposition to Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova was a far longer and extra chaotic affair.

Both sides grabbed materials early. Tokhirjonova’s knight snatched a pawn on b7 simply as Divya’s queen picked up a stray piece on d2, leaving the place roughly balanced however sharp.What adopted was a marathon battle via the middlegame and into a posh rook, knight and bishop endgame, with each gamers navigating difficult technical positions deep into the sport.Divya’s method held up higher over the lengthy haul, and after 73 hard-fought strikes, Tokhirjonova had nothing left to cease Black’s advancing king, resigning the place.Those two outcomes have been sufficient to see India via the match, conserving the workforce firmly within the combine for a medal.As issues stand, India’s girls sit second within the standings on 15 factors, behind an in-form Chinese facet on 17.With two rounds left, India’s hopes of gold now rely largely on whether or not China slip up, however on Friday’s proof, neither Indian workforce appears inclined to make issues simple for anybody chasing them both. ALSO READ: Juggling Chess Olympiad prep and a commentary gig in India: The other side of USA’s only female GM Irina KrushIn the Open part, India face Uzbekistan 2, whereas the ladies’s workforce tackle China within the penultimate spherical of the Chess Olympiad.