Chess Olympiad: India make wrong moves, settle for bronze

Mamallapuram, August 9

The India B team settled for a bronze medal in the open section, while the India A women’s side also finished third in the 44th Chess Olympiad here today. India B defeated Germany 3-1 in their final round match to end third.

Uzbekistan sprang a surprise by bagging gold with a 2-1 win over the Netherlands ahead of a strong Armenian team, which beat Spain 2.5-1.5 in the final round in the open section. Uzbekistan and Armenian secured 19 match points each, while India scored 18.The top-seeded India A women’s team crashed to a 1-3 defeat in the 11th and final round to the USA to see its gold medal hopes evaporate. It was India’s first-ever medal at the Olympiad in the women’s section. India A, the USA and Kazakhstan tied for third place but the host won bronze. War-torn Ukraine won an emotional gold in the women’s event ahead of Georgia. In the open section, Uzbekistan beat the Netherlands in the final round.